Magpie's

Hey All

The olds have a bit of a issue with Magpies and to a lesser extent cats. Mum rears Muscovy Ducks and chooks on a 5 acre block. Cats loove ducklings and the maggies bomb the sht out of the chooks. They dont seem to bother the ducks.
I have the cats under control but the magpies i am struggling with.
Doesn't seem to matter how sneaky I am cant get within 100-150m of them.

If it wasnt for the 5 houses in near proximity and a busy highway i would deal to them with the 6.5 or 7mm.

Suggestions

Magpie trap


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Hide your rifle when your looking for them, sharp eyed little buggers

Use a magpie call to attract them. Use something sparkling to attract them. Although this will sound cruel, deliberately wound one and the others will stay to attack it making them easier targets. Oh and as 223nut says, hide your rifle. They are smart little fucks and learn well. A silenced .22 should be all you need and if you kill enough of them they won't come back to the place for years.

You can buy a magpie decoy from h&f and I have tried them in conjunction with an egg on the ground given that they attack nests. The biggest thing is to realise that they are territorial so once you have worked out where their spot in the paddock is just push them off and hide nearby. They will be back shortly.

If the are sitting in a paddock then a drive by shooting with one bloke out the passenger window while the other one drives can work. They normally don't fly until the vehicle stops so get the driver to come to a slow stop and shoot it just before the vehicle stops.

The distress call has been hit and miss for me but when used in conjunction with decoys and the right spot they do come in.

Calling bird or decoy can be good as is the distress tape used along with a decoy or dead one. I believe they can count, ie 2 people go out, one hides in a blind the other goes back they dont come in, do the same with 3 and they will. I found a shotgun best, a full semi might get 3 or 4 if you were lucky then they would be wary for a week or so. With a silenced 22 one was generally all as the falling out of the tree or thrashing around on the ground set them off, mind you they did come back quickly.

all you need to do is to clip one on the wing or body so it flaps around on the ground and all the other magpies in the area will come down to look and probably attack it. then just pop them off one at a time. Works for me every time. tho you need to act fast because they become gun shy very quick so you will only get one crak at them.

Trap them and when you catch one put that in a cage as a live decoy next to the trap,A possum cage trap works.
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Originally Posted by Nunga

all you need to do is to clip one on the wing or body so it flaps around on the ground and all the other magpies in the area will come down to look and probably attack it. then just pop them off one at a time. Works for me every time. tho you need to act fast because they become gun shy very quick so you will only get one crak at them.

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I was going to suggest that but I didn't think the SPCA would approve (because it's not a cat doing the killing) so Dundee's method is probably best...

Dundee posted a yearly tally a while back I believe, good number if I recall but they just keep coming!

I'm curious as to why he magpies attack an injured one? Is it the same as cows bullying a sick cow or stomping a downed one to death?

those trip traps work well. you don't need a pie in one side just bait it with dog roll. I found that removing the birds away from the trap before killing seemed to keep the birds less scared of the trap. Great job for the kids if you have any.

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Originally Posted by Dundee

Trap them and when you catch one put that in a cage as a live decoy next to the trap,A possum cage trap works.
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Wouldn't want to catch the same one over and over...

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go back to the spa bomber

I shot one with my benelli at my in laws- 78 paces with 3" 36grm falcon 2's(I'm 6foot). 2 shots and a metre or so of leed ! Lol couldn't believe my flipping eyes!.

They do learn bloody quickly though!

The trap as suggested works very well and 24h a day. You just need to check it for a few minutes every day. The one I have seen has actually 4 compartments : 1 for the bait or live decoy, the three others as set up trap, you can catch 3 birds in one go!

Caught four at once in this home made trap.Attachment 52839

The trap that is referred to here with the 4 capture chambers and a space for the decoy bird is the Larsen Trap. We use to hire them out to farmers with Magpie problems. As stated already magpies are pretty cunning and shooting using the distress tape to attract them only works once or twice before you need to change your hide, otherwise they sit out of range and watch. We had farmers catch sometimes 150- 200 birds only to find after cleaning an area out have more move in quickly.
For your purpose the Larsen Trap would be a handy tool . You could Google Larsen Trap as the plans to make one used to be on the net otherwise your local Regional Council may have them for hire as we did in Rotorua.

@Mooseman is exactly right about cleaning up the numbers no matter how many you take out more move in.

Cant believe the nu bets up here, 30Min drive and will usually c 20 or so on the road, yet to hit 1 the clever buggers

Got five the other day me the lab and the shotgun and Bluetooth speaker. One landed 10 meaters away from me gave the little begger the full choke of 20 gauge target load in the chest. So satisfying

Welcome to the forum fat lab:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by FatLabrador

Got five the other day me the lab and the shotgun and Bluetooth speaker. One landed 10 meaters away from me gave the little begger the full choke of 20 gauge target load in the chest. So satisfying

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Welcome and well done. Five fewer Aussie arseholes is a good way to introduce yourself here.

I shot 12 one sunday morning out of a macrocarpa tree from the dinning room window with 22 subs. They just keep on coming in from all around, it must have been a mass gathering :XD:

We have 3-4 around home, possibly setting up home in the macro's next door.
They're cagey buggers - I think they've been shot at before, as they clear out as soon as someone walks out with a broom or mop, onto the patio deck.
Plus there are quite a few small (1/2 acre) lifestyle blocks surrounding us, so shooting is out.
Those Larsen traps seem like a possible solution.:thumbsup:

Has anyone tryed eating a magpie. Think i will try breasting them for the dog or cat trap maybe it's the best bait for stoats and ferrets in the doc 200.

Got another one last night in a pine block on my farm with distress call going on Bluetooth speaker shot the basted at 50m with the 20 gauge. Took a beast out of it real small but will try it in a trap

Shot one this morning across the river at 130 yards with .22:)
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Originally Posted by Dundee

Shot one this morning across the river at 130 yards with .22:)

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is the 1 a typo, being 30 yards, I've heard your eyeometer is a bit generous

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Originally Posted by Tombi

is the 1 a typo, being 30 yards, I've heard your eyeometer is a bit generous

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Don't listen to those bugger,I've even had it checked:P