Red tailed Hawks and Owls

[aKirA]

Have you considered double netting the top? Putting a second net over the old spaced perhaps 1-2 feet apart. Im not sure how expensive these nettings are but this sounds like it would definitely work.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

Double netting won't work, reasons being:

1-cost factor
2-winter snow loads

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[zip]

I had a problem with hawks sitting on my pen. I found a used electric fence used for cows and ran the wire around the top of my pen where i thought the hawk would land. Turned it up to WOW and sat back and watched. Had three different hawks land for about 1/10th of a second.  They only landed once and didnt like it. Havent had any problems with them. When they or others come around the fence goes back on for a couple of days and they usually clear out. Works on owls too. I even thought of putting it around the base of my pen for the walking critters. Animals like easy meals so the harder you make it for them the less they like it. The only problem I have had with this is when I forget its on and I get zapped. See it works on people too now I check it every time I go out to the pen.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

I've got the hawks doing a trampoline act on top off the net to spook the birds into flight. Again, it is the cost factor running wire around the perimeter and throughout the whole netting. My pen is 55'x100' not the easiest thing to stretch wire on.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[zip]

I hear what your sayijng about the wire. My pen was 25 x 50. I didnt cover the whole top area. I put it where I saw the hawks landing before they went after the birds. I had a ridge pole on my pen that I ran the wire down it turned out to pe a perfect spot for it. All the hawks would eventually try to land there.

[Foz]

This type of hawk trap is what you need.  Use a crate that has high visibility like this one.  Set the trap atop the crate that has the "bait pheasant".  Open up the spring loaded lids and prop them open with the trigger perch.  Once the hawk lands on the perch trying to get the pheasant, wham...you got him.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

I don't know Foz, These Red-tailed Hawks are pretty slick. I have a cage as illustrated in the first photo.

I just have my reservations about the "Hawk" actually landing inside the trap. The board with the hinge in the center, is this the trap mechanism?

Are you camouflaging the cage and trap or is this just the way it is setup?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[Foz]

Obviously, a .22 rifle works the best.  But, for a more humane trap (live trap) this is it.  I've had several old timers tell me how they used these and that it works pretty good.  Just place it where you are seeing the hawk frequent the most.  Takes some patience sometime.  Kinda like a recall funnel on quail.  Some are a little more hesitant of going in it than others.

If they are hungry enough, especially this time of year when all the rabbits, mice and other things are farther and fewer between, a hawk will go in about anything after a meal. 

I had a roller pigeon cage that I flew a kit of rollers from and it had one of those one-way aluminum bob doors in it so after the pigeons were done flying and went back into the cage they couldn't get out anymore.  It was set up right against the back side of my house.  The door was only 6 inches tall by 10 inches wide and I caught several hawks that went in through the door after pigeons.  But, once inside couldn't get out.  Obviously, I didn't set this up to catch hawks, it just happened this way.

You have nothing to loose by building one, other than a few hours of labor.  It it only catches every other hawk, you're ahead of the game.

Edit:
Forgot to answer your questions...This is the setup, no camoflauge needed.  yes, the perch in the middle of the cage is split in the middle with a hinge so it folds up under the weight of the birds landing on it so the doors will slam shut.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

Foz,
Is there a bottom on that trap? and what is on the sides, wire or plastic net?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[Foz]

Yes, the entire framework of the trap is covered with wire, bottom included, so you can see through into the crate where the "bait pheaant is.  This one has vinyl coated poulty wire on it, but you could use anything strong enough that the bird couldn't tear through.

Btw, the "bait pheasant" you put in the crate should be a live one.

[Hinkjc]

One thing also you can try to help keep Birds of pray out during day time hours,

 is a mirror type wind chimes. Put it out in the open and it will help keep birds away. The don't like the movemint of the mirrors and reflections.

You may have to make it, they are hard to find in stores. Some dollar stores carry them.

Charlie

[tanaro2]

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.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

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.

tanaro2,

Thanks for your insite on this. At the present time I seem to have this under control. 

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[tanaro2]

Glad to hear it.  Mid summer and fall you may see a pickup on the birds coming into your area.  I am a little worried when I put my first batch of quail in the pens I built.  Not because of the birds of prey but for all the other critters that lurk around.  I am building wire bottom pens that will keep the cages off the ground which should keep anything from trying to get in.  Now, I don't know how far coons will go but any advice on what not to do would be helpful in setting these pens up.

[CharlieHorse]

High mortality rate or not, there comes a time when an animal is no longer "endangered".  I suppose that they'll wait until there is one for each fence post instead of the 1 for every 10 fence posts there is around here,  before some elected educated idiot whom is doubledipping decides that they are no longer "endangered" and will be generous enough to let you pay them a fee to exterminate a couple of them.

As for high mortality rate, that applies to most wild animals.

Just like the deer and turkeys in my nick of the woods, there needs to be an open season. There comes a time when regulation has proven itself successful, has served its purpose, and the noose needs to be loosened.

Although I do realize that caged birds is a manmade invitation for hawks, etc., but the wild ones don't hardly stand a chance around here for the owls and hawks are in abundance. I can't even find a rabbit, other than a few with their heads missing. They may be scarce in some places. Maybe they all moved here?