MAGPIES!!!! Methods of control????

Bit of a random one, but we have a serious magpie problem on the stud. Our council don't supply us with wheelie bins, we're still on primative bin bags, which the magpies just love to open up and spread the contents all over the place. There was about 6 out there this morning. Personally, I keep my bags by my back door until bin day, and they don't bother with them. But the rest of the studs rubbish gets left by the back gate, and the magpies are driving us insane.
Soooooo, as I' rather unsuccessful at getting them with my air-rifle (the little buggers are just too clever!) has anyone got any bright ideas on control methods??
I know someone is just going to say 'don't leave the bags out!' but the boss wants to cull a few, as we are rather over-run.
 
Get yourself a magpie trap. You'll need a calling bird in it to attract another - then on a rotational basis, everytime you catch one you knock it on the head!
 
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Get yourself a magpie trap. You'll need a calling bird in it to attract another - then on a rotational basis, everytime you catch one you knock it on the head!

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Didn't know you could get magpie traps, know where I can get one?
 
they never used to be any near us and now i get around 6 in the garden.. they are pests really.
but free birds!!

are you allowed to catch them and kill them?
 
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Get yourself a magpie trap. You'll need a calling bird in it to attract another - then on a rotational basis, everytime you catch one you knock it on the head!

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Didn't know you could get magpie traps, know where I can get one?

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Good old ebay

LARSEN TRAP
 
They're very hard to shoot. That zig-zag flying pattern is a real bugger. That or I'm shite!

Agree they're a menace - watch all the songbirds disappear when they're around....
 
I have an air rifle, and the boss has a shotgun
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but the evil buggers are just wise to us now.
I'm glad everyone else hates them as much as me! Similar feelings towards crows as well!! Damn things.
 
lace some minced beef with warfarin and chuck it up onto the roof of your stables....

that should sort it...and get rid of a few damned crows too!!
 
Yep, they are trapped and killed as they are a pest species.

The explosion in numbers hasn't done song bird species any favours, yet agriculture still gets the blame. After 10 years set-aside, environmental schemes, land going out of production and new woodland and hedges being being planted and less chemicals and fertilisers being used.

Look to the magpies, badgers, crows and buzzards!
 
Il send my hubbie over , He normally goes off to a few of the farms around our area as the farmers have asked him to come over and "dispose " of a few
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He has a great shot
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You will have to pay for the ferry over mind
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and sure while your at it you can keep him for a few months .... ah sure have him on permanent loan
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In all seriousness the larson trap is probably a good way as any, D has made a few for the farmers too , although personally hubbie likes to shoot them
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all these replies, and not one mentions legalisation, yes the magpie is classed as a pest species, but you still need a valid reason to control them, and getting into waste sacks aint good enough, use that as a reason, and you'll still get done, change the reason to a health and safety one, and your be within the law to control them, but the law then states, killing as a last resort, so your back to "get proper bins" also to the member that advised warfarin!!!!!!!!! have you ever heard of secondary poisoning, or the need to be licensed to use poisons, probably not by your remarks, offer free permission for rabbit control to a ferreter in your area, with the condition of controling the magpies to, as they are causing nuisance to the horse's etc,
 
magpies are on the vermin list, they do housands of pounds worth of damage to property and livestock and that is why they are on the DEFRA list. there is a free licence that can be printed off from DEFRA all you need then is the landowners permission. (dont use a bow and arrow as this is illegal).

check out the wildlife and countryside act of 1981 it lists 12 species of birds that can be shot and magpies are on the list.
 
In NI when you get a gun license you get a list of what is legal to shoot (with landowners permission) and they are on it.
You can't, however, shoot most types of butterfly?!
 
we had problems, so we got out the shotgun and got a few, then you string them up around the place, looks a bit gruesome, but makes the others very wary of staying around.
 
We used the larsen trap for the first time last year, best if you put a mirror inside, and catch one and try and swap your trapped bird with someone else from another area as they will call to the strange birds.
Last year we done this for the first time and we got rid of 15 of them, But we had to put our trap away in may/june, so not sure if they are seasonal.
When you have the trapped bird they are great for eating all the waste food, i even gave ours a name, but it was so well fed when we let her go (ok local agreement if your bird traps more than ten they are free to go) she stayed on the garden calling for her dinner everyday was quite funny
 
we have a massive magpie problem too! my dads been shooting them (not very well bless him) coz hes bothered about the songbirds......

i know nothing about birds
 
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we have a massive magpie problem too! my dads been shooting them (not very well bless him) coz hes bothered about the songbirds......

You need to get them as they rise, once they are high in the air they are hard to hit. Can you tell I'm not a great shot either?
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They are sooooo cunning though. My hubby hid under bushes and in the barn with the doors open, wearing camouflage and once that gun was out there was never one to be seen anywhere!!
 
Thankyou for all your helpful replies, personally I like the idea of the warfarin laced mince JM07
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But have mentioned the Larson trap to the boss.
Just to say, the magpies ARE a health and safety issue, when they cause problems around a stud where people are leading mares and foals. I very much doubt anyone is going 'tell me off' for destroying them!
 
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