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Boy oh boy. Just talking about this stuff can get you nailed. The trap you are referring to is a SGHT. ( Swedish Goshawk Trap.) Developed by Heinz Meing for trapping Accipters. This trap is basically used to trap Goshawks, Coopers, and the occasional Sharp Shinned. Most often baited with pigeons. Having this trap without the proper permits will put you in deep SH$#t Red Tailed Hawks are sometimes known to come into the trap but not on a normal basis since the Red Tailed Hawk's prey is based mostly on mammals. Although there is no such thing as a Chicken hawk, the Coopers Hawk has been given this nick name by the old time farmers. Coopers hawks are true Accipters that prey mostly on AVIAN species. Although the Red Tailed Hawk is completely opportunistic it will not waste its valuable energy on a tail chase, that my friend would be the coopers. RedTails are not stupid and they know that a quail or pheasant is too fast to chase. They may at time try to take one on the rise during a flush but rarely. They will however plow into one that is trapped (such as your pen situation) or one that appears to be injured. More than likely Steve, you have several passage coopers hanging around your pens or migrating birds stopping by for an easy meal. Both Red Tailed Hawks and Coopers migrate but not all of them will. I'm not sure where your located but some migrators from further north may decide to take up residents in your area until scared off by the residential adults. You are sure to have resident birds year round. Passage birds will attack your pens since your birds appear to be trapped and the immature hawks will show complete lack of fear trying to stir them up. I don't know if this is a year round problem you are having or you notice this more in mid summer to November. If the latter is true than you have immature and fall migrators invading your pen. Not that you would, but if you shoot one or set up any type of leghold trap among others such as the SGHT your asking for more trouble than its worth. Not only can they put you under the jail but the fines alone are extreme. I don't know if you have to have a license to operate a pheasant farm but they can take that license away as well. Warning to all, it would be wise not to post about shooting, or trapping any bird of prey. You would be surprised who reads this site and just the slightest mention of the above discussions will land a Game Warden at your property. I know people on this board take alot of care, time, and money on their birds and will do the utmost to keep them safe and yet they should, but trapping or shooting birds of prey must be avoided and other means need to be looked into. I think I can give you a couple of pointers that will possibly help you. Hawks and Owls do not get along. A Great Horned Owl will hunt down a Redtailed hawk just as quick as it would a pheasant. A GHO is a natural enemy of all North American Hawks. They are more powerful and weigh more than the hawks. Try putting a couple of GHO Dummies on perches around your pens. This will keep the hawks leary about approaching. They may perch 30 yds away but they will be hesitant to make in. Second, I know you have contacted Fish and Wildlife, but I can assure you they are not going to send you or anybody a permit to trap or remove the hawks because they are killing livestock or poultry or whatever. What you might want to do is get ahold of some license falconers in your area and they will be glad to come out and trap the hawks then relocate them. If you have problems finding a falconer, contact me and I will find one in your area and see if there is something I can do. I'm sure I can find somebody. One of the reason why these birds are so strongly protected is because 70% of them die in their first year. Although there seems like alot of these birds around, it wouldn't take much to put them in a critical state since their mortality rate is high in the first place. I didn't mean to get on a soap box and preach and I know you didn't insinuate any harm but there is better ways of dealing with the problem then what some people have mentioned. Sorry for the rant, If there is a way I can help you let me know.