Shooting magpies

session savage

Any tips folks.
I only got my gun (CZ 452 .22lr) a few months ago and after a few weeks of intense practice shooting i have been hunting almost every day. I got the gun with the intention of shooting mainly grey crows and magpies. I have gotten plenty of greys but the frickin magpies are becoming my nemisis. I just cant seem to get one. I shot a rabbit the other day and set him out in a field 75 yards away from a hide and waited.. and waited.. and after three hours and a dead arse I gave up and went home.
Any tips on how I can bag a few?
Thanks

declan1980

session savage wrote: »

Any tips folks.
I only got my gun (CZ 452 .22lr) a few months ago and after a few weeks of intense practice shooting i have been hunting almost every day. I got the gun with the intention of shooting mainly grey crows and magpies. I have gotten plenty of greys but the frickin magpies are becoming my nemisis. I just cant seem to get one. I shot a rabbit the other day and set him out in a field 75 yards away from a hide and waited.. and waited.. and after three hours and a dead arse I gave up and went home.
Any tips on how I can bag a few?
Thanks

they can be tricky little feckers to hit at times. you have to be well camoflaged they can see you from a long way off. you'd want to be using a bipod too, they're so small you need to be very steady. i've been getting a good few with the hmr, but i keep back about 120 yards. have you tried a call bird in a cage, works the same as callin them to a larsen trap

ivanthehunter

Ye need to set bait before its light!

Mid summer is not the best time!:D

Maggies like all vermin soon learn the methods used to catch'em.

You'll find more successful encounters if you just walk around he farm in your work clothes! I'm convinced that they know my hunting DPM Combat jacket..

They're cunning little feckers, you'll often see them in after hens eggs and robbing milk from the farmers sup for the cats and dogs... so the do have a routine and you can exploit that to some degree.. But you'll have to be completely invisible to them!!

A shot gun is a good fellow for them TBH but a rifle will give equal enough .. in anyone area and at anyone time!

Trick! Don't shoot the first one or two that land in! These seem to head off and return later! After about 15-30mins of coming and going your bait will be loosing it's allure but you'll have had a few visitors!
Now its time to pickoff a target and immediately retrieve it to cover and await the next marauder to land in! Birds are tough enough but at 70yards you could very well have 'two birds with one stone' and its worth noting this in your head while you're letting the vermin get settled!

I like to throw out two rabbit skins, guts and all but i also like to place 2 or 3 pits of bright tin-foil around the bait zone on sticks so as to not blow away..

I have tried the decoys and mags ran for cover but they showed much more interest in pigeon decoys as did crows!

Once i seen a crow land beside a decoy and it fluttered and jumped around it for well over 30 seconds but these were young crows and had plenty of time to learn as i was only after maggies!

Maggie's also know the doggy fields and farms were hunters are coming from! They know to watch gates and paths and as i said the know my DPM pattern...

session savage

Thanks lads, some great advice there. I have a shot gun too but to be honest I prefer the rifle because its more difficult. I like the challenge that magpies and grey crows give me with a .22. Its the main reason I only shoot a rabbit if I want bait, they are too easy to kill and and as you can see on my other post I dont know what I would do with all the rabbits I could shoot around here.

Tackleberrywho

session savage wrote: »

Thanks lads, some great advice there. I have a shot gun too but to be honest I prefer the rifle because its more difficult. I like the challenge that magpies and grey crows give me with a .22. Its the main reason I only shoot a rabbit if I want bait, they are too easy to kill and and as you can see on my other post I dont know what I would do with all the rabbits I could shoot around here.

Maggers are the hardest hunted of all.

The centrefire is best IMHO as you can be well out of their visual range.

They rarely sit still either, but I love making them go poof :D

Sika98k

Just send in your names,address and telephone number to the NPWS.
They will be glad to send a Ranger to accompany you and advise you !

jwshooter

a long range magipe is the hardest to kill as there always walking . my mate had a great shot on one a few weeks ago ,it was walking at 425yds and only stopped for a second .

there handy with a shot gun .

iwsf

shot 4 magpies and 4 crows over the week-end with the shotgun
They are all over the place here in Galway . Woke up this morning to find arround 10 of them in the hens place !

Tackleberrywho

iwsf wrote: »

shot 4 magpies and 4 crows over the week-end with the shotgun
They are all over the place here in Galway . Woke up this morning to find arround 10 of them in the hens place !

Myself an Dusty87 are going to take care of some this evening

with My friend Larsen

dwighet

The best way is to use a punt gun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7FeeamC4qk

cavan shooter

If your really serious about getting rid of magpies use a larsen trap. If you really want to decoy them use scraps from the butchers and fill a larsen trap. You can use rabbits as well.

Make a hide in a ditch (prefer with a back entrance) 100 m from it and you will get everything from crows, mags, greys, fox, even a Yeti coming to it. With this weather it will be humming after 3 days.;)

Tackleberrywho

cavan shooter wrote: »

If your really serious about getting rid of magpies use a larsen trap. If you really want to decoy them use scraps from the butchers and fill a larsen trap.

