POW! Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 Yesterday afternoon , I decided to roost shoot a small wood that usualy atracts a few woodies in the New Year , Its a sparse wood no conifers ,in fact mostly willow , in the past it has been a bit of a stopping / resting wood before flying on to the main roost woods . so early afternoon is esential , I soon found an Ideal area that covers two sides with a good view of aproaching pigeon, I spotted plenty of droppings and was confident it would be a decent bit of shooting, sure enough around three ish a few started to apear but, they settled in the oaktrees a hundred yards away . Soon drop in here I thought , no!! they rested and carried on over out of shot . same thing all afternoon , none roosting as previous years , A waste of an afternoon I told myself! , I was about to go when i saw a large flock aproaching . flight patern different from pidgeon , Crows I thought , ? As they got nearer the racket was obvious they were Jackdaws !! , A bit of quick shooting , a few kills , They mingled noisily overhead out of range , then settled in the outlying Oaks , , Get a few more as they come in was the plan ! A few late pigeon carried on over too high , in the past they would have dropped in fast and perch up , [ I am sure those who stay late know the scene] Nowt !! just a noisy laughter from them till almost dark ! SO up sticks and home . feeling the frost forming now , too cold for comfort , A brisk walk back soon warmed me , , Stopping to look back they desended on the wood , safe for the night , again laughing in the way they do !!! I am sure , like the grey squirrels they are pushing the woodies out of the regular roosts , Pigeon like their opwn company , and quiet at that , I am going to monitor the wood with the Binos the next couple of nights , to see the patern , If it is a regular one . A couple of folk with silenced Airguns is my next ploy ! . Has anyone any insight into Jackdaw behaviour??? , Where have they come from ?? I sure as Hell dont want them arround ! They are an inteligent bird from what I saw , bold yet bright!! , Whos the EXPERT!! , POW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POW! Posted January 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 Yes , I know I should have run a search before posting !!!!! , Just done one now , I had not realised how many reported an increase in Jackdawc numbers , They may become a pain from what I saw !!! POW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 there are more and more each year around the house im finding. every chance i get i pop them with the air rifle. in summer i do a couple every day off the roof. you would think that the numbers would be dropping but they just keep coming. im not in the shed much in winter so dont get so many but there still here. air rifle at dusk sounds like the way. i wouldnt wait for the to settle. take them straight away and they will soon get the message, you will need to do them often so there kept on there toe's. happy blasting.hehe Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 There are loads here too.Their numbers have increased dramatically i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POW! Posted January 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 I have just been viewing the wood the last 10 mins [ its just gone 16 30 ] the flight of jacks have mingled with a hoard of crows and around 300 birds ar now roosting and circling over , Cant go out now but I will get out ASAP , Looks realy tempting !!! , .22 r.f or shotty??? , this could be expensive if my past experience is to go by . they seem confident in roosting ,m We shall see , POW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traztaz Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 .22rf upwards??:unsure:? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted January 21, 2009 Report Share Posted January 21, 2009 .22rf upwards?:unsure:??:blush: my thoughts as well. Air rifle, hushpower or shotgun. they don't hang around for long with the shotgun and if you do it to much then they will move to newer pastures that are a little safer, but for how long i dont know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POW! Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 In the short time observing this wood , it would apear that the Jackdaws arive about 15/20 mins before the Crows , then a right old squabble untill they all settle !! Anyone know if thius is the normal pattern??? Its a shotty or an air rifle here as I found the land is not Firearm aproved!!!! . POW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Mossberg moderated .410. DO NOT use any FAC to shoot birds unless on the ground or with a good backstop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazza Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 In the short time observing this wood , it would apear that the Jackdaws arive about 15/20 mins before the Crows , then a right old squabble untill they all settle !! Anyone know if thius is the normal pattern??? Its a shotty or an air rifle here as I found the land is not Firearm aproved!!!! . POW! even if it was firearm approved you shouldn't fire a rifle up into a tree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieT Posted January 22, 2009 Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 In the spring dozens of the noisy ruddy things nest under the eaves in the buildings and stables in our yard waking me up at dawn every morning. To exact my revenge for this far to early alarm call I keep my .22 by the side of my bed and enjoy some fantastic sport before climbing back into bed to doze off before the real alarm goes off. Usually manage to bag 50/60 over the nesting period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POW! Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2009 Hmmm , You have given me a lot to think about now!!! Yes a .22 into a tree is a bit daft !! Yet as a kid we used to go with a rook rifle and get through 100 subsonics!! . I have been watching them again this afternoon , same patern around 15 30 jackdaws arive , Crows followed half hour later , looking through the Bino,s there is not as many as last night ,[ still 150 aprox!!] . May be easier to get someone with an Airgun who knows what he,s doing , Thing is this week last year I was averaging 7/10 woodies on a regular basis from here!. They have certainly shifted them!! as I watched them flight over into a different wood. Good sport it can be but I am not an avid Crow basher ! Its a lot of work giogging to dispose of them . A rethink is in order !! and thank you for your thoughts on this one , POW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POW! Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Well just an update in case anyone was interested , I shot the wood a week or so later with a 410 as sugested , Either its me or there were few pellets in these { EXPENSIVE} cartridge , They soon got wise and mooved on , the crows however came in as usual later and were suitably shot at !! The following evening my 12 bore was well up to thje job , taking a dozen jacks and a few crows , The Jacks have gone now , the pigeon are returning [yes!!] but, still dont seem to like the crows roosting , Were the wood bigger I dont think it would be a problem , Th Jackdaws seemed to be just visiting though about 40 are still aroung feeding , yet roosting elsewhere , For sure they are a bright bird , they sense danger and are quickly away , I can see the wood from the cottage , and its just after 6 pm with NO activity yet , [ maybe its too cold in that wood ] , So Jackdaws not a welcome visitor ,YET a worth one to shoot against , Thanks for your input previously , all part of the "Big Picture" , POW!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 What about decoying them at 1st light?? or even just have a call for a fox,as they always come to investigate at dawn when we call...keep chipping away at them!! When the weather warms a bit,and they start pairing up(crows)a larson trap will put a hole in their numbers.Jackdaws are ready visitors to any larsons we put out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POW! Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Well Grasshopper , you read my mind on the Larsen in the spring , In the last 10 years of trapping Magpies , Crows ,yes .. Jacks NO , They are crafty foe !!!! but its a challenge to get them now , , On observing them they are out at first light , in groups of 15/20 , around 5 mni intervals , [ Taking a regular fight line ,so here is worth a try , ] The numbers are down now so as spring is imminent I think thats norm?? they are not as high on my list for action as other things , so I may leave it and just keep an eye on the situation , and next year if they follow the same pattern get a few guns down to thin them , A couple of nights shooting is all you get , they just move , They are scrawny B****** , so not a lot to hit , 7 trap shot was what l used , l may try 8s next time . Another lesson learned . As l allways say " No one knows it all" , and what happens here may not work elsewhere , Once more thanks for the input , its all part of our wonderfull sport , POW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerseaDavid Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 I wish I had all your crows and jackdaws because we have got none on our farm. One of our old farms used to border on to a dump/sand pit and had a huge wood that was full of crows and I used to get there just before it got dark on a coudy day and shoot them until an hour after dark because you can see them against the cloud as they fly over and I could reguly pic up 25 -35 birds in a shoot. I did take a .22 air rifle with me a couple of time just to take any out that sat in the trees and this worked well and when I got bored or the birds started flying around more I moved on to the 12bore. But now I dont have any crows on my farms, only ones that fly over our land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillkeeper Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 forget the larsen mate what you want for jackdaws is a large cage like a multi catch crow cage but with tunnels on the sides like a pheasant pop hole (one way entry)we have had massive sucsees with these 30/40 a day get it in the right place ie on a morning flight line and your laughing bait with flaked maize or even bred does the job our cages are 3mx4m easily built with 2x2 and some chicken mesh cheers fraser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweedledee Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 i let the jackdaws get on the wing.try decoying them over green grass with a few crow deeks.it`s amazing how stupid they can be.you shoot some and they swing around for another look and then shoot more of them.you don`t normally get that with older crows and rooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 If you want to reduce the numbers quickly then a ladder trap works best, may be get 20 or 30 in a morning, crows too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Use a silenced air-rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon master Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Its a bird Ive never shoot, It never comes across as a pest to me like a root pulling Rook or a pigeon. So what do Jackdaws do??? They make great pets,well not pets but if you rear them they do hang around, and have no problem with feeding from your hand whilst sat on your shoulder..very bright birds! The PM I was thinking about getting the two lads to bring two up this year, they do go thier own way in the end so its not like dog ownership.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POW! Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 The Jack daws have moved away now , a few pigeon have rerturned to roost again , but, the Crows are back in large numbers [over a hundred roosting , ] You can certainly go through a few boxes of shells too . As I said before the biggest pain is burrying the carcases , Just a note of a different kind , one of my resident fox earths had 3 cubs venturing out in the sunlight , earlier than usual !!! POW! . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airssassin Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 We had loads here last year... until I got my silenced .177 air rifle out! I shot about 20 of them in a couple of days. They are back this year so as soon as they move into a safe area I'll be getting rid of them again. They don't seem at all put off when you shoot them. Most of them stay put while you pop them off one by one. Headshots only with an air rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_seagrave Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Is this a nesting site? Are you able to bag the branchers when they start fledging in April/May? LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POW! Posted March 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 Hi LS, This is not a nesting site , its just a small two acre wood that they rest in ,or overnigt in. it not on a regular basis just for a few weeks each year , it does however disturb the pigeon from roosting , [ not as much as the greys are!!!] ., they seem to have almost gone now, i just wanted to keep them on the move , I let a few friends shoot the wood for a few nights and , it seems to have done the trick. The same woos is a bit of a nesting area for pigeon through the year as wheat and barley are the main crops crown in that part of the farm . I noticed too that a Fox earth is close by too this year , they must have opened up the rabbit warren , amazing how they live as neighbours , and quite happily it seems !!. I can see the wood from the cottage , so its been an interesting observation exercise too . POW!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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