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improv_gw

Anyone used Phantom Wildlife Deterrent?

improv
15 years ago

Has anyone heard of this cougar sound deterrent for coyotes? We are moving to property on a coyote hunting route (the neighbor's cats were eaten alive in his yard in daylight). If this deterrent works, it would sure save us alot of trouble protecting our cats, mini goats, and chickens.

Our only other idea is electric fencing, though it would have to be extensive. We have heard that coyotes can climb almost any height fence, and jump over electric if they have clearance on each side.

Unlike wolves, coyotes usually hunt solo (except for moms with pups), and can be very crafty. They will normally avoid people, but have been known to perform a "run-by snatching" of pets right next to humans. My sister lost her beloved Chihuahua to a coyote during daylight right outside her back door while waiting for him to pee!

We would much appreciate any ideas or advice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Phantom Pest Wildlife Deterrent

Comments (8)

  • henhilton
    15 years ago

    I've never heard of Phantom. It's an audio system that sounds like a cougar screaming? That would sure deter me, if I was a coyote! How would the neighbors (and yourselves, for that matter) feel about it going off all night? We hear a cougar at night around here sometimes, and I swear it sounds exactly like a woman screaming in terror.

    We have lots of coyotes around here, too. We hear them singing at night, but they don't seem to come on our property much any more. We have three big dogs (and one little one) who are in the house at night, but DH thinks their scent all over the property makes the coyotes think twice about coming around. We also have a motion-detector light near the hen house, and sometimes leave a radio going there at night, too.

    The critters in your area sound awfully bold, tho! Is it a recently developed area where the wildlife is getting crowded out? My mother lived in such a neighborhood before she moved out here with us, and one of her neighbors was surrounded by coyotes one evening while walking her Doberman! In their neighborhood, there really wasn't much they could do; coyotes are quite adept at "sharing" their territory with mankind.

    Best of luck!
    pam

  • improv
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Pam - Thanks so much for responding. According to the manufacturer, the sounds (hisses and/or screams) can be just barely audible to humans and still have a deterrent effect since coyotes have more sensitive hearing.

    It seems like motion detector lights and radio coming from the barn may help. Thanks for the ideas and encouragement.

    The area we are moving to is at the mouth of a coastal valley. The bottomland has been farmed for generations, with newer ranches on the hills. We will be about 4-5 miles from a town of at least 17,000. I guess the coyotes are being squeezed out a bit, and a prolonged drought has contributed to their boldness/desperation.

    My sister is considering adoption of a guard llama. They are supposed to be effective coyote deterrents. Anyone tried this?

  • nhsuzanne
    15 years ago

    I have heard for such a deterrent but don't know anyone who has actually used one.

    It is true that it gets harder and harder to protect ourselves from predators when we are encroaching so strongly on their habitat.

    I know several sheep farmers here in NH that successfully use Llama's to protect their flocks. I have a donkey who is also a great protector from coyotes. I have seen coyotes move through my property many times and here them howling but have never had a problem. I have goats, horses, chickens and yes, two donkeys.

    Goodluck.

  • bethkatzenjammer
    13 years ago

    Hi all!

    I live in Queen Creek AZ in a recently completed development. My back yard looks out on to a stretch of open desert and scrub, and while the view of the mountains is fantastic, we were seeing coyotes across the street all the time, especially in the morning. Our cats tend to stick close to the property, but three months ago our luck ran out and one of our girls was taken.

    When I got done crying I started doing my research, and almost immediately found Phantom on Google. After several weeks of trying to get in touch with them (not sure what's going on there), I found another alternative, a CD that does the same thing the Phantom deterrents do but way cheaper. I emailed them to ask about effectiveness in suburban areas, and they wrote back the same day. I ordered the CD and had it in my hands 4 days later, and had my husband set up an old player on our back wall facing out toward the desert.

    We have not seen a coyote since! The sounds are freaky, I'm not surprised coyotes are frightened away by them. I went and spoke to my neighbors on either side of me to check and see if the volume/sound was a problem, and only the closer of the two had heard anything at all, and it wasn't a big deal to them. But in any case, they were both glad that I'd found a solution for our local coyote problem. Left neighbor has 2 small dogs and while they're in the back yard behind a 6' wall all day, they were concerned having heard stories of coyotes jumping walls and fences to grab animals - scary!

    So I can't speak about Phantom, but the CD did the trick and for $20 I'm a happy camper. Their site is Run Coyote Run, I'm not sure if you can post links here but search for that on Google and you'll find what you're looking for. Best of luck and tell them I sent you!

    Beth

    Here is a link that might be useful: Run Coyote Run

  • lazy_gardens
    13 years ago

    But does it attract mountain lions?

  • bethkatzenjammer
    13 years ago

    LOL! Well, we haven't seen any mountain lions since we started using the disc. Still, you've got me curious. I'll email the site and see what they say.

    Beth

  • bethkatzenjammer
    13 years ago

    Hello Lazygardens,

    Jeff at Run Coyote Run wrote back and had this to say:

    Hi Beth,

    Our research indicates that there is no increased risk of cougar activity as a result of using our CD or products like our CD, but being that we live in a relatively cougar-free area, we have no personal experience. We do know that wildlife agents in Washington State, which has the highest cougar population in the US, tested cougar deterrents for cougar attraction and the tests resulted in no cougar attraction.

    I hope this helps.

    Sincerely,

    Jeff~
    Run Coyote Run - Lone Star Site Builder
    www.lonestarsitebuilder.com
    www.runcoyoterun.com

  • JaxC
    12 years ago

    I am curious if the run coyote run CD has been successful for you. I have recently been told that we have cougar in our mountain residence and have pets that are both fenced and not fenced. I am looking for a way to keep the cougar away. I have lots of deer around that literally rest on my front lawn which I know is an attractant but not sure how to keep them away either and not sure that I want to send them back into the woods to be eaten by the cougar. I feel like they know they are safe here because my large breed dogs bark at anything that comes around, except those deer. Any info that you can share about that product would be greatly appreciated and also, do you have cougar or just the coyotes in your location? Thanks! jax5199@embarqmail.com

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