I wanna trap me some crows

[North East Harris Hawker]

whilst i know this is not strictly in the correct department i'd ask mods to let it stay for a couple of 3 days :wink:

ive seen these traps before but the name of them evades me
about a 5 foot square, with a small gap that birds have to close their wings to enter, baited with a dead bunny they attact crows,magpies etc.

one capture attracts more and they cant get out. open the door, go in and hey presto...free hawk food!

what are they called again? can they be bought? if so where and how much? if its a rip off has anyone got any pics/plans to make such a trap?

[OutFlying]

letterbox trap - I think

[OutFlying]

Not to hard to make, the ones I've seen are bigger than 5 ft though. They are constructed out of the wire fencing panels used on building sites. 6 panels used. 4 for the sides and 2 form a inward sloping roof with a 6" gap in the center to allow the crows in but they can fly out again.

[North East Harris Hawker]

does'ent sound familiar :?

[OutFlying]

a square trap with a roof that looks like a "v" profile from the side view. A narrow gap in the base of the "v" that allows the crows to drop in.

Is this not the same ?

[North East Harris Hawker]

i dont suppose you could post a picture could you?

[Red-Devil]

hi iam new to this so bear with me till i sus it out

[OutFlying]

I can get a drawing to post (tomorrow) - its a starling trap but could be scaled up for crows.

Why not use a couple of larsen traps ?

[BFC 007]

http://www.trap-man.com/crow-trap.htm
ladder trap i think its called

[OutFlying]

ladder or letter box trap is the name................. same thing

here a picture

http://www.basc.org.uk/content/pestbirdspractice

[North East Harris Hawker]

that looks like the kind of thing but theres not enough wood on that one!

[James_Falconry1]

I think larsen traps would be best and if you make them urself you can tailor them to your needs (Size wise) have a look at the BASC Website their should be stuff about Larsen traps and if their is a seperate trap for crows on it. There is normally a pdf file with info on it like a leaflet or small booklet with legeslation and other stuff like that their.

http://www.basc.org.uk/content/pestbirdspractice have a look at this its about trapping pest birds e.g. Corvids. Their is also a pic of a trap on their aswell
Hope this helps Jimmy

[James_Falconry1]

Soz outflying didnt realise you got their quicker than me.
:oops:
Jimmy

[BFC 007]

i reckon the the side entry corvid trap is the most effective NEHH,i know plenty of farmers who have had amazing results with one-reason being rooks & crows would rather hop up to a perch rather than drop down like magpies do

[OutFlying]

2 larson traps with live decoy corvids in them will catch plenty - I assure you.

[North East Harris Hawker]

apparently it is a ladder trap..i stand corrected :oops:
i wonder how many crows i could trap in a week with one of those? :twisted: i have aspot in mind where to position it on our local industrial estate..chocka with corvids it is :twisted:

[BFC 007]

bait it up for a few days before actually setting the trap,get the ******s feeding there confidently with a new shiny object in the area-(the trap)

[OutFlying]

nehh, these are very big when compared to a larsen - not so discreet. People will wreck your traps if to obvious.

[North East Harris Hawker]

there is a BT compound on the estate (behind a fence) i know one of the blokes who works there, will see if i can get it in there, out of the way of the pikeys 8)

[OutFlying]

bait it up for a few days before actually setting the trap,get the ******s feeding there confidently with a new shiny object in the area

get a magpie or crow in it to start with.

[BFC 007]

you have to trap a crow to start with jim :lol:

[OutFlying]

not so - ask a gamekeeper or someone else who is trapping them. They will draw in more corvids than bating the trap.

[North East Harris Hawker]

so, bait it,put somthing shiny in there (mess tin or mirror) then once i catch something allways leave one in when emptying?

[OutFlying]

if you can't get a live decoy then try putting some hen eggs in on a piece of tin foil. But try to get a live decoy.

[BFC 007]

new shiny object in the area
i meant the trap is going to be shiny,if its wire,the crows will be wary of the trap at first

[OutFlying]

that's why you need something jumping up and down in side it.

