trapping

Brianmeath

Is anyone catching magpies or grey crows yet?

pheasantmad

Have one in the larsen since the weekend but nothing caught yet, starting to think the f**ker is mute...

have2flushtwice

None c oming into my trap this year...

Snakezilla

Not a thing yet ! Serious amount of grey crows this year :eek: Gona be a busy busy vermin season for me !!

Birdnuts

Twas a slow start to the season but got 2 mags in the Larsen since the start of the week.

Terrier

up and running for two weeks, 9 traps on the go over 15 greys and 20 mags all ready caught.

Serious amount of greys around this year!

slingshot88

6 traps out near 2 weeks now, and still nothing, very slow start this year

Brianmeath

Think I will get going next week, getting the first lad should be fun.

jellybaby21

Have been trying to get a call bird with no luck.

chilipepper

What bait are ye using, ive a few eggs left in the trap for the last ten days and nothing caught yet.

Brianmeath

I find dogs nuts a good job.

Invincible

chilipepper wrote: »

What bait are ye using, ive a few eggs left in the trap for the last ten days and nothing caught yet.

Eggs wont work until April,when they would be naturally available, try butcher scraps or roadkill/rabbit now.

hrcbob

Im catching the odd magpie,, About 5 since jan 1st.. plenty around but just not that interested as yet.

Caught one around october with a broken egg.,. I put the host side of the larsen under the leilandi to make it less obvious

Backfire

Whats the best way to catch grey crows using larsen traps?

Apparently a bit of cows afterbirth is susposed to be good but i have had no luck. All my greys are shot, not trapped. So far.

Eddie B

Backfire wrote: »

Whats the best way to catch grey crows using larsen traps?

Apparently a bit of cows afterbirth is susposed to be good but i have had no luck. All my greys are shot, not trapped. So far.

There's no real method to catching greys, more luck than anything unless you have a grey call bird! Caught lots over the years with a grey or mag as call bird, but never the other way round! If you had a mag call bird, placing it close to a grey's nest is a sure way to trap one!

Brianmeath

There not trapping great this year.

richiedel123

At the minute im finding magpies are trapping great. I got 6 in 2 days in 1 trap now have 3 traps on the go and in 3 days have caught 10 so its goin well here. Got a grey call bird tonight so ill get a trap goin wit him in it tomorrow and see how they are trapping

hrcbob

Second pair of mags in the trap today, had a pair last fri too and a single one tuesday,,

I have caught 10 in the one spot since jan.
in a field beside where there are sheep being fed so theres a lot of then snooping around,.

Ill move it on in a week or so if i dont get any for 4 days or so..

Seems any decent days where theres a bit of heat and sunshine i catch one or two

Backfire

Yeah the sun will make them more active. Rarely see a magpie on a wet day.

I have been catching the odd magpie now and then, i have 25 caught since last september.

I hope to go putting down traps for mink tomorrow evening. Hopefully i can get 1 or 2.

SmokeyC

First time trapping this year...been lucky to get both a grey and mag call bird within a day of each other. Started last week and have managed 4 greys and 3 mags using two traps. I find swapping out call birds with another member of my club to get a the local birds worked up with the outsider is good.

Backfire

Spent the past 2 weeks trapping magpies in 2 areas that i never trapped before in but i didnt trap as many as i hoped. Got 4 in the first place and 5 in the 2nd, still have my larsen cage there but with the change of weather, i'd say its time to bring it home. Not sure where to trap next.
I have 38 pairs of magpie wings now for the count. Had to keep a live magpie for a fellow.

Many magpies trapped by yee lads this week?

Birdnuts

Backfire wrote: »

Spent the past 2 weeks trapping magpies in 2 areas that i never trapped before in but i didnt trap as many as i hoped. Got 4 in the first place and 5 in the 2nd, still have my larsen cage there but with the change of weather, i'd say its time to bring it home. Not sure where to trap next.
I have 38 pairs of magpie wings now for the count. Had to keep a live magpie for a fellow.

Many magpies trapped by yee lads this week?

I find it always slows down at this time of year cos mags are now breeding and won't be straying too far from nest with territory already estaiblished. This means once you trapped birds in one area it will be quiet for a while at this time of year. I've trapped 9 birds on my place in the west since Christmas and things have now gone quiet with no mag active in the vicinity. Trapping activity will often pick up again when young magpies born in distant territories start wandering later in the year.

Boiled-egg

Anyone in the Galway area doing well on the Maggie's. Finding is very difficult out where I'm lving. There just ignoring the trap. Gone through two call birds and no joy.

woodcock89

I have 9 got in the last week I find if you move the trap every day 2 another area works best because they are paired of this time of year. I get 2 every day the hen an the cock. If it's left any more than 1 day I get nothing. It's a pain in the a$$ moving it every day.

