trapping pheasants

[shaun v 3]

i need some help from you guys, means and methods of trapping pheasants alive, ive got some permision on some land where the wife keeps her horses and it borders a large shooting estate, ive been given permision off the land owner to trap some birds and relocate them to my pals shoot because the amount of birds which are on there , they are starting to spook the horses when they take flight thats the main reason he wants them off , we cant shoot them because of the horses and he dont care much for it , so any idea's on trapping them and how ?

pictures would help aswell

[Ricky-N.p.p 0]

longnet !

 

just walk them into it !

[shaun v 3]

Hi shaun, the best way i can think of is to make up some small pens which keepers use to catch up the pheasants after the shooting season. All you need to do is tie together 4 sections made from wood and chicken wire, leaving a gap at 2 corners for the birds to get in. Bait it up for a while until the pheasants are feeding conifdently then put in some pop holes so the pheasants can get in but not out. Re bait it each day and you should catch a few. Forgot to say obviously you'll need a net over the top. I hope that makes sense, you can see what i mean in the video Jdarcy uploaded on the home page called roe release. Good luck, Joe

cheers joe , one of the guys who is in the shoot mentioned something like that

[J Darcy 5,871]

Trapped a good few pheasants when i was younger out of a simple chicken mesh cage with a funnel very low running in. The pheasants push under the wire to get in and cannot get out.....obviously better when the weather gets harsher..

 

tried long netting them once, but it didnt go to plan....discrete trapping the best way....

[ferreterno1 0]

Hi shaun, the best way i can think of is to make up some small pens which keepers use to catch up the pheasants after the shooting season. All you need to do is tie together 4 sections made from wood and chicken wire, leaving a gap at 2 corners for the birds to get in. Bait it up for a while until the pheasants are feeding conifdently then put in some pop holes so the pheasants can get in but not out. Re bait it each day and you should catch a few. Forgot to say obviously you'll need a net over the top. I hope that makes sense, you can see what i mean in the video Jdarcy uploaded on the home page called roe release. Good luck, Joe

 

spot on we had 25 from a 6ft square trap in a moring 3 times this year

[john b 38]

I think this is another traditional method

 

 

It also does away with the troublesome necessity of carrying a coop to the trapping ground, as it can be made in a very few minutes with common rough hewn twigs by the clever use of the jack knife. The only remaining requisites consist of a few yards of very stout Indian twine, several small squares of brown pasteboard, a dozen tacks and a number of pieces of board five inches square, each one having a hole through its centre, as our engraving (b) indicates. Having these, the young trapper starts out with material sufficient for several coops, and if he is smart will find no difficulty in making and setting a dozen traps in a forenoon.

In constructing the coop, the first thing to be done is to cut four stout twigs about an inch in thickness and fifteen inches in length and tie them together at the corners, letting the knot come on the inside as our illustration (a) explains and leaving a loose length of about two feet of string from each corner. This forms the base of the coop.

Next collect from a number of twigs of about the same thickness, and from them select two more corresponding in length to the bottom pieces. Having placed the base of the coop on the ground, and collected the strings inside proceed to lay the two selected sticks across the ends of the uppermost two of the square, and directly above the lower two. Another pair of twigs exactly similar in size should then be cut and laid across the ends of the last two, and directly above the second set of the bottom portion, thus forming two squares of equal size, one directly over the other.

The next pair of sticks should be a trifle shorter than the previous ones and should be placed a little inside the square. Let the next two be of the same size as the last and also rest a little inside of those beneath them, thus forming the commencement of the conical shape which our engraving presents. By thus continuing alternate layers of the two sticks cob-house fashion, each layer being closer than the one previous, the pyramid will be easily and quickly formed. After ten or a dozen sets have been laid in place, the arm should be introduced into the opening at the top, and the four cords drawn out, letting each one lay along its inside corner of the pyramid.

Taking the strings loosely in the left hand and having the twigs in readiness, proceed to build up the sides until the opening at the top is reduced to only four or five inches across. The square board will now come into play. Pass the ends of the cords through the hole in its centre and rest the edge of the board on the top pair of sticks, taking care that it is the tip of the grain of the wood instead of its side, as otherwise it would be likely to crack from the pressure that is about to be brought upon it. Have ready a stout peg of hard wood, and laying it over the hole in the board, and between the strings, proceed to tie the latter as tightly as possible over it. By now turning the peg, the cords will be twisted and tightened and the various pieces of the coops will be drawn together with great firmness, in which state they may be secured by the aid of a tack driven in the top board against the end of the peg as shown at (b). Thus we have a neat and serviceable coop, which will last for many seasons.

