Spring Pole bird trap

[Pict]

They make an interesting trap down here to whack multiple pigeons at a time. A long sapling is staked down to the ground by its thick end. The thin end, cleaned of branches is lifted up under tension by a cord looped over a tree branch. This is designed to slap downwards with great force. They build a small fence of split bamboo or sticks along the backside of the kill zone. In front of the fence is a long, thin trigger rod held in place at the rear with its top end resting against a toggle release connected to the cord holding the sapling up under tension.

They bait the trap with birdseed along the base of the fence. The key is to have the bait and trigger rod at the right height to force the birds to perch on the rod to reach the seed. They tell me that one bird won’t set it off; it takes three or four large pigeons. When the end of the rod slips off the bottom of the toggle the sapling whips down smashing into the birds on the rod.

Rural farm workers make these and check them on their way to and from the fields. The one who told me how to do this said that the trap would continue to produce for days as long as all the blood is removed from the ground. He also said to search the area as many of the birds will have broken wings and walk off to hide in the brush. The most he ever got with this trap was six birds in one whack. Not a bad addition to a meager diet of rice and beans.

FYI the toggle release is a variation of the one illustrated in the below link under “leg snare.” The difference is that the trigger rod rests against the far side at the bottom of the toggle keeping it from flipping up under the inverted “V”. Mac

http://www.i4at.org/surv/traps.htm

 

[RovingArcher]

Looks like a good trap and will definitely provide food. I'll have to experiment with it to see if I can get it to work with the birds that are likely to spring it here in our area.

I've had some success using one of those cheap camping hammocks that pack to the size of a softball. I modified it by weaving spiderwire fishing line into the netting to narrow the openings and before I suspend it over the bait (seed), I thread foliage into the netting to give it the appearance of the local flora. I've also used small wicker type of cages woven from small green branches. Though, both require me to physically spring the trap. I don't normally eat song birds, so I prefer to use the live traps, which allow me to experiment with the traps and then release any birds I catch. Well, I do like quail on a stick and during legal hunting seasons for them, I enjoy a couple cooked over the open fire.