2nd Barrel

And plenty in stock

First off, let me be upfront with this post and tell you that I am John from Fourteenacre. :yp: This is my forum user from a very long time ago and, as it's not obvious, I feel it's only right that I should 'declare an interest'. Making springs sounds like a skill in it's own right, but this website looks like a good place to start. http://home.earthlink.net/~bazillion/intro.html You need to be realistic that any springs you make yourself are almost certainly not going to last as long as commercially made ones and will need replacing more frequently. But it's a great idea to make the whole thing from scratch. I would be very interested to see how your whole project turns out. The link that gyp posted (thank you) is to our small cage springs, suitable for cage traps and mesh Larsens. They probably would support the weight of a wooden Larsen door but only if you used a pair on each door. The shop also contains 'larsen Springs' which are the larger heavier springs intended for use on the wooden traps with a pair doing BOTH doors. Just wanted to clear that up so that no one buys the wrong thing by mistake and is disappointed. Cheers John

yes that might do it - but also get it a bit higher as in my picture so that there is a bit of room for it to fall as the door closes.

Just looking back at your pictures - when you get the missed catches where do the trigger pieces end up ? I can see that it's quite a small opening on this trap BUT if that perch is set right at the bottom as in the photo , then when it collapses the perch, and the bottom half of the bird it going to get caught against the bottom lip of the opening. Outside the trap. Ideally you want the bird to be well within the opening as the door pushes it sideways.

Rather than do that, why not just make another pair of catch cages (top entry this time) and put them on the other side of the call bird compartment ? Or if you don't have any spare mesh maybe just convert one of them so that you atleast have a mix. I have a double ended single catch cage that I made somewhere - these are a few photos of it As far as the missed catches are concerned, assuming that's what they are, how powerful in the spring ? It needs to close pretty fast and firm.

Gyp You want to get hold of a copy of 'A shoot of your own' by Michael Kemp. Often on ebay, amazone etc for a few quid. There is a excellent chapter in that which is just what you're after. I've scanned a page to show you what I mean

Found the pics, thanks to the pointer from GRAM71 It will be interesting to read how you get on with one of that size, but as for the ladder holes you want no bigger than 150mm by 150mm for crows and down to 75mm by 75mm for Jackdaws. If you add the skirts (not sure if you have yet) don't join them at the end - I've know the little ******* to climb up the inside if there is a rigid structure formed by the skirts.

were there pictures ? Did I miss them or am I just looking in the wrong place ?

I think there may be a fundamental problem with this set up - I'm not saying that it will never catch, but I think it's working against you. As a general rule I have found that top entries work well for magpies as they like to perch above their target and then drop down. Side entries appear to be more attractive to crows and other corvids which prefer to land a little way away and then walk up to their target, having a good look around as they go. Having your trap up in the air like this would be fine for a top entry but I suspect that the platform is not large enough to allow the 'walk up' space. Particularly given that the openings of the doors are off at an angle. Also the slats in the pallet might make this a bit uncomfortable. I would suggest a couple of things: - Forget the trapping aspect for a day or two and just prebait. Get the crows / rooks used to finding food there and being able to take it. You could do this but putting the bait on top of the cage or by wiring the two doors together fixed open. It's about building confidence. If you can observe the trap from a distance and see if you're getting any visitors. - when you redeploy the trap place something underneath it so that there is a flat surface at the front to walk on. Maybe also put a pallet tower either side so that there is a bigger platform area - or just have two towers with the trap in the middle of the two. You should be very careful about placing an uncovered FENN trap inside as it would be very difficult for you to prove that you were not trying to catch the birds with it - regardless of your true intentions. If you do think that you have rats or stoats stealing the bait then use a FENN but put a tunnel over it, even if it's in the cage. John

For that sort of crow problem you will be there forever using just a Larsen. You need a ladder trap.

This one was a prototype, so the mesh at one end was only tacked on loosely. The final design will have the choice of a sliding or hinged door at the end.

As to why they can't escape I don't have a definitive answer but it's the same principle as the lobster pot or crayfish trap. The mice are physically capable of getting out - there is no locking door and they can easily reach the tunnel - but don't seem to grasp where the opening is. Partly this is because the funnel opens close to the ground so they'd have to do an 'under and up' movement. Secondly it's because the funnel is in the middle of the trap and if you watch this footage you'll see the mouse focuses on the edges all the time. Interestingly although this style of trap is historically common for catching mice, I have never heard of a larger one to catch rats. Probably just too damn smart.

I have posted this on several other forums but I never really know how much overlap there is. I thought this might amuse some of you based on the previous interest in trap making. This is simple funnel mouse trap that a friend of mine made and posted about. Well I thought I'd have a go at working out a Step by Step plan for it to maybe go in the next book. He kindly gave me the basic dimensions that he'd found to work and I knocked this up my own version of it shown here. I've had it out on test for a few nights with my Killgerm infrared motion camera and last night I had a result - click on the images below to view the videos. Having a good look round In he goes Safely caught And there til morning

There used to be a very good section on the environment agency site, but it appears to have gone. However I did find this which suggests that you don't need a licence to fish for them, only if you trap them. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homea...hing/38049.aspx However Crayfish trapping advice packs are available from the National Fisheries Laboratory 01480 483968. I have one and they are very good.