[Bill]

Just a point, it's illegal to kill or trap corvids for hawk food.

[OutFlying]

Even if the original purpose was legal and the dead carcasses are fed as a by product to a hawk ?

[Bill]

As far as I know you can dispose of legally killed corvids pretty much how you want. Throwing them at policemen would probably be illegal :twisted:


http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/section12/chapter_n.html

The General Licence (is what allows killing of pest species)
The DETR licence allowed the taking of pest species to preserve public health or safety, whilst the MAFF licence related to the spread of disease and the prevention of serious damage to livestock and crops.

The court held that a person could only rely upon a licence issued under Section 16 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provided the act was for one of the statutory purposes as defined

[OutFlying]

Best people have legal permission first and then feed the hawks as a side line then. As i'm sure they do now...............

[Bill]

Best people have legal permission first and then feed the hawks as a side line then. As i'm sure they do now...............

Exactly :wink:

[OutFlying]

:oops: Snap.

[Bill]

But remember permision means -

An authorised person for the purpose of the WCA 1981 is defined by Section 27 of the Act as:

"(a) the owner or occupier, or any person authorised by the owner or occupier of the land on which the action authorised is taken."

I don't think BT will have given written permission to trap corvids in the compound described by NEHH.

[OutFlying]

The link I put up from the Basc site explained it in great detail, it wouldn't be wise to put a trap in view of the general public either, you never know what might happen.

[Bill]

The link I put up from the Basc site explained it in great detail, it wouldn't be wise to put a trap in view of the general public either, you never know what might happen.

Perhaps you could put the link up again. Some people obviously need to read it.

[North East Harris Hawker]

Best people have legal permission first and then feed the hawks as a side line then. As i'm sure they do now...............

yes of course i will be doing everything above board.
ill knock the vermin on the head and dispose of them in the correct manner
never would i contemplate banging their heads and chucking them in for hungry hawks!!
tis the truth your honour

[RabbitHawker]

You're getting a bit late in the season to have much luck with trapping, shoud be done a couple of months ago.

[OutFlying]

Why the above ?, catching plenty, loads of young about now.

[Sean]

stole this from somewhere else lol hope they dont mind
Firstly you will need to acquire some timber either ready cut or if you are able to cut it yourself, all the better.

Next, you need to cut your timber to size; the main frame is made from 1" x 1¾" So if you have a table saw then you can rip this to size from larger size timber.

Next, you need to cut your timber into the lengths you need.
For the frame, you need:
· 4x lengths at 30"
· 8x lengths at 28"
· 9x lengths at 18"

Take 4x lengths at 28" and then half lap them in the middle so they fit together as a cross. All will become apparent.

Once this is done, you can begin to fit the pieces together.
Joining the half-lapped pieces together and then take 2x 30" lengths and 2x 28" lengths and make a square frame that measures 30x30"

Next step is to assemble the crosses into the frames, make sure to centre and square them up before nailing together.

You should now be left with (if you are making one Larsen, I am making three) 2x frames and 9x lengths at 18".

The next step is to fit the two frames together with the pieces of 18" lengths.

The corners and middle ones don't really matter which way round they go, but I like to keep mine uniform so that the overall look of the trap is good. I drill a pilot hole through the frame and then use a three-inch screw to fasten the post onto the frame.

The middle post is crucial to its positioning; it determines which two halves of the trap will be.

Once you have your posts fitted to one frame then you can do the exact same and fit the other frame.

Once you get to this stage, it is wise to fire a pin into each joint whilst squaring the whole thing up, this will also help to stop the posts from twisting and also keep the frame square.

Next job to do is to drill holes for the pivot bar for the trap doors. I position this hole 3, 3/4" from the edge of the frame and centre in the length of timber. There are 4 holes to drill and these holes are the same size as the bar, which is 1/4" or 6mm.

It’s easier to do this now before the wood is treated so that you can see your pencil marks.

I am using 6mm threaded bar, as this tends to hold in the frame without having to fasten it on.

