# How to scare crows in my garden?



## OldGrantonian

I'd like some advice on what type of slingshot I should use to scare crows from my garden.

I would be aiming mostly at crows that are actually on the ground. Maximum distance 80 feet.

Any injury (or worse) to a bird would be grounds for divorce (or worse). So I would be aiming at least 1 yard away from a bird.

For birds sitting on fences, I would aim about 1 yard or more below the bird to keep the potato within the garden. All my garden fences are solid, 5 feet high, with no openings. So, IMHO, there's no risk to people or property outside the garden.

For shot, I was thinking of using small potatoes - about 1 inch diameter or less. But any advice would be helpful.

Any advice on UK laws regarding catapults would also be useful.

My last target practice was 60 years ago, using an aluminum slingshot with 1/4 inch square elastic. My aim was average. So, IMHO, the only risk to a bird would occur if it actually veered into the path of the shot.

I was planning to use Amazon to buy a slingshot, because of the reviews. But a simple search for "slingshots" gives over 5,000 entries. So it would be nice if I knew what kind of search terms to use in order to narrow down the list.

Thanks.


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## Hulla Baloo

Rescue a puppy and put him to work

For love and some kibble he's unlikely to shirk

He'll scare the crows because you want it done

He's eager to please- it's territorial fun...

Anything that can be maimed or killed by a slingshot round, even with the best intentions, should not be subjected to scare tactics by the device. Slingshots are valuable to me as a motivational tool for large and dangerous game animals. Birds, not so much. Crows, depending on the severity of the annoyance, call for dogs or a shotgun, or both, IMHO.


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## Buckskin Dave

Don't know what to tell you about discouraging crows with a catty, but if you take some old CD's you don't listen to anymore, get them from family or friends, whatever, and hang them around your garden on low limbs or shepherds hooks or just stakes. So that they can spin and flash it will do a lot to scare crows. Now I don't mean one or two, I mean a dozen or more depending on the size of the area you want to clear, lots of them. The flash confuses and frightens the crows, CDs show many colors in the sun and seem like predator eyes to birds. It will help.


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## mattwalt

I'd go with Buckskin on this one. Don't think a slingshot would be ideal.

Crows are smart - they will return as soon as you're not around.


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## Tag

Buckskins idea is excellent


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## jazz

I made couple of slingshots for people who exclusively wanted to scare crows which either made unwanted noise, or did some damage such as eating young pigeons belonging to a person who breeds them.

As far as I got some feedback from them, most often a loud hit in the three trunk or at the branch was enough to scare them off. None of them used to kill or hurt the birds and are quite satisfied with the results.

cheers,

jazz


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## JPD-Madrid

I had the experience to use trap to catch one of them. and then tied its feet on the ground to warn his families. I worked fantastic. At least half a year those craw never came to steal our vegetable.


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## JPD-Madrid

OldGrantonian said:


> I'd like some advice on what type of slingshot I should use to scare crows from my garden.
> 
> I would be aiming mostly at crows that are actually on the ground. Maximum distance 80 feet.
> 
> Any injury (or worse) to a bird would be grounds for divorce (or worse). So I would be aiming at least 1 yard away from a bird.
> 
> For birds sitting on fences, I would aim about 1 yard or more below the bird to keep the potato within the garden. All my garden fences are solid, 5 feet high, with no openings. So, IMHO, there's no risk to people or property outside the garden.
> 
> For shot, I was thinking of using small potatoes - about 1 inch diameter or less. But any advice would be helpful.
> 
> Any advice on UK laws regarding catapults would also be useful.
> 
> My last target practice was 60 years ago, using an aluminum slingshot with 1/4 inch square elastic. My aim was average. So, IMHO, the only risk to a bird would occur if it actually veered into the path of the shot.
> 
> I was planning to use Amazon to buy a slingshot, because of the reviews. But a simple search for "slingshots" gives over 5,000 entries. So it would be nice if I knew what kind of search terms to use in order to narrow down the list.
> 
> Thanks.


If you have no way to trap one and then release. The most cheap slingshot from amazon will do the job for you. you´d better buy some clay ammo, which is the best solution your requirement on you case.


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## 3danman

Be careful pissing off crows. As others have said, crows are wicked smart and can communicate in ways we still don't understand. They can recognize faces and identify you as a bad guy in the future. I think a dog is a good option, or doing away with them if you're ethical about it. Scare tactics might be a bad idea.


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## romanljc

Acorns make good light weight non lethal ammo


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## THWACK!

OldGrantonian said:


> I'd like some advice on what type of slingshot I should use to scare crows from my garden.
> 
> I would be aiming mostly at crows that are actually on the ground. Maximum distance 80 feet.
> 
> Any injury (or worse) to a bird would be grounds for divorce (or worse). So I would be aiming at least 1 yard away from a bird.
> 
> For birds sitting on fences, I would aim about 1 yard or more below the bird to keep the potato within the garden. All my garden fences are solid, 5 feet high, with no openings. So, IMHO, there's no risk to people or property outside the garden.
> 
> For shot, I was thinking of using small potatoes - about 1 inch diameter or less. But any advice would be helpful.
> 
> Any advice on UK laws regarding catapults would also be useful.
> 
> My last target practice was 60 years ago, using an aluminum slingshot with 1/4 inch square elastic. My aim was average. So, IMHO, the only risk to a bird would occur if it actually veered into the path of the shot.
> 
> I was planning to use Amazon to buy a slingshot, because of the reviews. But a simple search for "slingshots" gives over 5,000 entries. So it would be nice if I knew what kind of search terms to use in order to narrow down the list.
> 
> Thanks.


