Trapping Jackdaws

[saggyskin 0]

Hi guys,

I want to trap jackdaws for a farmer on one of his fields. I have tried catching them with a funnel trap (wire mesh 2x1x1m with 2 funnels), but only caught some the first day and never since. I have not build a ladder trap yet because I want to know for sure that will work before spending the time and money making one. I have a couple questions:

1) How do you bait the trap: what kind of food, how much food, when do you bait it (in the dark?)?

2) How long do you bait the trap and leave it open before closing it to actually trap?

3) If you get jackdaws in the trap, when do you get them, again in the dark to minimize other birds getting scared of the trap?

4) Do you leave one or two jackdaws in the trap when you caught a whole bunch to lure more to the trap?

5) I have had a lot of rabbits eating the food in my trap and digging under the walls etc. How do you stop those buggers!

 

Again, I have been baiting my current traps for weeks in a field that has a lot of jackdaws everyday but they somehow dont come and eat from it. I moved the trap a couple times already, tried different food, different material but nothing works...

I hope you guys have some good advice! Thanks.

[Shiftyhun 1]

Hi, I'm not a perfectionist in jackdaw trapping, but as I heard, dead rabbits (one or 2), eggs (at least 2 nests, each with at least 2 eggs), bread (the broked-off edge of whire bread) and corn are nice baits. If you baits the near of the trap, and put out a line from food through the funnel, you should catch them. I think the call bird is a nice idea. If they can't get out, they usualy lures in the birds. And for the rabbits, I would set 2-3 snares inside the trap, that can solve the problem

[saggyskin 0]

I was also wondering if people had problems with cows, as I expect they might run over my to-be-build ladder trap!

[OldTrapCollector 377]

Move your trap - simple!

 

They won't go in after they saw you catch the first lot, they are canny birds

 

Move the trap to another place and try again, you will see - get them used to feeding inside first without the funnel in place on white bread and suchlike, then after a couple of days put the funnel on and see the results. Then move it again, always moving, always catching

 

OTC

[moley 115]

i use flaked maize and like above , give them time to eat a few free meals , then set your trap , i always leave at least 1 bird in as a decoy , it gives them confidence , you must leave water and shelter for your decoy, i don,t move the trap after a catch , i move it when i have trapped most of the birds i,m after, it sounds like there is an alternative food scorce if they ain,t going in

[saggyskin 0]

I could use some more information please. Thank you.

[Plank 8]

I was also wondering if people had problems with cows, as I expect they might run over my to-be-build ladder trap!

 

I can not claim to be experienced at trapping Jackdaws, but I have kept cows. I would expect them to treat your trap as a scratching post, which could cause it serious grief. If, by any chance, there was an electric fence you could run off a spur as an open ring around the trap. With permission of course.

Edited November 16, 2011 by Plank

[events co-ordinator 353]

You must read the general licence regarding trapping corvids failing to do this means you are breaking the law trapping birds you Must go to Natural Englands site and read the specific licence for trapping corvids.