Coyote Decoy Saves Crop From Birds

Coyote Decoy Saves Crop From Birds MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 33-5-13 Before he found a realistic 3-D coyote decoy to scare them away, geese and ducks were a real problem for grain farmer, Roger Gutschmidt of Gackle, N. Dak. "Once grain is in the windrow it can be really difficult to keep the geese and ducks from eating it. I've seen up to 2,000 geese on some fields, and with those kind of numbers, it takes only a short amount of time for them to clean out a field of grain that's laying on the ground," he says. "Most people have to go out to their fields every day with a gun to scare them away, and that isn't very effective because they come right back a short time later." This year, Gutschmidt invested in a plastic coyote decoy and it has worked wonderfully. He ordered 3 of the 3-D, life-sized coyotes from Gempler's (www.gemplers.com; 800-382-8473) for $51.95 each and spaced them out over about 90 acres. "They were definitely worth what I spent," Gutschmidt points out. "I've had no problems whatsoever with birds this year." He says the fake coyotes are made out of a rubbery, pliable material like Halloween masks. Their underside is split and opens up, so Gutschmidt draped each one over a 2 1/2-gal. chemical jug filled with water. "They're kind of crouched down and you can't see their head very well because the stubble kind of hides them a little, so I recommend placing them on top of the swath or someplace more easily noticeable," he suggests. "Their bushy tails do wiggle in the wind and that makes them look more real." Gutschmidt says next year, he may fill the coyotes' body cavities with triple expanding foam to make them hold their shape so that he could set them up to pivot on a stake in the ground. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gutschmidt Manufacturing LLC, Roger Gutschmidt, 6651 Hwy. 56, Gackle, N. Dak. 58442 (ph 701 698-2310; shopdoc@drtel.net).

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