Just throw the damn slingshot at them.

Actually, if you're good with your hands and walk on your feet, create a boomerang slingshot which will return to you after you swoop it over the birdies' heads to scare them

Better yet, practice drone maneuvering to see how close you can get the drone to them.

Or, train the crows to eliminate on wifey's car - she'll do the rest.

THWACK!


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## THWACK!

I can't tell you about UK laws, but here across the pond it is unlawful, at a Federal level, to kill a crow, and there's probably a law against harassing them.

Obviously you have access to the Internet, so why not query your favorite search engine for the laws pertaining to your hunk of terra firma?

THWACK!


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## THWACK!

OldGrantonian said:


> I'd like some advice on what type of slingshot I should use to scare crows from my garden.
> 
> I would be aiming mostly at crows that are actually on the ground. Maximum distance 80 feet.
> 
> Any injury (or worse) to a bird would be grounds for divorce (or worse). So I would be aiming at least 1 yard away from a bird.
> 
> For birds sitting on fences, I would aim about 1 yard or more below the bird to keep the potato within the garden. All my garden fences are solid, 5 feet high, with no openings. So, IMHO, there's no risk to people or property outside the garden.
> 
> For shot, I was thinking of using small potatoes - about 1 inch diameter or less. But any advice would be helpful.
> 
> Any advice on UK laws regarding catapults would also be useful.
> 
> My last target practice was 60 years ago, using an aluminum slingshot with 1/4 inch square elastic. My aim was average. So, IMHO, the only risk to a bird would occur if it actually veered into the path of the shot.
> 
> I was planning to use Amazon to buy a slingshot, because of the reviews. But a simple search for "slingshots" gives over 5,000 entries. So it would be nice if I knew what kind of search terms to use in order to narrow down the list.
> 
> Thanks.


You got me thinking about "The Wizard of Oz" - forget about going to the costume shop for a scarecrow outfit - it apparently doesn't work.

At least not in Hollywood.

THWACK!


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## OldGrantonian

Hi All, I'd like to reply to several of the kind responses, but I can't get the multiquote feature to work. A popup shows the number of quotes being incremented after each addition. But I can't see any feature to insert those quotes. There's a popup that says "Reply to 7 quoted posts". I closed my eyes and pressed the button, expecting to see that I had replied, but with no chance to insert any of my own text.










When I opened my eyes, the reply box was still empty.









I looked at the video here:

https://www.theslingshotforum.com/threads/welcome-to-theslingshotforum-com-a-users-guide-to-the-site.42423/

There's no sound. But as a test, I get sound from YouTube and from my own laptop.

I enlarged the video to read the text. The video shows an "Insert quotes" button at lower left of reply box. I don't see this button in my reply box.

It looks like an old video, because each post has only a "Quote" button - no "Multiquote"

Maybe there's a limitation on new users?

Thanks.


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## Buckskin Dave

No its not against fed law to kill a crow THWACK. Here in PA they even have organized crow shoots and tournaments. And crow's and fox are they only thing your lawfully able to hunt on sunday here. There is no closed season on crows. They have no protected status at all.


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## Buckskin Dave

Right after I posted I started thinking and remembered seeing something change about crow hunting. So I checked with the PA game commission and found that crow hunting rules HAVE changed. Now you may only hunt them : July 1-April 14, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. No limit. So no crow hunting in May or June. I am sorry for posting incorrect information in my last post.


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## Bugar

I hang an old metal wheel over or hubcap, shiny is nice, big is nice, when birds appear shoot it with some metal ammo, really makes noise, loud, works for me, and sometimes they stay away for quite a while, very leery of the shiny thing that makes noise.


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## Ibojoe

I think that I would hang up some old circular saw blades. They make a loud ring when hit with steel. Crows are as smart as it gets. They will get the word out that it's not safe.


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## Hulla Baloo

Under federal guidelines, individuals may kill crows without a hunting license or permit when they are found committing, or about to commit, depredations on agricultural crops, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner as to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance (16 U.S.C. Sections 703-712).

You're right Joe, crows are crazy smart- they can create and use tools as well. They communicate danger better than most species. A few years back I had a group of six terrorizing my melon patch. On the third day of the onslaught five crows were sitting in an adjacent fir tree watching the sixth devour one of my honeydews. The message he communicated that day was that eating melons from this patch causes one to explode... The remaining five moved on.


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## starshipchucker

mr. oldgrantonion...