Make a hide in a ditch (prefer with a back entrance) 100 m from it and you will get everything from crows, mags, greys, fox, even a Yeti coming to it. With this weather it will be humming after 3 days.;)

Or rabbits as bait

iwsf

yes agree the tarsen trap is best. Going to build one and see how it goes.

johngalway

iwsf wrote: »

yes agree the tarsen trap is best. Going to build one and see how it goes.

Suggest you use weld mesh and cable ties rather than wood and screws The former is lighter and more durable, the latter is heavier and can't be taken apart (storage/transport).

iwsf

Thanks for the tips JohnGalway but i have some left over timber and chain link so will use it.

cavan shooter

private me your gmail and I can send plans and photos of my own larsen trap

Tackleberrywho

cavan shooter wrote: »

private me your gmail and I can send plans and photos of my own larsen trap

Dusty gave me a larsen trap this morning.
I may bait it tomorrow.

Any tips on best location to put it lads??

Where on farm is best?

Dusty87

Tack, depends what bait. ggs, hidden beside a ditch. But i would use rabbit with its belly open. Id still put it beside a dith though

Tackleberrywho

Dusty87 wrote: »

Tack, depends what bait. ggs, hidden beside a ditch. But i would use rabbit with its belly open. Id still put it beside a dith though

ggs?

Is that some code?

ttm

ffs who needs a Lasen Trap :eek::eek:

Spent 10minutes this morning getting a young magpie out of the covered chicken run and yesterday another young magpie had got stuck in a small chicken run about twice the size of a Larsen trap. Stupid bird had gone in through a hole in the top of rusty chicken wire that was less then 4 inch across. No obvious bait in either chicken run as their was no food and the chickens were locked in when the magpies did their breaking and entry.

Moral of this story if you can't catch a mapie in a trap at this time of year just give up

Eddie B

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

ggs?

Is that some code?

Ye it means HORSES! :D:D:D

Dusty87

Eddie B wrote: »

Ye it means HORSES! :D:D:D

E man e. Eggs. But id used a bunny.

greenpeter

Tack i baited my Larsen on Monday with butcher scraps and had a magpie the next morning.
I left it along a hedge under some big trees where i had seen a few mags.
If you know where they are leave it beside where you seen them and i find it better if they can sit above the bait and jump down into it,
after you catch your first bird you can leave it on open ground and they will find there way HOME:D

Tackleberrywho

greenpeter wrote: »

Tack i baited my Larsen on Monday with butcher scraps and had a magpie the next morning.
I left it along a hedge under some big trees where i had seen a few mags.
If you know where they are leave it beside where you seen them and i find it better if they can sit above the bait and jump down into it,
after you catch your first bird you can leave it on open ground and they will find there way HOME:D

Might leave it in the back yard then so! they are there at dawn
kakakakakakaka
kakakakakakaka

I'll sort them

johngalway

As GP says, the best place for a Larsen is where you see magpies!

Tackleberrywho

Larsen trap left out last night.
Baited with bread.
No Magpies in the morning.

Plan B
Shot a bunny today and took a body shot with the .223.
Left it in the farm yard inside larsen trap.

Results pending

session savage

Best of luck to ya

ivanthehunter

Make sure you use a bird from a different family set or area for best result!

Tackleberrywho

ivanthehunter wrote: »

Make sure you use a bird from a different family set or area for best result!

I have no call bird, I'm going to try and wing it

I'm not big in trapper circles, so I have no mates with call birds

Dusty87

Theres a Agri Shop around Tack, Near the Rugby club. Man who runs it is big into it. The lads i get call birds off get them from him. Call in to him, he sound and should sort you out. Try the bunny first

Tackleberrywho

Dusty87 wrote: »

Theres a Agri Shop around Tack, Near the Rugby club. Man who runs it is big into it. The lads i get call birds off get them from him. Call in to him, he sound and should sort you out. Try the bunny first

I know who you mean, I'll ask him wed when I finish work.

I never thought of him, the old man knows him!

I must have a look at the trap before i head into work for the night !

ivanthehunter

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I have no call bird, I'm going to try and wing it

I'm not big in trapper circles, so I have no mates with call birds

:DAgh come off it, ffs ye could catch a call bird in yer back yard the day before.:D

Tackleberrywho

ivanthehunter wrote: »

:DAgh come off it, ffs ye could catch a call bird in yer back yard the day before.:D

I've never used a trap before, my cousins are big into trapping rats and the like, not my cup of tea.

They are the trappers in my family.
I've a .223'ed body shot bunny in a trap at the moment.

Will have to wait and see.


