Why Isn't My Larsen Trap Working?

[CharlieSlade 14]

Hi,

I made this larsen trap a month ago to trap the magpies on our farm due to them taking our hens eggs and also for generally being a pest.

I have placed it in areas where there is lots of magpie activity and it has been set off once or twice but never caught.

Please correct me if I have any obvious faults in this trap which I don't know about

Thanks

[CharlieSlade 14]

I wanted to keep the traps small so I could move them by hand to different places on that farm, I'm trying to get a call bird at the moment, but thanks anyway

Edited June 21, 2014 by CharlieSlade

[J Darcy 5,871]

Its not really the best time of year for larsons. But, i'd lose that daft plastic magpie. A larsen trap works because of territorial disputes. Right now theres young maggies about and the territories are fragmented a bit. maybe march-may would be a better time to catch them. personally,i'd bait a spot with a gutted rabbit or squirrel for a few days, then put the trap the with a bait in and see. but i wouldn't hold my breath!

[The one 8,463]

As said it works better when there pairing up and feel a strange bird is a threat to there territory and you could try raising it up

[Matt 160]

As others have already suggested; Larsons work best in the spring when the birds are territorial.

 

Loose the plastic decoy; corvids are notoriously intelligent, and that will be putting them off.

 

When you say you've made the trap small, how small? There needs to be enough of a 'drop' into the catching sections.

 

You should also consider a Clam Trap (often called 'Larson Mate') they are very simple to make, and very effective in catching single birds that you can then use as call birds.

[CharlieSlade 14]

Thanks for the advice all , I'll look into making one of the clam traps I've seen them but haven't thought of making one though