I’m thinking seriously about creating a garden RR in the “back 40”. The front 40 is for goats and dogs. Where I live I have to worry about groundhogs, rabbits and especially deer.
I have some ideas but I’d like to hear ya’lls thoughts on the matter.
Thanks!
Put it in a rock garden without plants? …with luck, and nothing to eat and too hard to burrow they will leave it alone???..
Another option is electric fence…one strand 6" one a 12" and one at about 3’…and doors on all your tunnels (EBT had roll down doors on several of their, so it IS prototypical) I keep reading that bunnies don’t like Marigolds, but then I’ve heard of them eating them too.
When I lived in the Bruce Peninsula in the near north of Ontario, my property was located across from a large wooded area that had deer, porcupine, wild turkeys, skunks, and rabbits. Don’t add a water feature, as this only attracts wildlife, and not just a few critters, it attracts everybody. The only creature that was a nuisance was the baby bunnies. I had a tunnel that my train passed thru. It was only two feet long and somebody was always trying to set up housekeeping. If it wasn’t the chipmunks, it was the young bunnies. Hard to get angry as it was all quite amusing. It was also hard to keep plants as the rabbits thought it was a “diner” LOL. Stay away from adding a water feature, otherwise, no problem. Regards, Dennis.
We have plenty of ponds on our mountain here so I think I might be able to get away with some water features. Keeping a minimum of real plants is a good idea. An 8’ high fence is probably a good idea too.
We get a lot of lighting strikes here too would the RR attract lightning more than the surrounding area?
Read the article in GR about that I believe…TREES ???..an Grounding rods…
Rene, can you help point’em into the right page/issue ???
Byron
PS: I live in a MH park named Sherwood Forest, in the capital of lightning, central Flow-ree-dah. Got permission to cut ones all down around me…
I live in Hogeye Arkansas. Not downtown tho, out in the suburbs. [^] On top of a mountain.
Yes, it’s a real place southwest of Fayetteville.[;)]
Wimp.
Now that is the ticket!
Toadster
Depending on the types of critters this mite help:
http://www.rodenator.com/videos.htm
I would love to get one ! [}:)]
ROFLMAO! That was great…need one for ants.
Toadster
BTW rabbits n deer is good eatin…groundhogs, maybe… iffen it’s a real young 'un [dinner]
I think that the Rodenator would do too much damage to a layout. For me, John Browning is the only way.
Paul
If I were building an outdoor layout open to deer, moose, bears, mountain lions and so on, I would use the natural existing vegetation already there. The animals would naturally keep it nice and trim. I may be in the minority on this one.
BTW, like many, I live in the middle of fenced suburbs where deer would have to jump many 6 foot tall fences to get to my yard. They never do. I also have a beagle who will greet and eat any small critters in her territory.
ALSO, here kitty-kitty-kitty…
Byron C.
That Rodenator film is good for the soul of all who have fought the mole.
Now how do I get the railroad track out of the eavestrough of the house?
In warm weather, the fire ants here love to use the track as their freeway. They don’t respond to warning bells or whistles, but #1 rounding the curve with the “Severely Limited” is much faster than they are! More sand for traction; seems to be something on the track! Don’t stay in one place too long laughing, though, or their little cousins will be on your ankles.
Bill
I’ve seen deer jump a 6’ fence from a standstill and groundhog can dig 6-8’ deep. I can put up another layer of cattle panel to make the fence 8’ high. The Rodenator would be good for groundhogs but our mountain is full of natural gas. My wife’s previous husband was a driller and they tried drilling a water well and found out about the natural gas. I think it would amount to a Mt Vesuvius if I used a Rodenator.[;)]
Looks like my best best is to go with artificial plants or plants that the critters don’t like.
I have G scale aligators (lizards) taking up home in the large rocks I have around my tunnel. They scurry away when the trains are arunnin. That why we have cow catchers right?
Simular situation here. The MM&G has been up for 4 years now and until this winter I have had no damage from critters. I say this winter because I see a dear steped on one of my sections of track and bent it a little. Not enough to change it out though.
I have planted a lot of cactus around and that seems to keep dogs, cats and rabbits away.
Mark
Howdy,
My 2 foot tall bug eyed owl keeps away the squirrels…
zak
you can kinda see him lurking in the background there…I have to move him once in a while to keep the vermin on their toes…
We have a low 2 to 3 foot tall fence around most of the yard that has kept the deer and most of the small animals away for the past 2 years. I think their side of the fence has more tasty treats than the railroad. Did have a moose but he came up the driveway and in the open gate. I have kept aminals out of my tunnel with a little dose of mothballs or moth “ball” flakes. I also keep cats, mice, and so forth out of my car’s engine compartment with the mothball smell (mostly a problem in the colder weather). The chipmonks love the railroad. When there are no trains they can be seen using it like a little super highway. I figure they were there before me and they will be there after I am gone…