Posted by It has been a constant battle for me to keep dominion over my deck. For the time I have been in this house which has been 20 years and counting, there’s always been a wild creature or creatures that want to own my deck. No, not as their home, but as their pooping place. I believe these critters are raccoons, though a stray cat, a fox, or opossums are all possible culprits.
Over the years I fought back with deterrents and devices to keep these creatures from defecating on my deck. This is my house, not their toilet!
I have tried different aromatic deterrents like spices including garlic and cayenne, soap and detergent, fox urine spray, but all of them did not work. I even had my son when he was still a child, pee on our deck so other creatures would smell that this was not their territory but ours! Yet that did not work either. I guess when it rains this washes out whatever scent we place on our deck making them ineffective.
Then I found a neat contraption made by the company Havahart, which is a motion activated water sprayer. And it did work! (See previous post.) We even had fun with this water sprayer pranking our unsuspecting guest to walk into our deck. There was even an instance that the company replaced my sprayer when it failed (see post here).
However the issue with our Havahart motion activated water sprayer is that it quit working when the cold season arrives. The water in the receptacle gets frozen and so it quit working during winter months. So the critters claimed back my deck during winter much to my dismay.
After that, I placed motion sensor lights on my deck. I strategically placed 3 of these lights and they appeared to work, at least temporarily. I was able to keep by deck poop-free for several months. But as time rolled by, these critters got used to the light. I believe they got used to being on the spot light, literally, when they are “doing their business,” that is, pooping on my deck.
So the war to regain my deck rages on. I search high and low for new solutions. I am still not ready to give up my territory.
Now, I introduce to you my new fearless deck sentinel – the Ugold Solar Powered Owl.
This life-like owl rotates its head with flashing eyes and even makes a realistic squeaking sound whenever it detects movement. It is solar-powered too.
Here is a video of it in action.
Would it scare away the pooping creatures? Or would they overwhelm my owl? Would I finally own back my deck? Or would I continue to get owned by these wild critters? Would I be able to raise my flag of authority on my deck? Or do I have to wave the white flag for resistance is futile? Is this toy a good investment? Or did I just wasted my money?
I think only time will tell.
In the meantime, my sentry owl stays on guard.