Backfire

woodcock89 wrote: »

I have 9 got in the last week I find if you move the trap every day 2 another area works best because they are paired of this time of year. I get 2 every day the hen an the cock. If it's left any more than 1 day I get nothing. It's a pain in the a$$ moving it every day.

True. But ultimately it all depends on the area in which you are trapping in. If you have been trapping that area for years, then naturally you wont have a fraction of the number of magpies around. Yes, some young ones will come into the area to claim as their territory given enough time, but overall numbers will be lower.

I remember, when me and my father first started trapping them in 2003, we were only trapping our farm yard and our other house a mile away, and between the 2 places we got 36 magpies in year 1, and 32 in year 2. I remember that much, not sure of the numbers in years in-between. Certainly not higher than that. I think around 15-20 out of the 54 i trapped last year were from the same area. But i did go trapping at the lower end of our farm last summer which i never did before.

Trapping them is becoming a greater interest for me in the past couple of years and hence i am moving around, asking neighbours and friends for permission to go trapping in their places. Thats important. I know an old man, couple of miles away from me and he doesnt want me to trap them on his farm, that he likes them and even feeds them. I told him about the potential risk of salmonella but he didnt care much. And i wasnt going to argue with him. But his yard is alive with them. Nothing i can do, have to respect owner's wishes and rightly so.

dunarihunting

we got 2 greys and 3 magpies the other day

SmokeyC

Boiled-egg wrote: »

Anyone in the Galway area doing well on the Maggie's. Finding is very difficult out where I'm lving. There just ignoring the trap. Gone through two call birds and no joy.

Finding it tough too in my area but others in the club having luck. Finding greys alot easier...surprisingly iv managed to catch a grey crow in my mag trap.

Brianmeath

Getting 2 magpies a day now. Only one grey crow so far. We are seeing huge amounts of grey crows just dont want to trap for some reason.

hrcbob

I swapped out my mag for a grey in the larsen last nite,

I had thought mags were getting scarce but there was a pair in the trap yeaterday eve after a gap of almost a week and not seeing any about,

Had 1 grey when i went this eve and another dancing around the trap,, Ill have it tomorrow ,,

On a side note i got one aweful hoor of a pinch from one of the mags yesterday eve as i was taking it out of the trap,
I always wear tough gloves but my sleeve came up a bit and the fecker took a good pop at my arm.
Drew blood and all the fecker,, :mad: Straight for the dettol, took no chances,

Was a quick reminder to me as to why i hate the feckers,,

Backfire

hrcbob wrote: »

I swapped out my mag for a grey in the larsen last nite,

I had thought mags were getting scarce but there was a pair in the trap yeaterday eve after a gap of almost a week and not seeing any about,

Had 1 grey when i went this eve and another dancing around the trap,, Ill have it tomorrow ,,

On a side note i got one aweful hoor of a pinch from one of the mags yesterday eve as i was taking it out of the trap,
I always wear tough gloves but my sleeve came up a bit and the fecker took a good pop at my arm.
Drew blood and all the fecker,, :mad: Straight for the dettol, took no chances,

Was a quick reminder to me as to why i hate the feckers,,

Does the grey crow call bird really work? As in a grey crow from a different territory. I have never tried it. And i have caught grey crows before in the larsen trap using homemade bread.

I never wear gloves while taking out the magpies, and often got a pick that drew blood but i dont take any notice of it. Foolish me i suppose.

hrcbob

Well i just think that with them pecking at road kill and all the other sorts of nasties its prob best to avoid them doing harm,,
Id treat any cut they cause almost on the same lines as walking on a rusty nail,

The grey call bird works a treat,, I was within 20 yards of the trap before the one that was dancing around it copped me,,

That being said ive caught greys with magpie call birds too,, Just depends on how close to the grey nest youre set up,
In general if they see something eating something they want there is a row on and the potential for trapping,

hrcbob

Proof today that the grey call bird works,,

First time ive seen two in one side of the larsen thou..

Photo0089.jpg

Photo0090.jpg

Backfire

hrcbob wrote: »

Proof today that the grey call bird works,,

First time ive seen two in one side of the larsen thou..

Photo0089.jpg

Photo0090.jpg

Fantastic mate, good catch.

I need a grey crow call bird. Gonna be difficult to catch one. And i do know that a pair of grey crows can have a territory of up to 50 hectares!
I have a place in mind a few miles away, will use some duck eggs or bread and see can i catch one. And then bring it back near home and see can i be successfull

Brianmeath

We put a grey crow into the side entry trap yesterday morning. Have 3 caught already. Had to move it from our normal spot we caught four foxes. Have a pic of one will upload later.
Some pile of grey crows around. Have 40 odd shot so far this year

Cavan duck buster

Since last Monday I have gotten 14 magpies and 7 Grey crows but gave most if them to local lads in the gun club and neighbouring clubs, I think I'm on a good roll this year