Decent, Compact Larsen Trap
- Thread starter lambic
- Start date
+1 I have just moved house and its right by a wood. Yesterday morning there were 9 magpies within 300 yards. It seems most gamekeepers these days don't bother with magpies and just put more birds down. When my dad was a keeper we ran larsen traps and tried as hard as possible to keep on top of them ( and squirrels ). We had lots of wildlife there.
lambic
Well-Known Member
They are certainly smart birds. A fellow at work is saying it is best to have a decoy cage and then as many trap cages as possible adjacent / encircled around it - once you get the first one to eggs/decoy, then rest flock around to see what is so interesting.
On a more amusing note, he said the plural for a group of magpies is a "parliament" - perfect for devious, thieving scroungers
Just need to find one that is not too expensive and does not take up to much room in the garage....
On a more amusing note, he said the plural for a group of magpies is a "parliament" - perfect for devious, thieving scroungers
Just need to find one that is not too expensive and does not take up to much room in the garage....
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
To be honest keeping on top of the magpies will have little actually effect on a released bird shoot, they'd really ony predate eggs/young chicks so no real threat to poults.
They will raid ur feeders/feed rides and wipe out any wild stock and many other nesting birds thou. So still a good idea
I'm no expert on magpies as very few in our area but most advice is best to focus it in the spring when there pairing up, try looking on either basc or GWCT websites for fact sheets tips on trapping them as well as the law.
I have heard it said that trapping all year can educate the bird slightly to ur traps as not as keen to go in them
In scotland u again have to be registered with polis and mark ur trap with ur officail polis number (its free thou and don't need a course)
Yes you are correct about poults but it all helps to provide a better environment for wildlife. These days shoots mainly depend on released birds.
We went with the idea that every little helps and it gives a better impression on the gamekeeper if all vermin is controlled best possible.
Regards Dan
enfieldspares
Well-Known Member
+1. Better to devoting the time available to trapping or snaring foxes and feeding your coverts on a released bird shoot. in fact I'd even say that on a released bird shoot magpies can be a good, free, "strolling stranger"...or fox...alarm in those coverts.
But surely we should strive to assist songbirds and other wildlife, not just quarry species, by reducing predators such as magpies?
I agree, I do trap magpies and grey crows on our shoot. It is aimed at hopefully gaining a few more clutches of wild pheasant. The benefit of trapping and banging away at the grey squirrels over a number of years has become noticeable.
Not by myself particularly but by the twitchers that come in and do their species and bird counts.
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
I'm not going to disagree with u, but even song birds won't be heavily predated on by corvids apart from on the nest.
If u have the time great, but studies/experience has shown the time to really target them is spring time when pairing up and also the traps are more effective then. I think some birds can also become more wary of the traps and become trap shy
At this time of year any u catch kill will b quickly replaced by more youngsters, whereas in spring the birds are more territorial so if u can kill a few then it should keep ur patch clear and let the 1st clutches get away.
Really depends on ur time, in my opinion the more u kill the better but its not always possible esp if only pt/diy
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
Plenty of DIY units to check out on youtube.
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