Next, I tend to treat the frame with whatever preservative that I have got spare. Best to use a dark colour so that the trap doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

Whilst your frame is soaking up the treatment, you have time now to get on with the service lid and other things.
You will need to acquire some ¼" plywood and cut this into 1x length of 15x15" 1x length of 15x17" 1x length 7x7" and 1x length 15x3"

Take the piece 15x15 and cut a hole 6" square 2" from the edge and centre. (You will see in the photo)
A tip is mark the square on the board and then drill out the corners first with a large forstner bit, 30mm should do, then cut in-between the holes to finish off the square. This has the advantage of leaving nice rounded corners.
Using sand paper get rid of any rough edges that you might ladder your tights on.

In the 7x7” piece drill a finger hole, again 30mm should do.

Next, you need to take 2x lengths of frame timber 1x1¾" and cut them to 13" long.
Next is a bit tricky if you don't have a table saw, but can be done with a hammer and chisel if necessary. You need to rabbit out the edges of the timber just over the depth of the plywood and about ½" wide. This is to allow the door to slide once in place.

The next step is to assemble these pieces together.
So take your 15x15” piece of ply with the hole cut in it, and your sliding lid 7x7” and also the two pieces of rebated wood.
You need to fix the pieces of rebated wood to the plywood board as shown in this photo, the sliders are positioned 2" from the edge.
(You will see when building how this all fits together)

Next job is to fit the piece of ply 15x17” into place as shown in this photo.

Next you need to place your wire (you can either use wire netting with a 1" mesh or if you can afford it weldmesh with 1" mesh, I haven’t caught enough moles to be able to afford weldmesh so I am using wire netting) in between the two sections of trap, also now is the time to fit the perches.
You don’t need fixed perches, you can use hazel branches poked through the wire netting, but it does make a mess of the wire netting eventually.
Note I do not treat the perches with anything (your call bird does not need to be sitting on perches that have been treated with anything that could cause their feet to react badly)

Next place your wire over one half of the call bird compartment and then fit the service lid (do not forget to place the sliding door into the runners before you screw the lid down)

Now you can go ahead, wire netting up the sides, and bottom.

Next, you need to make the trap doors. I make these from slightly thinner wood 2x¾"; this is to make the doors a bit lighter in weight.
They measure 12½x11½" overall.
Once you have nailed these together you need to then drill holes for the threaded bar to pass through, but these holes will be slightly bigger in diameter than the bar.
The holes are placed 2" from the edge.

Once you have drilled the holes, treat the wood and fit your wire.
Next you need to fit a spring to each door, best way is poke the threaded bar through the hole in the door and then place the spring over the bar and fasten the spring to the door with staples (wire staples)
Next, you need to fit the doors in place hammer the bar through the frame and locate the door onto the bar and pass the bar through each hole in turn.
Once the door is fitted, you need to staple the other part of the spring onto the frame.

Once this is done with both doors, you can then place your piece of plywood 15x3” onto the frame to stop the doors from springing right open.

Next get hold of some flexible wire and wire the sliding door to the cage in some fashion, so that it cannot slide open, only you can undo the wire for operation, not the call bird.

Also I use a washed out dog food tin with a couple of holes knocked through it and wired onto the inside of the call bird section for a drinking solution for the call bird.

To set the trap get some dowel cut to length and then in half as shown in the picture.

You now have your working Larsen trap.
But remember RULES apply when trapping, make sure that your call bird has a fresh supply of water each day and also fresh clean food everyday.
REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR TRAPS EVERYDAY!

[BFC 007]

You're getting a bit late in the season to have much luck with trapping, shoud be done a couple of months ago.

****ing loads being caught round this way mate

[North East Harris Hawker]

jez that's some post! thanks for all the info

[ColdZero]

i found a larson trap in the farmers shed where he wants me to shoot as many crows and pigeons as possible...not got many so far with my 12ft/lb air rifle (maybe a dozen or so crows 30 pigeons)as they are so clever :oops: anyway, its a really small looking trap, probably a larson trap. Do i just need to put a rabbit in there and wait? how long can you keep a crow in there?