.in my experence...crows are a pain in the butt.. had trouble with them fer years..they are super smart and determinded..nothing seems to work fer long..i have a small orchard here in north ca.(mostly cherries) and i lose a good 3 to 8% of my crop every year to birds..thing is..once they decide yer place is a good spot.they keep comin back...even if you do kill a couple...it just makes em more sneaky.(and divorce does suck)..decoys work fer about 40 seconds..once they figure out its fake they just knock it over..if you sling at them to miss...they will realize that yer missin on purpose and watch and listen and it wont scare em a bit..unless you get real real close..crows are ornery..dogs can help but you gotta train em for it and ive found that most of the time the crows will just fly up a tree and scream and caw at the dog along with frequent dive bombs followed up with surrounding and frustrating the heck outta the poor frustraded pooch...ive tried bird bombs and smoke shells.i pay little kids with low powered bb guns and paintball markers right before the harvest to shoot at them...like i said fer years....heres the trick ive found that seems to work best fer me...you gotta figure out which one iz the leader...i know i sound nutty...hear me out...the leader of a crow flock(a murder?)iz always a older bigger fatter female and a sister..a sorta xo...mature males are usually solitary or live in small groups..comin aroud the flocks to breed..younger males are used as lookouts and scouts..you can easly figure the leader..shell be big loud and pushy..

she will bully out the other birds in her flock.she sqaks louder,steals food without gettin chased.is mean..starts fights...torment HER..sling paintballs at her(or somethin else nice and light)to hit..yes to hit..smack one right at her.a paintball wieghs what? several grams?..some crows are big as small chickens(sorta).you aint gonna hurt her..be relentless..make her keep lookin at you..let her see you..annoy her..keep her from doin her crow stuff..make her relize that she iz the target.. her... her alone..dont let her get feelin easy or comfy..get 2or 3 friends together with chuckers and everytime she dips her head..let off a volley..a few days of this... shell get the idea that this place sucks and is not worth the trouble..shell move to easier foraging spots...or...she will figure out your range...staying just outside of it(even if you walk foward they will move back)screamin and cawing at you while the wife and kid are makin fun at you bout how you got outsmarted by a pack of freakin birds....and you still got a crow problem....hope this helps............starshipchucker signin off


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## flipgun

Yes CD's work okay and the light show is nice for when you are not there. But when you are home, why not have some fun? Small drones are getting cheaper all of the time. I have seen a vid or two of someone chasing crows out with one. They don't like them at all.


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## JPD-Madrid

It seems that it is a good idea to invent some prodcut to drive away those wild birds simply,automatically and efficiently. A lot of people are in trouble with them.


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## Jolly Roger

I just bought a product at my local hardware store that is made to keep mice, rats, squirrels, etc. out of buildings. They said the winereys use it with good results. I brought it home and plugged it in set for mice and it is a constant chatter that is suppose to disrupt the mice and other varmints causing them to leave and not come back as long as the noise is being emitted. However, I can stand it but no one else wants to be in the house with it turned on. Sounds like it might be one of many solutions to the crow invasion. Of course another solution is shooting crows with a slingshot when the wife is not around to witness your accuracy. But no matter how many crows you shoot it will not discourage others from landing like the pie pans hung around and the noise maker would do.


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## 3danman

I like the noisemaker idea. Fun target practice too.


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## romanljc

A cat hanging out in your back yard will work pretty good to


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## romanljc

A cat hanging out in your back yard will work pretty good to


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## urbanshooter

Sounds like my problem with monkeys hanging out in my garden... I shoot them with clay pellets, the kind that disintegrates on impact against anything hard. Non-lethal and no environmental impact. It's quite entertaining to hit the monkeys. I like to sneak up on them and I am quite sure the monkeys are swearing at me in simian speak. It doesn't do much to deter them though but then again I have an endless supply of targets coming into my range. They were my excuse to my wife for getting slingshots in the first-place. She-who-must-be-obeyed doesn't mind me shooting them so long as I do no real harm. I would wager that clay pellets would just bounce off a crow and not hurt them too much.

For birds, a lot of farmers string up bells. They would pull one end of the string all the way to their window and yank on it whenever any birds get too close.


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## Jolly Roger

I wonder at what point in time the Love, Honor and Obey phrase was taken out of the wedding vows. Probably about the same time women started wearing pants or should I say the pants. Oh, gotta point out that Obey command was not part of the man's vows either.


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## hoggy

crows and owls are enemies. put an owl figure out.


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## MakoPat

Well, bells and cds and all those fun targets would help me not even think about the crows.

A couple of outdoor cats seems cool. There is nary a creature on earth that loves to pester birds as a cat... no, make it catS because a murder of crows may intimidate a cat. But not 2 or 3 spade or nuetered cats.

Also I have noticed some of those motion activated toys do scare me... so likely a crow as well. I'd like to think that I am as smart as crow.


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## Birdwatcher

Another way is to design a life-sized scarecrow that looks like an actual human. It should be given with the appropriate clothes with bright colors to make them easily recognizable. Using this technique provides different levels of success. Some have successfully kept the crows away while others don’t because this bird has its own intelligence that can probably help them recognize an actual individual.


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