Decoy Heart
I had read with great
interest, in the news groups about the “Weasel Ball” sold by K-B Toys.
Seems that they sell
a motorized ball about 3 inches in diameter with a tail-like piece of fake fur
hooked to it. The motor inside the ball is weighted so that as the ball rolls
across the floor, it does so in an erratic pattern. The motor operates on a
single AA battery and the ball must be taken apart to turn the motor on and
off.
If memory serves me,
folks were hanging this ball from a low branch on a tree and the “tail” would
wave wildly in full view and draw the attention of the coyote away from the
exact location of the caller.
Somewhere along the
way, I ran across Decoy Heart’s web site
I thought the price
of the decoy to be a little steep and after reading through Decoy Heart’s site,
it seemed that the decoy did not have to be overly realistic. This sounded like something I could
accomplish and decided I could probably fashion something that would work for a
lot less money. I ordered the Decoy Heart and as soon as it arrived, went to
work on a decoy.
My critter turned out
pretty crude, but it does appear to move when the motor is running. I placed
wire leg extensions on the front legs to reduce the amount of contact with the
ground and increase the amount of movement it makes.
I only have 2
complaints about the set up: it is a pain to carry along with you and the motor
is noisy.
Maybe the decoy that
Decoy Heart sells is better insulated and reduces the noise of the motor, I
don’t know.
I had introduced my Labrador
Retriever to the ball simply by turning it on and setting it down on the floor.
She loves it. She’ll chase it around the basement until I can’t stand the
ruckus any longer.
At the Mall one
weekend, K-B Toy happened to have a stack of Weasel Balls by their front door,
on clearance for $4.99. I bought 2 of them, 1 for my dog and 1 for the pet of
my wife’s co-worker.
My dog, Molly, loves
the ball, but the part that bothers me is that she can be ten feet away and
sleeping and hear the ball when I turn it on. My feeling is that if she can
hear it so can a coyote.
I have taken my
rabbit afield and it drives me nuts because, placed 10 or 20 feet away, I can
hear the motor running and my hearing isn’t what it used to be, certainly less
perfected than that of a coyote.
As far as a product
review, the product does add motion to a decoy. Does it work? I could not tell
you. I have not had it out there running when I killed a coyote.
I am not, sorry that
I bought it and will continue to try different methods of getting a coyotes
attention with it. It seems like a really good idea.
Here is a page with
pictures of my decoy and both the Weasel Ball and the Decoy Heart. Decoy