Each panel should be covered with 1-inch wire mesh, and an energized wire placed near the top. The energized wire is attached to the wire mesh on each panel by a spring clip insulator. The panels can be fastened together with hog-rings or stainless steel wire and held upright with fence posts that are driven into the wetland bottom. The panels should be placed in the wetland each spring after the ice melts and removed after the nesting season before the lake freezes. Fences should be checked regularly for electrical malfunctions and structural damage.
Moats are expensive to build and, therefore, best suited to peninsulas with narrow isthmuses.
Earth removed from the excavations can sometimes be used to increase the peninsula area or to create nesting islands. Return to Locating and Managing Peninsulas for Nesting Ducks main page.