pigeons

Got a pigeon trap on the roof of a building where there is a pile of pigeons . I have only been only to catch 4 in about a week . I have whole corn ,bread , sunflowers and a pigeon mix consisting of soybeans and some other grains in the trap . I would be very thankful for any suggestions to increase my catch . They just don't seem interested in anything .

Make sure you have bait birds left in the trap. Also water. Cut down on the amount of food outside of the trap. It is always hard to live trap when there is other type of food else where. Look at the food they are eating and use that as your main food source. Do you have some food outside the trap on the door side? Not a lot but some to get them looking.

I have bait outside the trap and I left two of the birds I caught in the trap . I also put a water dish in there . I put feed on different spots on the roof but It's just like they aren't interested in it . Their roosting on the lines and building I'm trapping . I just can't understand why their not working the bait , just don't make sense .

Is any of the other bait in different spots being consumed?

No . That's what I don't understand . Was thinking about moving it to another building to see if I would have better luck . Do you think I should cover the top ?

It sounds like the birds are there just roosting, they have eaten some place else. Do you ever see the landing on the edge of the roof?

It sounds like the birds are there just roosting, they have eaten some place else. Do you ever see the landing on the edge of the roof?

It is their roosting spot . This evening the feed on the outside of the traps were gone . Do you think I should leave the bobbins open for a while till they get used to feeding in there ? I figured I'd catch more pigeons then I would know what to do with but that's not the case . Thanks for any help .

You have nothing to lose at this point. Less food on outside and bobs open with more food on inside, maybe some grit also. JMO

I made decoys out of plywood painted them all various colors. Screwed them on a 1" perch and some on the cage floor. I have some in the feeding position some on the elevated perched position. Pre bait the cage for a week or so wire up the bobbins to give them easy in and out access. Once they are conditioned re activate the bobbins. You should be good then.

We use oyster mash mixed in with our cracked corn. That combo works well for us over the years.

I have found even when you pre-bait, and leave the bobbins up to let them feed inside until they are comfortable going in, they will eat every speck they can find outside, and even eat what they can reach by sticking their heads inside, before finally as a last resort entering the trap. We just finished one of these job, and as long as the pigeons could have access to feed outside the trap, they would not enter it. Once that feed was depleted, we started catching pigeons.

Thanks for the tips guys .

Are you able to use an air rifle to thin the herd a little? Maybe sit on a roof away from where they're roasting? I understand some cities won't allow that, but it's always worth trying if allowed.

Unfortunately Its right on main street .

Seeing how we have a pigeon visit us everyday and roost on our carport (long story), he goes crazy over milo. My wife feeds him a mixture of everything and he scatters the food out of his bowl and eats nothing but the grain sorghum.

Give us a up date on your pigeon trapping.

I left the doors open for about a week and caught 15 . Had a hawk catch one on the the roof as there was blood and feathers all over the place . The catch shut down so I wired the doors open for another week so I'll see what tomorrow brings .

This is what I had in my pigeon trap along with a dead pigeon . When I released it the pigeons got out of Dodge .lol

Nice looking Coopers Hawk.

I had a coopers hawk get stuck in my trampoline this summer, we have the safety net around it for kids. It got on the jumping part and couldn't get enough vertical lift to clear the sides kept getting its talons stuck in netting. I had to get in there and open the door and shoo it out the door.

I have seen them hunting sparrow in the Walmart Garden area before.

We use the same except for whole kernel corn. We've found that the cracked corn too often draws grackles and doves.

I use pigeon food. I also use patience. Their alternative food source will likely dry up and they will eventually fill your traps..

What do you do with the birds, eat them?

how many 'female' pigeons do you place in the trap ?