Trapping pigeons

[torjusg]

Now as wheat harvest is coming up, the pigeons will be gathering on the fields to have a feed. I am thinking of capitalizing on this and want to set some snares. Do the birds have particular resting trees or some other habit I can exploit?

I am planning on testing the ojibwa bird snare, but I think it may be inefficient on pigeons. Seems like they don't use guards as part of their strategy. Any thoughts?

I know that you can easily snare thrushes feeding on ripe rowan-berries, anything similar for pigeons?

Anyway, I will test some different strategies.

Torjus Gaaren

 

[wingstoo]

Now as wheat harvest is coming up, the pigeons will be gathering on the fields to have a feed. I am thinking of capitalizing on this and want to set some snares. Do the birds have particular resting trees or some other habit I can exploit?

I am planning on testing the ojibwa bird snare, but I think it may be inefficient on pigeons. Seems like they don't use guards as part of their strategy. Any thoughts?

I know that you can easily snare thrushes feeding on ripe rowan-berries, anything similar for pigeons?

Anyway, I will test some different strategies.

Torjus Gaaren

I don't think you will get very many answers to this as it is more than likely illegal to do this in the UK...

LS

 

[Bigman]

Can only use free running snares to catch, foxes, rabbits or hares in the UK.

Cannot use them for catching birds in the UK.

 

[bambodoggy]

I am planning on testing the ojibwa bird snare, but I think it may be inefficient on pigeons. Seems like they don't use guards as part of their strategy. Any thoughts?

I built one of these in Sweden earlier this year to try it out having never made one before. The idea was there but it took rather a lot of fine tuning to get it to work properly and I found it not to be as simple in operation as I had expected....I didn't leave it up to catch anything as I don't have my Swedish snaring qualification.

Abbe might be able to help a bit more with general bird snaring as he's done the course on snaring and is now qualified.

I've seen a few bird snares in books but they are too difficult to explain and to be honest I haven't tried them in anger (due to UK laws) so cannot comment on their usefulness......sorry, not a great deal of help I know .

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[ilovemybed]

Hi Torjus,
I've heard people espousing the technique of threading berries/raisins on a long bit of string for Pigeons, although I've never tried it myself. I've also heard soaking them in rum helps too.

You should tether a fine line about 1.5m long to the ground (as you would a snare) and have a few bits of friut along the length. Keep a bit of slack with no fruit on it nearest the post, so the bird starts at the right end!

Apparently you should put the trap in a place where the birds are used to feeding so they're comfortable in the surroundings and feed more freely

Why not give it a try and tell us how it works!

 

[Woods Wanderer]

or fish hooks

 

[torjusg]

Very cruel Neil and Woods Wanderer!

Thanks all.

And by the way, I have trapped grouse/ptarmigan, but I think that it will be ungainly to fence in an area in order to trap pigeons. Although I could give it a try...

Torjus Gaaren

 

[C_Claycomb]

I am assuming that these are the wood pigeons. Fencing won't be much use since they fly places, rather than run so aren't going to be so easy to guide and funnel through snares.

While this can't be tried in the UK, it is an interesting subject of discussion.

The biggest problem with catching pigeons, if they act the way that UK wood pigeon behave, is that you have a huge field and the birds can land anywhere. For ground snares I think you would need some decoys to increase your chances. Simple leg snares supported just off the ground would probably be the best bet there.

In the UK, pigeons often use near-by trees to spy out the land before flying down to feed. Trees with bare branches are favoured. Such a tree would be the ideal place to try out bird-lime. I am not sure of the recipes, but it was used for the passenger pigeon, so would probably work to some degree for woodies.

A diet of dry grain makes the birds thirsty. Snares placed at water troughs, or on favoured logs that lie in the water might be another way of improving your odds.

Best of luck.

 

[torjusg]

Thank you very much Chris!

Very useful info about behaviour. :You_Rock_

Torjus Gaaren

 

[moduser]

Hi folks,

I moved this to Fair Game due to it's content.

Rgds

David

 

[ilovemybed]

Very cruel Neil and Woods Wanderer!

Thanks all.

And by the way, I have trapped grouse/ptarmigan, but I think that it will be ungainly to fence in an area in order to trap pigeons. Although I could give it a try...

Torjus Gaaren

Well, I was going to suggest finding a tree they roost in and pasting contact cement on the branches - now that would be cruel.

I'll see if I can find reference in a book I've got at home, "Confessions of a Poacher". That might have some more info for you. I seem to remember a section on bagging woodies...