 

 

To set the affair it is necessary to cut three sticks of the shapes shown in our illustration. The prop piece is a slender forked twig about ten inches in length from the tip to the base of the crotch. The spindle is another hooked twig of the same length: the bait piece is quite similar to the latter, only an inch shorter and supplied with a square notch at the tip. It is also slightly whittled off on the upper side to receive the square of pasteboard or tin, which is to hold the bait and which may be easily fastened in place by a tack. All of these twigs may be easily found in any thicket by a little practice in searching. In setting the trap, it is only necessary to raise up one side of the coop to the height of the prop stick, insert the short arm of the spindle through the fork and beneath the edge of the coop. While holding it thus in position, hook the crotch of the bait stick around the lower piece at the back of the coop, and pushing the end of the spindle inside the coop, catch it in the notch of the bait stick where it will hold, and the trap is ready to be baited.

 

 

The bait may consist of oats, wheat, "nannie berries" or the like, and should be strewn both on the platform and over the ground directly beneath and around it. If properly set, a mere peck at the corn will be sufficient to dislodge the pieces and the coop will fall over its captive. It is not an uncommon thing to find two or even three quail encaged in a trap of this kind at one fall, and after the first momentary fright is over, they seem to resign themselves to their fate and take to their confinement as naturally as if they had been brought up to it. The method of setting the coop trap above described is a great improvement on the old style of setting, and is an improvement original with the author of this work. In the old method a semi-circular hoop of rattan is used in place of the bait stick above. The ends of the rattan are fastened to one of the lower back pieces of the coop, and the hoop is just large enough to fit inside the opening of the coop. This rattan rests just above the ground, and the spindle catches against its inside edge in place of the notch in the bait stick already described, the bait being scattered inside the hoop. When the bird approaches, it steps upon the rattan, and thus pressing it downward releases the spindle and the coop falls; but experience has shown the author that it does not always secure its intruders, but as often falls upon their backs and sends them off limping to regain their lost senses. By the author's improvement it will be seen that the whole body of the bird must be beneath the coop before the bait sticks can be reached and that when properly set it is absolutely certain to secure its victim. The author can recommend it as infallible, and he feels certain that anyone giving both methods a fair trial will discard the old method as worthless in comparison.

 

[victoria vixen 0]

I have trapped Pheasants in cage traps( both10x10x36 and 8x8x24's) set on a light trigger with shell corn as bait.

[shaun v 3]

Trapped a good few pheasants when i was younger out of a simple chicken mesh cage with a funnel very low running in. The pheasants push under the wire to get in and cannot get out.....obviously better when the weather gets harsher..

 

tried long netting them once, but it didnt go to plan....discrete trapping the best way....

that looks the best mr d , the land in question has double hedge fencing around it which would be ideal for that method, cheers

[Guest little_lloyd]

You beat me to it jonny boy

[john b 38]

You beat me to it jonny boy

 

 

Got tired of waiting for you

[franco56 0]

i have been told that a small drinking cup cone with maple syrup rubed round the inside with few bits of corn works as the pheasent pops its head in to get some food and gets the syrup stuck on the back of it's neck and doesnt move because it thinks it's stuck ive never tried but it would be a great laff to

[Guest little_lloyd]

You beat me to it jonny boy

 

 

Got tired of waiting for you

 

I have one lying around in my garden had a few woodies with it. but when im back ill get a picture The sticks what set it of are a bit different tho

[lakey 1]

here you go, catch all my laying stock with these bout 5-6ft long and 3-4ft high, chicken wire all round, pop hole funnelled at one end and door at other, pour a pile of grain or wotever u got wheat is best in middle and your get loads, must check at least once a day or fox will have there heads off mate. best times to collect is around 4 or 5.

 

phcatcher.bmp

[lakey 1]

close up mate.

 

phcatcher2.bmp

[Running 7]

great thread (anyone got any recerpices to go with it )