hawk problems

[riverrat12]

Are you sure it is a hawk? Could be a neighbor, you know those coy make fine susha. lol lol lol

And good bait...dang busted

[mhall]

Boys they prefer easier prey but hawks can and will take a fish off the surface. If they are hungry and the oppurtunity presents itself it's on, seen'em do it several times in my life. I've watched big Redtails nail fish in Floyds Fork Creek when I was growing up. What gets most peoples Coy fish out of their backyard ponds his the dang Blue Herrons, now they will clean a pond out I tell ya.

[skeeter185]

thanks for the ideas guys ..... money is to tight to pay a fine ... lol i guess ill try the netting the only problem with that what if the hawk was to get tangled and drowned (or the koi ganged up on him and killed him) would you think i would still be liable for killing a bird of prey ???? or just blame it on the fish ....

[colonelmeyer]

That last one about it getting tangled in the net and the coy ganging up on him make me laugh so hard my plague cough resurfaced! This past summer the bird lady at the zoo told me we have a healthy population of Kestrels downtown now, maybe one of them? I saw a juvenile redtail or kestrel bust a squirrel this afternoon right in the middle of Burnett St. just before Shelby a bit after 3 this afternoon. I want to see a bald eagle take a fish, seen hawks, kestrels, ospreys and, plenty of blue herons.

[rickhise]

For a racoon problem see if anybody around has the hava heart traps live traps, a bag of marshmallows, then you need to relocate them, which a means several miles

tool discount place, " Harbour Freightr" (sp) sells them under 30$ a piece.....

I have caught 4 and removed them from our deer corn, also if u have any buddies that have a game camera u might be surprised at whats getting your fish, if its a coon the marshmallow is the trick, if its a neural (sp) cat or house cat, then u need another bait, my money is on a raccoon.

PS usually one game warden for one to several counties, do the math, usually when a landowner can prove property destruction there are provisions,

Your county extension office may provide the traps, I wouldn't mind u borrowing mine

[rickhise]

opps

[bob46]

You would be better off shooting your neighbor than shooting a hawk, you will get less time for killing your neighbor.

[ryan_ekubass]

buddy i dont think you would be liable if the hawk got caught in the nettign over your pond... u dont get in trouble if a deer gets hung on the top wire of a fence trying to cross it.... if it does get hung and u have to go get it out.. i would recomend callign the dog catcher then set back maybe get the video camera and make a totty and watch the show... cause that hawk will climb up one side and down the other of that guy.... or u could put plexi glass over it and get even with them birds from the window cleanign commercial.... dive bombing on your coy then WHACK...

[jigman73]

I would check to see if your fish are disappearing at night or day. This would give you a better idea as to what could be getting your fish.
I don't know that I would use a net unless you are able to keep it really tight. The better alternative may be using a wire mesh to lay over the pond (if it's small enough). This should keep everything out. If you really think that it is a raptor, the wire mesh is your safer bet, because you probably would be held accountable if you use a net to try to keep it out of your pond and it gets entangled and dies, there are no provisions to the laws surrounding raptors, to my knowledge, for harming a raptor for taking your fish, whether it be intentional or accidental (but I could be wrong).
Don't get me wrong, I don't think that is your intention at all. I believe you just want to protect your fish and there is nothing wrong with that.
If you know for certain it's a raptor, then you might want to contact KDFW to get some suggestions about what to do.
Lee

[colonelmeyer]

Yeah, great idea Ryan, that visualization is going to make me laugh all day, i'll take mine on the rocks! Put those license dollars to work, call up KDFWR, they'll take care of your little friend no matter what species. Probably free to, we all know how they like to roll.

[Cobra190]

If it is a bird species problem you can handle it as if you were keeping birds out of a garden. You can place a few dollar pinwheels around it or some aluminum pie plates on strings. Anything giving off flash and constant movement will keep the birds away.
If it is a rodent problem, go to your nearest Tractor Supply or Southern States and they should have deterants that can be poured or sprinkled around your pond that will keep them away.
Good Luck!

[skeeter185]

that plexi glass idea is crackin me up with the WHACK!!!! but more so me walking out to feed them and throwing the food out and then realizing its gonna be alittle hard for them fish to eat food atop the glass as i call my self a moron and repeat the process minus the glass top .... lol this may turn into the coyote and the roadrunner .... beep !!! beep !!!