I have suppliesd the bunnies to trappers in the past. Bunny shooting is my forté not trapping Maggers

ormondprop

if your anywhere nenagh i might be able to sort you out with a call bird, we've caught six magpies in the last week, we had a grey crow in it today, left him in it to see could we catch anymore greys because there are a few of them knocking around,

Tackleberrywho

ormondprop wrote: »

if your anywhere nenagh i might be able to sort you out with a call bird, we've caught six magpies in the last week, we had a grey crow in it today, left him in it to see could we catch anymore greys because there are a few of them knocking around,

I'm not near Neanagh. I might have a fella closer to home.
Thanks for teh offer.

My neighbors are pestered with Greys and magpies at 6am cawing in the yard.
He gives me rabbit shooting so I said I'd try and sort out maggers.

I might make a trap, My cousin uses a longworth style trap and iut works very well.

bird walks in touching food end of trap activates trapdoor spring.

It took him ages to make and perfect though.

Pat McGroin

Any chance you could post a pic of that trap Tac?
Feeling pretty creative (aka Bored) these days might have a go at knocking one together.

ttm

Pat McGroin wrote: »

Any chance you could post a pic of that trap Tac?
Feeling pretty creative (aka Bored) these days might have a go at knocking one together.

Check out google images for magpie trap couldn't be easier and you find loads and loads of pics

Tackleberrywho

Pat McGroin wrote: »

Any chance you could post a pic of that trap Tac?
Feeling pretty creative (aka Bored) these days might have a go at knocking one together.

I'll be in his gaff tomorrow eve, I'll take a pic.
He made his out of a few shopping baskets as far as I remember and a rat trap spring.

It was tricky enough make to get it to activate when the barest touch of the bait was made, longer the trap more success as the animal has to long to retreat

http://www.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://members.vienna.at/shrew/Minkova-Trap1gen.jpg&imgrefurl=http://members.vienna.at/shrew/trapping.html&usg=__1MKE7Dz4Z7Q1FQHmHtIuYayV5_k=&h=409&w=576&sz=19&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=BIywgD9C_QJ3TM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlongworth%2Bcage%2Btrap%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

Pat McGroin

Cheers lads , I'll keep ye posted on the progress.

Tackleberrywho

Still no maggers, looks like the call bird is the way forward.

I was told also that I may be to late in the season as the food sources are too abundant.

Do you guys have more success in Sumer or Winter time?

bunny shooter

Spring

Eddie B

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Still no maggers, looks like the call bird is the way forward.

I was told also that I may be to late in the season as the food sources are too abundant.

Do you guys have more success in Sumer or Winter time?

This is usually a good time of year for catching mags! Young mags are fairly easy catch when you use a call bird!

There must be someone in your area with a spare one!

Tackleberrywho

Eddie B wrote: »

This is usually a good time of year for catching mags! Young mags are fairly easy catch when you use a call bird!

There must be someone in your area with a spare one!

I think now the maggers are too Warie

I had the bunnies head pulled out of the trap.

The door into the trap I am using need some work, It has to be easier to get in.

I might put a twig in the fulcrum to let the magger in that hopefully he will dislodge on his way in.

The best trap I had seen to date had a pendulum arrangement.
Very easy enter the trap.
however the lip of the lid slotted into a recess so opening from the inside was almost impossible

Dusty87

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

The door into the trap I am using need some work, It has to be easier to get in.

Did you set the trap door right?? Never any problems for me.

Ps meant to txt ya, put a bit of ply or something over call bird compartment when you get one for more shelter. If ya want to give it to me il gat ya a call bird

greenpeter

Feed around the trap for a few days,
give them a taste and move it closer to the entry each day and then into the trap.
I feed them with dog nuts to encourage them. They love them

Tackleberrywho

I have the trap baited better tonight, and the door is almost hopen, fingers crossed :D:D:D:D:D

Tackleberrywho

have the trap baited better tonight, and the door is almost fully open, fingers crossed :D:D:D:D:D[/QUOTE]

They are seriously clever

Dusty87

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

I have the trap baited better tonight, and the door is almost hopen, fingers crossed :D:D:D:D:D

Wait now Tack, What you mean by the door is almost open?? Are you sure you doing it right?? The bunnny should be in trap compartment and the door held open by the sticks.

Tackleberrywho

Dusty87 wrote: »

Wait now Tack, What you mean by the door is almost open?? Are you sure you doing it right?? The bunnny should be in trap compartment and the door held open by the sticks.

Yes, I'll tell ya I get one

sonofthegun

greenpeter wrote: »

Feed around the trap for a few days,
give them a taste and move it closer to the entry each day and then into the trap.
I feed them with dog nuts to encourage them. They love them

plus one on the dog nuts leave the dog bowl and nuts out side the trap for a few days then put it into the trap never failed yet .

terminator2

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Myself an Dusty87 are going to take care of some this evening

with My friend Larsen

i was talking one of the junior members of our local club yesterday ......he has caught 70 maggers so far with a larsen trap that a friend gave to him,....not bad for a 12 year old:):)