Hi Jim What sort are you looking to make ? single catch mesh traps are simple enough if you look at these pictures Cut your blank in this shape and then fold it all together - then add the door, treadle & trigger rod mesh_template.bmp You said you'd had 'no success', what was it that went wrong ? John

D2D that is excellent news Well done in getting to the bottom of that.

I read this a day or so CC and then couldn't remember where ! I think it's a great idea. I've seen something a bit similar before known as 'cage fingers' which you can use block things into a corner. I've never seen anything built in like this though.

Yep, I'm interested too. I'm in Solihull and I could do with the practice

Oh and I forgot to ask; are there signs that they're definately getting inside ? marks on the bait or droppings ? I was thinking that maybe they're flying round it and not actually in it and from a distance it's sometime difficult to tell. Normally you'd leave the top off and prebait the whole thing for up to a week before you put the trap-top on. That way they know there's good stuff in there.

This is a puzzle - we could really do with seeing the trap if possible but if they are getting out it will be for one of three reasons: 1 they're being released 2 they're finding a way out through the fabric of the cage (a hole, join, past the door etc) 3 they're getting back through the ladder. I can't help with 1 or 2 but I can with 3. I noticed that you said 'crows etc' and it's a key point here that Jackdaws are significantly harder to keep in that any of the other corvids. Hole size in the ladder is a key factor in retention as is the wire skirts you have fitted. Without seeing the trap as it is my suggestions would be: - the end sections of the ladder (where it meets the sides of the cage) need to have holes the birds cannot get through at all, or covered in mesh for a short way. If there is a full size hole next to the trap side they can climb up the side and out. Similarly if you block these ends fully (e.g. with plywood) they'll just move along it until they can get out - extend the length of the skirts by hanging another panel off the bottom. Do they go the full length of the ladder ? Is there space for the birds to get up at the ends ? One option is to join these skirts across the ladder at the ends a little way in so that any 'climber' can't follow the ladder along. - Failing that you can also fix a wire along the length of the 'ladder' to reduce the size of the holes. You need to be a bit careful here not to make them too small though so we could do with knowing how big they are at the moment. John

According to Jackie Drakeford's "Rabbit Control" : 'A Doe rabbit will come into season at 16 weeks....and will mate again on the same day she delivers her kittens' 'Rabbit kittens are born blind and hairless after a thirty-day gestation. Litter size four to six ...'

Honestly I can't answer that. Ferret_men may have a better postage deal than me and well done to him if he has. All I know is that these traps weigh 303 grams each as they are, so even if I just wrote a name and address on the plate it would cost a couple of quid in postage. By the time they're packed into a sturdy box the weight and the postage goes up. To be fair the postage charge would stay at about a fiver if you had 2 or 3. John

If anyone does want the genuine article I can supply brand new original fenns , but they are more expensive. Mark 4 traps - Singles £8.50 each plus £5P&P Set of 5 traps £40 plus £10P&P Box of 25 £200 all in. Mark 6 traps - Singles £9.00 each plus £5P&P Set of 5 traps £43 plus £10P&P Box of 25 £210 all in.

Here's a link to one of the ENGLISH General Licences. Gen-L05 It's important to remember that there isn't one general licence, there are severel, relating to different reasons for control (e.g. protection of wild birds, Prevention of disease, Protection of crops, Aircreft safety etc. They also differ for England, Wales, Scotland & Ireland Here's an extract which I think shows pigeon trapping is quite legal, in the right circumstances: 2. Subject to the terms and conditions below, and for the purposes set out in paragraph (1) above, this licence permits: (i) any authorised person to kill or take any of the wild birds listed in this subparagraph, to take, damage or destroy their nests or to take or destroy their eggs: Greater Canada Goose Branta canadensis Crow Corvus corone Dove, Collared Streptopelia decaocto Gull, Great Black-backed Larus marinus Gull, Lesser Black-backed Larus fuscus Gull, Herring Larus argentatus Jackdaw Corvus monedula Jay Garrulus glandarius Magpie Pica pica Pigeon, Feral Columba livia Rook Corvus frugilegus Woodpigeon Columba palumbus (ii) the use of a semi-automatic weapon by authorised persons acting under subparagraph (2)(i) above; (iii) the use of a cage trap, the dimensions of which do not satisfy the requirements of section 8(1) of the Act, by authorised persons acting under subparagraph (2)(i) above; However it is important to comply with all the conditions of the general licenses, particularly the reason for control. So fat inconvenient pigeons eating all the bird food is not sufficient justification. Large numbers of pigeons regularly roosting and causing a health hazard with their droppings, probably is.

I completely agree, this is the first time I've ever seen one set up like this. There may be some boundary issue or similar which has prevented them using the usual installation method but as I said, it wasn't a project I had a direct hand in.