Blinking lights deter night predators?

[JenellYB]

I've seen a system of red blinking lights advertised as a supposed predator deterrent. It claims predators percive the light flashes as 'eyes' and is deterred. The system I saw seems to use red lights.
But I'm wondering, would something like a string of blinking Christmass lights around areas like chicken coops act to deter predators? Either just red light, or white lights, or even several colors--white, red, yellow...similar to the colors of the flash of an animal's eyes at night when light hits them, work?
Has anyone tried something like this?

 

[fried green eggs]

I've seen the solar predator lights advertised too. I don't know how well these work. You bring up a good question so, I will be interested in the feed back you get..

 

[aprophet]

most animals are color blind I use a red light at night to shoot preds with they will run when they see a white light not so with a red light I get a good easy shot

 

[palmettogroves]

We tried the the Night Guard Solar lights a few months ago and the raccoons broke in three inches from where they were mounted. We tried different positions and they still roamed all around them.

 

[JenellYB]

Thanks for sharing your experience. So much for that idea. I had wondered in the 'night guard solar lights' might just be the latest version of "ulra-sound emitting plugin deterrents" for house pests from bugs to mice and rats.

We tried the the Night Guard Solar lights a few months ago and the raccoons broke in three inches from where they were mounted. We tried different positions and they still roamed all around them.

 

[palmettogroves]

I found that the best deterrent is good fencing and solid doors. Make sure you have an apron around the run and house too so they can't dig under. I also have live traps baited for them. Only caught the neighbors cat once.

 

[JenellYB]

Yeah, ultimately, that's true. I just like the idea of a deterrent, not as the major line of defense, but that I would honestly rather the wild predators go their way, not MAKE me have to kill them, if that makes sense. The more we might deter or discourage somehow, the less we have to deal with, and the less we have to kill. Good for us, good for them.
There is a terrible over-population of some types of predators here right now, I think out local eco-system is seriously out of balance right now. Just broad sweep taking out a good many of those over populated would be better not only for us, but the eco-system...we have virtually no wild rabbits left, rarely see deer anymore,cattle raisers are suffering extrme losses, not only of calves, but entire 1200 lb Momma cows laying down to calve are nothing but a bare skelton with scraps of hair laying around on a totally bare beaten 10 ft radius of ground! And now in last several years, both domestic and feral house cats have virtually gone extinct in this area.
I know coyotes and bobcats are extemely over populated, and these coyotes seem to be starting to stay packed up, a dozen or more, pretty much year round which is a shift from normal coyote habits. We do also have in this particular area, have had as long as I've lived here, something of what I can only call a "secret" predator....in that its as if we are all in conspiracy,lol, to keep the "wrong" people from noticing, realizing. Check officially, Texas has no wolves. Hmmmm....that one threw me a bit of a loop when I first encountered them, big bad and ugly ones, that will give you nightmares...these are NOT the 'pretty' wolves moslty seen in pictures elsewhere....these suckers will send chills up your spine and make your hair stand on end to come into close face to face encounter! Very ;'primitive' looking..in hushed tones, you might hear 'those are the true old time east Texas Timber wolves'. But officially, we don't have wolves here. Those old East Texas Timber wolves are a myth, a rural legence. When I tried to report these monsters years ago to local ag and game officials, I couldn't believe they kept laughing me off with, Lady, we don;t have no wolves here, we just got some BIG coyotes around here!" Coyotes, my @%$!!! I've since seen a number of them, once a half dozen of them piled into the bed of a pick-up by a"Yote" hunter, and I'm no more convinced they are 'big' coyotes than I was in my couple personal close encounters. why the "collusion?" Best I can figure, this being a tradtional agricultural/ranching area, you want to be able to shoot your llvestock predators. Coyotes aren't protected. But, I've never known them much to come up much bold around houses, people, like coyotes do, they seem to stay deeper in the thickets and river bottoms, nor involved much taking things like chickens. But they are rough on cattle and deer. But then, I guess that's what you'd expect from 'big' coyotes.

I found that the best deterrent is good fencing and solid doors. Make sure you have an apron around the run and house too so they can't dig under. I also have live traps baited for them. Only caught the neighbors cat once.

 

[The Lazy L]

...similar to the colors of the flash of an animal's eyes at night when light hits them, work?...

I think they work for the Sellers bank account only...

 

[aprophet]

Yeah, ultimately, that's true. I just like the idea of a deterrent, not as the major line of defense, but that I would honestly rather the wild predators go their way, not MAKE me have to kill them, if that makes sense. The more we might deter or discourage somehow, the less we have to deal with, and the less we have to kill. Good for us, good for them.
There is a terrible over-population of some types of predators here right now, I think out local eco-system is seriously out of balance right now. Just broad sweep taking out a good many of those over populated would be better not only for us, but the eco-system...we have virtually no wild rabbits left, rarely see deer anymore,cattle raisers are suffering extrme losses, not only of calves, but entire 1200 lb Momma cows laying down to calve are nothing but a bare skelton with scraps of hair laying around on a totally bare beaten 10 ft radius of ground! And now in last several years, both domestic and feral house cats have virtually gone extinct in this area.
I know coyotes and bobcats are extemely over populated, and these coyotes seem to be starting to stay packed up, a dozen or more, pretty much year round which is a shift from normal coyote habits. We do also have in this particular area, have had as long as I've lived here, something of what I can only call a "secret" predator....in that its as if we are all in conspiracy,lol, to keep the "wrong" people from noticing, realizing. Check officially, Texas has no wolves. Hmmmm....that one threw me a bit of a loop when I first encountered them, big bad and ugly ones, that will give you nightmares...these are NOT the 'pretty' wolves moslty seen in pictures elsewhere....these suckers will send chills up your spine and make your hair stand on end to come into close face to face encounter! Very ;'primitive' looking..in hushed tones, you might hear 'those are the true old time east Texas Timber wolves'. But officially, we don't have wolves here. Those old East Texas Timber wolves are a myth, a rural legence. When I tried to report these monsters years ago to local ag and game officials, I couldn't believe they kept laughing me off with, Lady, we don;t have no wolves here, we just got some BIG coyotes around here!" Coyotes, my @%$!!! I've since seen a number of them, once a half dozen of them piled into the bed of a pick-up by a"Yote" hunter, and I'm no more convinced they are 'big' coyotes than I was in my couple personal close encounters. why the "collusion?" Best I can figure, this being a tradtional agricultural/ranching area, you want to be able to shoot your llvestock predators. Coyotes aren't protected. But, I've never known them much to come up much bold around houses, people, like coyotes do, they seem to stay deeper in the thickets and river bottoms, nor involved much taking things like chickens. But they are rough on cattle and deer. But then, I guess that's what you'd expect from 'big' coyotes.

A local trapper would probaly be glad to take care of the bobcat etc I have found when you show pictures of the long tail cats or wolf from a game cam they change thier tune t6o oh we "might" have a few LOLOL

 

[leonphelps]

I was catching/seeing a raccoon or possum every other day for two months. I got night gard and have caught one since. Just my experience. Been 7 months now.