Thread: Bloody Magpies!!

Looking for suggestions about the best magpie traps, callers etc. We have a group of 10 or so around our house and sheds. They are cunning buggers and will sit on the lawn and close in if I'm not about with the rifle and shotgun out, but seem to know the range if I'm about.

I get the occasional one with the rifle but have some firing zone challenges which limit the direction I can shoot.

Any suggestions regarding traps and callers gratefully received.

can't help with traps or callers but have had success wiring a dead magpie up as decoy. maybe that a blue tooth speaker and magpie sound recording will bring them to the direction you can shoot from. Yep they learn distance pretty fast. Had some up north, learnt 22 distance (subs) so once they got that mate picked couple off with 22 hornet, then once learnt that the owner of farm did a rather awesome shot with one of his hunting rifles ( don't know what) at a ridiculous distance and didn't see them back before I finished the season.

We used to make up traps like this (end door design) https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/se...a-magpie-trap/. Always seemed to work well enough - a bit of dripping in the cage to catch your first bird, then use that first bird as a decoy for the next one. Works better with a decoy bird than just with bait.

One thing though, I bet once you start trapping them you'll find out you have more than 10. They have a way of migrating in from the surrounding area to fill any vacancy...

Originally Posted by PaulNZ

We used to make up traps like this (end door design) https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/se...a-magpie-trap/. Always seemed to work well enough - a bit of dripping in the cage to catch your first bird, then use that first bird as a decoy for the next one. Works better with a decoy bird than just with bait.

One thing though, I bet once you start trapping them you'll find out you have more than 10. They have a way of migrating in from the surrounding area to fill any vacancy...

Thanks PaulNZ

@Dundee would likely have a few tips for ya

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Gaday @A-Bolt have a scroll through the "What pests have you got today" pages 43 to 45 might be helpful.
I got 1000 in 2010 and 900 in 2011 it certainly brought the native birds back after some good years culling the filthy Aussie bastards.
Had a wooden live capture trap made with netting on top,they walk in and trigger the trap.Bingo.

I used mutton fat as bait as it doesn't get fly blown.
Once caught your first live one use it as a decoy in another cage next to the trap,with water and shelter of course

Tricky part is catching the live one under the trap to be used as a decoy.Suggest you wear good thick gloves.
Change the live decoy regularly with a new one. And dispatch the original decoy bird.

Your mob of 10 will increase as you dispatch them.Its on going!!

Originally Posted by Dundee

Gaday @A-Bolt have a scroll through the "What pests have you got today" pages 43 to 45 might be helpful.
I got 1000 in 2010 and 900 in 2011 it certainly brought the native birds back after some good years culling the filthy Aussie bastards.
Had a wooden live capture trap made with netting on top,they walk in and trigger the trap.Bingo.
Attachment 203855
I used mutton fat as bait as it doesn't get fly blown.
Once caught your first live one use it as a decoy in another cage next to the trap,with water and shelter of course
Attachment 203856
Tricky part is catching the live one under the trap to be used as a decoy.Suggest you wear good thick gloves.
Change the live decoy regularly with a new one. And dispatch the original decoy bird.

Your mob of 10 will increase as you dispatch them.Its on going!!

Bloody hell!! 1000 magpies, where do you live dundee?? I'm no fan of magpies and I shoot the hua's every chance I get. They chase the hell out of the native birds at my place. I've seen them chase tui's and wood pigeons, but then make the fatal mistake of landing in the paddock. They don't like the .17

Originally Posted by tac a1

Bloody hell!! 1000 magpies, where do you live dundee?? I'm no fan of magpies and I shoot the hua's every chance I get. They chase the hell out of the native birds at my place. I've seen them chase tui's and wood pigeons, but then make the fatal mistake of landing in the paddock. They don't like the .17

Way East of D'Vagas... Tararua/Hawke Bay sort of.

Thanks Dundee and others for the tips.

223 ‘s go pretty good too

Originally Posted by Nathan F

223 ‘s go pretty good too
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Yup, I watch a bit of magpie shooting on y tube. there's and english guy on there who shoots them at some impressive ranges with a sako 223. search crow shooting uk .223 and you should find it if your interested.

We have shit loads of magpies around my place, if shot about 30 of them this year.
Managed to get 10 in about 30minutes one day when the dead ones started acting as decoys for the rest of them, most of them shot in the exact same spot.

Just shoot them out from our ranch slider, so still inside the minute I got outside they fly away.
Mostly use 22 but been using shotgun with #7.5 trap loads if concerned about firing zones. They are a max of 30m away and the #7.5 kills them dead as.

Be careful of what you wish for.
Local guy had it in for magpies on his land and clobbered them.
Hawks came in and hit his chickens.

If you use a caller and a lifelike magpie dummy, and use only subs and a silencer, you will find the live birds are attracted to the first one you shoot. I used to shoot 9-10 in a row within 30 minutes.