OT: Scaring pheasants off

[Another John]

DIY of a sort I suppose: I'm calling upon the experience and imagination of this group ...

I currently have a c*ck pheasant frequenting our garden; he brings with him 2 or 3 hens, and sometimes as many as 7.

They are an absolute bloody pain: they scratch like hens, and are ruining the lawn; they also peck inquisitively at anything green - which this time of year is new shoots on our plants.

I want to dissuade them from coming. I currently try to hit them with tennis balls: not succeeded yet.

If I had the garden I always wanted -- i.e. one backing on to woods or open fields -- I would have no hesitation in getting an air rifle and shooting the buggers. I need to be able to open a window and let fly ...

... but although our garden is quite large (by modern standards), we are bordered on all sides by others.

I was wondering about a NERF gun -- anyone know anything about them? Or any other ideas? I want to scare them off for good.

Cheers John

[GB]

You might well have to compensate the owner of the birds, if you shoot them.

Do they fly/run away if you go out in the garden?

[David]

Borrow a small terrier?

One that likes racing around and yapping a lot.

Cheers

Dave R

[tabbypurr]

NT

[newshound]

Don't think so, not if you shoot them on your own land

[newshound]

They are bloody stupid animals, I don't think anything but chasing every time they appear will do any good. Cat or dog just changes the problem.

I'd say a super soaker would be more effective than a nerf gun. But it will only be temporary.

[Chris Green]

Funny that, you'd like to be "in the country" but not have any of the inevitable accompaniment that is what actually makes it different from the town! :-)

[Clive Arthur]

You can buy spring loaded airsoft guns for not much money (or a lot of money), eg...

These fire 6mm plastic spheres, you'd probably want the biodegradable ones for use in your garden. They sting a bit and don't seem to do any real harm to pigeons, but they certainly move fast when hit.

Cheers

[Andrew]

Be thankful they aren't peacocks trying to pick a fight with your cars paintwork.

[Mark Allread]

Of course you would only shoot them during the permitted months and you wouldn't actually use an air rifle would you as it wouldn't kill them merely injure them.

As someone who does have the type of garden you desire and who is visited by hen and c*ck pheasants on a more or less daily basis (along with other wildlife) I'd say just leave 'em alone - they don't cause that much damage.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Air rifle fine when shooting downwards

Try for head shots - dead or run away - seldom wounded

Turn em all into game terrine

[Roger Hayter]

Quite a lot of land is sold in rural areas nominally freehold but with the landowner retaining rights to game (and in principle to chase/hunt/shoot it) on the land. Feudalism is alive and well despite reports to the contrary.

[Roger Hayter]

I don't see what wealthy business men covering the place with alien birds which have rendered our native reptiles and small carnivorous mammals nearly extinct has got to do with "the country". Keeping game is of no social value and entirely destructive. The people who go with it are often less than pleasant. If people really want to shoot things then no-one minds them shooting rabbits.

[Chris Hogg]

The farmer next door uses bird scarer kites to keep pigeons away, with good effect. OK for 10-acre fields but seems a bit OTT for a domestic garden

[T i m]

When it's not freezing out there, a passive IR water jet thing worked very well on cats invading our private property: [1]

The water wouldn't hurt the pheasants but the 'shock' of it starting up and strafing the area (all settable) might be enough.

Cheers, T i m

[1] For cats I was trying to get some sort of stick bomb type smell I could put in a water tank and auto pump that soaked cats could take back to their keepers so we could all share the stink experience cats often bring to non-cat owners (gardens). ;-)

[GB]

Are they wildlife? Or are they livestock? You could hardly shoot your neighbour's cow just because it found its way into your garden. Are highly-prized peacocks not in the same category?

[Chris Green]

I thought someone might say that, and to some extent I'm in agreement but I don't think that was the OP's take on it.

[newshound]

Agricultural land, certainly. Gardens, less likely I think (although the Somerset stag hunts do regularly end up in gardens).

[newshound]

Stick bombs should definitely sort them

[Rob Morley]

Probably only good for open ground though, unless you stick it on the roof.