“Our moving scarecrow keeps pests from destroying crops in gardens, wildlife food plots, orchards and fields. It’s the next best thing to staying in the field yourself,” says Bruce Craven, Baxley, Ga.

The scarecrow consists of a metal frame adapted to hold a human form that swivels back and forth. The top part of the frame is fitted with a pvc cross arm where you can attach clothes to look like a scarecrow, or just add a T-shirt, plastic bags, etc. An electric motor causes the scarecrow post to swivel back and forth. Pop cans can be strung from the cross arms to make a loud rattling noise.

A 12-volt deep cycle rechargeable battery provides power. An automatic timing device is used to adjust on-off cycles to conserve battery power.
Two models are available, one stationary and the other portable. The stationary model uses a length of 3/4-in. dia. pipe driven into the ground, with a 3-ft. length of 1-in. dia. pipe slipped over the top that swivels back and forth on a 1-in. block-type washer.

The portable model comes with a frame-mounted post on large plastic wheels and follows a cable up to 1/4-mile long. A reversing switch at the end of the cable causes the motor to reverse polarity and run backward. The motor bolts onto the frame and chain-drives a sprocket mounted at one end of the axle.

“It’s a low cost but effective way to control pests in the field,” says Craven. “If you want you could add sound emitting devices such as a horn with a recorded message, a beeper, or even a propane cannon.
“To cover large areas, I spread the scarecrows about 200 ft. apart and use a single motor to operate up to 5 scarecrows at the same time. I usually hang an empty plastic fertilizer sack on the frame, but you can dress up the scarecrow any way you want.

“I came up with the idea because I like to hunt. For years I planted wildlife food plots for deer but other wildlife ate up much of the crop.
“The moveable scarecrow works best in areas like orchards where there’s room to travel. I don’t recommend using it in row crops because it doesn’t always stay exactly in line with the cable and could cause crop damage.”