[Sean]

by alw uve to check em at least every 24 hours

[OutFlying]

i found a larson trap in the farmers shed where he wants me to shoot as many crows and pigeons as possible...not got many so far with my 12ft/lb air rifle (maybe a dozen or so crows 30 pigeons)as they are so clever :oops: anyway, its a really small looking trap, probably a larson trap. Do i just need to put a rabbit in there and wait? how long can you keep a crow in there?

NO, you don't just put a rabbit in and wait. First you must be authorised to use the trap, then obey the conditions of the licence and finally don't put a rabbit in. :oops: :oops: :oops:

I've put a link up a for the BASC website regarding corvid traps- earlier in the thread, you are advised to read it before proceeding any further.

http://www.basc.org.uk/content/pestbirdspractice



Yours Of.

[North East Harris Hawker]

hypothetically though, someone could just build a trap and put it in the back garden with some eggs in it and get away with nabbing a few crows?

[Bill]

hypothetically they could but hypothetically their neighbour could hear the noise they(crows) make, investigate and report it.

I don't like too many crows near my mews due to potential spread of disease so would that allow me to trap them on the health basis?

I'm a bit worried that they might damage the quail I breed for the hawks or attack the bird I have tethered. Do these issues mean I can class them as pests?

[North East Harris Hawker]

you have convinced me bill!
case dismissed your honour!
gonna have to build one now, after i fix my truck, mot it, lay some flooring, service her car, etc,etc,

[Jack Merlin]

There seems to be a bit of confusion here. We call all black corvids "crows" in Scotland but there are really rooks and carrion crows. Two different birds.

I don't think you will catch many carrion crows at this time of year. They are too clever. To kill them you either need a Larsen trap with a bait bird, then site this near a nest during the egg laying season (February/March/April) or a large cage trap (see below) during the winter. The Larsens work because crows will attack any other crow within the close area of a nest site. Thewy go into the Larsen trap to attack the bait bird.

Carrion crows are also caught during the winter in a letter box trap or similar with a funnel entrance. The top is left off during early winter for a few weeks and regularly baited with dead rabbits, etc. When the crows are feeding confidently, the top is put back on. These traps are large, typically as described, but I know one gamekeeper who has a really large one (small release pen roofed over) and he catches hundreds of crows.

Rooks are a lot easier to catch. I have been catching dozens for ferret food. You can use either of the above traps and you won't need a bait bird, just pre-bait. Wheat or barley scattered around the trap will attract them. They are best caught now as the long grass hinders their hunting for insects etc., there is very little natural food, and they have fully fledged young to feed. Last year I made a mistake of topping up the pheasant feeders in April. These birds had them emptied within a couple of weeks. They are very greedy birds and I once caught so many that they actually knocked the trap over and escaped! Now I peg the trap down.

Hope that helps. Rooks around here are known to cause serious damage to agriculture and it must be quite legal to kill them when authorised by the landowner. Same goes for crows. Just make sure all traps are sited away from prying eyes.

[North East Harris Hawker]

heheh too right! if i find one, ill be in there having them crows away for myself :twisted:

[Moses]

before i knew our pigeons in britain were flying rats and alot of disease etc etc


i used to trap pigeons to keep as pets


i used to get a shopping basket, and turn it upside down and tie a rope to one of the handles or even a stick and leave a trail of seeds, peanuts and bread so the pigeon will go in the basket to get its meal and then flick of the rope its trapped

and i used to keep them for a few weeks as a hobby and feed them and then turn them loose and do the same again


maybe u aught to try that :D for crows and magpies

[North East Harris Hawker]

where are you from again? :lol:

[Moses]

ahem glasgow :D


well i loved pets when i was wee, so used to catch pigeons and feed them and look after them, it was a hobby, then i got told from my neighbours they carry dangerous diseases so dont touch them, their unlike homing pigeons :D

but i swear i was very good at trapping them :D

it worked everytime


they walk in eating the bread and bang they dont notice and they walk in the basket and flick of the rope its trapped :D

[North East Harris Hawker]

shortage of pigeons up our way though :(
them pesky crows are everywhere though :twisted:

[Moses]

loadsa crows, magpies and pigeons here mate :D