So you got a woodpecker interested in pecking away at your house. As a result instead of relaxing to peace and quiet at home you hear the relentless pecking of that notorious wood pecker. Don't aim to neutralize the threat just yet as tempting as it may be. Rumor has it that if you place a fake owl where the wood pecker hangs out he won't come around anymore. Certainly the problem is getting the wood pecker to pick a new spot to peck that's not your home. Scare tactics are the most common ways to keep woodpeckers away. A very common scare tactic is placing a fake owl outside. Let's discuss this.

Will the fake owl be effective?

Yes, a fake owl will scare away a woodpecker. Woodpecker's are prey for most owls and birds are pretty smart at avoiding danger. Due to woodpeckers being smart they will notice a fake owl after a couple of days. Consequently you will need to resort to actually removing or relocating the bird itself or try a new scare tactic. Above all if you are going to use a fake owl you should set it up strategically to give Mr. Woodpecker a really authentic, and hopefully permanent, scare.

How to properly set up your fake owl.

Alright let's talk strategy so we can optimize this scare tactic. First of all you need to identify where the wood peckers like to hangout. Once you have the coordinates of these trouble makers it's time to plan for the placement of the decoy owl. Most noteworthy is owl's do not appear out in the open naturally it is just out of character for them to do so. Here is a list of things to do to really scare that woodpecker from ever coming back.

The strategy

• Place the fake owl in a tree as if it was naturally perched on a branch looking for prey.
• DO NOT put the owl out in the open right next to the woodpeckers favorite spot. It will begin to understand the owl is fake much sooner.
• Switch the location every couple of days to further convince the woodpecker the owl is real and here to stay.
• If you wanted to go the extra mile you could hang a couple blank cd's from some branches near the decoy. This will add some confusion and draw the woodpeckers attention.
• Last resort is to actually remove or relocate the woodpecker to 100% solve the problem.

In Conclusion

As a result you should expect not just the woodpecker to stay away but other birds and some animals as well. It is important to put some effort into duping the woodpecker when it comes to setting up a fake owl. If you don't try hard from the beginning it will be too late and the woodpecker will become comfortable with the decoy. This scare tactic is proven effective but it is not a absolute problem solver. The woodpecker may still endure the scare and stay. The only way to absolutely solve a woodpecker problem is to remove it and relocate it. We recommend contacting someone who will do it humanely.