 

[torjusg]

Well, I was going to suggest finding a tree they roost in and pasting contact cement on the branches - now that would be cruel.

I'll see if I can find reference in a book I've got at home, "Confessions of a Poacher". That might have some more info for you. I seem to remember a section on bagging woodies...

Sounds like a book for me. Who is the author?

Torjus Gaaren

 

[ilovemybed]

Sounds like a book for me. Who is the author?

Torjus Gaaren

Here's a link to it on Amazon. Not sure if it's the cheapest place but you'll get all the detail you need. I can't find my copy at the moment probably in the shed...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...-6043626?v=glance&n=266239&s=gateway&v=glance
It's written as memoirs, but there are some very interesting stuff about behaviour and trapping tricks hidden in the text, and it's an enjoyable read

There is another book under the same title, written around the same time, but attributed to Jim Connel. Not sure if it's the same book....

Hope that helps!

Neil

 

[benjamin.oneill]

i think a major difference between your woodpigeon and those in the UK is their migratory habbits on the continent (as apposed to static populations here).

also, woodpigeon are highly adept at reading warning signs, as any shooter will know. i should think if you did snare one, it would be the last success you had in the area for a long time.

in France where they decoy migratory lines they use live decoys (illegal in the UK) and must catch them somehow, i'll do a bit of research and get back to you.

personally, my best solution to a pigeon problem would be 32grams of number 6!

 

[pierre girard]

Now as wheat harvest is coming up, the pigeons will be gathering on the fields to have a feed. I am thinking of capitalizing on this and want to set some snares. Do the birds have particular resting trees or some other habit I can exploit?

I am planning on testing the ojibwa bird snare, but I think it may be inefficient on pigeons. Seems like they don't use guards as part of their strategy. Any thoughts?

I know that you can easily snare thrushes feeding on ripe rowan-berries, anything similar for pigeons?

Anyway, I will test some different strategies.

Torjus Gaaren

What is the "Ojibwe bird snare?" Never heard of this.

The only way I've ever seen Ojibwe snare birds is with a net or with a piece of wire on the end of a hand held pole.

With the net, they set up the net in an area where they've laid out corn and the trigger is something like a yank up - connected to a bent sapling.

With the pole, usually used by kids (at least I was a kid when I used it), they just go below roosting grouse and put the wire loop around their necks and pull it tight. Nothing to it. Got to be an area with low hunting pressure though.

Both of these methods are probably illegal in our state.

 

[torjusg]

Pierre

http://robert.thegeakes.co.uk/survival/traps.html
http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/snares/bird/index.html


Torjus Gaaren

 

[demographic]

I read somewhere a rather strange procedure involving pigeons...

Push a beer bottle (top first) into soft earth.
Waggle it around to widen the hole
Remove it from the hole then sprinkle grain around it and then sprinkle some grain right into the hole.

Now, I have never tried this as to me it sounds slightly far fetched but aparently the pidgeon spots the grain, eats the stuff round the hole then after its finished that it tries to get the stuff in the bottom of the hole (the narrow part that the neck of the bottle made) and in trying to get it falls into the hole and becomes trapped.

Can anyone throw some light onto this methods success rate?
I know PJs are pretty thick but surely that can't be that gormless can they

 

[ilovemybed]

Just thought of another one - in fact, we might have talked about it up the hill.

Make a lightweight cone out of thin birch bark, paper, or something similar, just about big enough for a pigeon to get its head in there easily.
Coat the inside with something very sticky.
Put a bit of grain in the bottom of the cone.
Pigeon eats the bait, gets a very funny hat and can't see.
Pigeon can be found in the same area, very confused, for quite a while.

I hear experts in this technique use these.

 

[torjusg]

Good stuff people!

The harvest seems to have begun, but I see few pigeons...

There are so many good suggestions here, so I think I'll go for the cone first as it seems most effective. Maybe making the cone from birch bark and coating the inside with spruce pitch...

Torjus Gaaren

 

[ilovemybed]

Good stuff people!

The harvest seems to have begun, but I see few pigeons...

There are so many good suggestions here, so I think I'll go for the cone first as it seems most effective. Maybe making the cone from birch bark and coating the inside with spruce pitch...

Torjus Gaaren

Might be worth a try, but wouldn't it smell pretty unpalatable? Why not try some sort of sugary substance? Not sure what's available this time of year... Some sort of sticky berry concoction?

Would it be cruel if you got your little brothers to draw silly faces on the cones..? Or make them into viking helmets