ScareCrow Sprinkler Repels Deer Cat Dogs Rabbits and Birds

We all have to deal with getting unwanted pests out of the garden. Cats, dogs, deer, rabbits, large birds, and many others can cause problems, but we want a humane animal repellent. This review takes a look at the Contech Scarecrow Motion-Activated Sprinkler, one of the smartest scarecrows repellents you’ll see. When it detects an intruder it instantly releases full garden hose water pressure on the intruder. The effect is both startling and immediate. Animals quickly get out of the area and avoid it in the future.

The manufacturer suggests you just hook it up to your garden hose, plug in the battery and point it over the area to be protected. The ScareCrow senses animals using the same technology as security, sensing movement and heat. When an animal is detected in the area, a valve opens instantly releasing a three-second pulsating spray of water. With the combination of the sudden noise, movement, and water, the animals are easily frightened. But it is harmless to the animals. A 9-volt battery and a hookup to a garden hose is all you need to operate your ScareCrow Sprinkler.

Some people have had a slight problem with the hose connection, which is critical since it is under pressure all the time, but it is easily solved by using teflon tape on the connection.

The manufacturer claims the battery life is measured in the thousands of activations, which should easily last through an average summer’s use. Up to 1000 square feet can be covered by one ScareCrow.

With a 100 degree wide sensor zone, it’s great to put in the corner of a yard and protect a zone out to 35 feet from that corner.

So does it work? There are over 60 reviews on Amazon, and there was only one animal that seemed to not be bothered by the spray. One common use for the Scarecrow sprinkler is to cover a fish pond, but there are many others. It has been used to repel garden pests from many places in the yard, (for example, cats from kids sand boxes, raised garden beds, dogs and armadillos from freshly planted sod, etc.) The Scarecrow is effective enough that often after a couple of weeks the garden pests have learned that the area is a bad place to be, and the unit can be turned off until a new varmit wanders into the area.

The Scarecrow Sprinkler has been effective in repelling all sorts of garden pests. It will repel:

• Cats
• Deer
• Racoons
• Skunks
• Rabbits
• Blue Herons
• Chickens
• Dogs
• Possums
• Armadillos

Problems reported: Occasionally there seems to be a bad unit out of the box, but the manufacturer is quick to replace the Scarecrow Sprinkler with another. Since the shaft is made from plastic, it won’t be as sturdy as a metal sprinkler (although the actual sprinkler head is made from metal). The other biggest problem is that it will detect you, so you need to either prepare to get sprayed as you enter the area, or shut off the hose ahead of time. One common approach is that if you are more worried about nocturnal pests in your garden you can put the hose on a timer.

Take a look at the reviews at Amazon for the Contech Electronics Scarecrow Motion-Activated Sprinkler #CRO101. While you are there, take a look at the customer images that someone has loaded showing the different pests that it will control. They are pretty funny.

As an alternative, Yardiac has the