Not getting my pigeons

[MTO4Life]

I'm new to this pigeon trapping thing, and have a question about why I can't catch them. I've done like I've read on this site. I've put my trap at a highway patrol yard on an out roof of a salt shed. I can see at least 20 pigeons on the hydro wires in plain view of the trap. I put the trap upside down and baited it with a few pounds of corn in it and at the entrances to get them used to the trap and the corn. Problem is, they aren't touching the corn. It has been there for about a week and a half, and they MAY have eaten one cup of the corn. That's a big maybe, and I'm assuming it is them. Is there anything I'm doing wrong that you can see, or should I try something different (or another place perhaps?). I'd like to catch them for some birds to work with the dog. Thanks.

[3Britts]

I'd start by putting all of the corn by the trap and none inside. This gets the pigeons used to the trap. It may take them a couple of weeks. You could also buy a couple of pigeons to put inside the trap to entice the ferral birds closer. Just make sure that the birds in the trap have food and water, oh and shade if it is needed. The wild birds will hear the caged ones eating and join them. This has worked for me. Good luck.

[outdrguyjr]

I had a similar problem until I tied the bobs up for about a week so that the pigeons could get comfortable going in and out of the cage freely to feed. Once I noticed that the corn was begining to be eaten I lowered one bob...then a few days later the other...and what do you know...I have been catching them ever since. Just remember pigeons are creatures of habit...so once they are used to the cage you should have no problems. Good luck...

[tommyboy72]

I wasted money on a pigeon trap as well. Did not do me much good. I wish I would have spent it on a flashlight and a dipnet and just went and spotlighted and netted them at night.

[birddogger]

I'd start by putting all of the corn by the trap and none inside. This gets the pigeons used to the trap. It may take them a couple of weeks. You could also buy a couple of pigeons to put inside the trap to entice the ferral birds closer. Just make sure that the birds in the trap have food and water, oh and shade if it is needed. The wild birds will hear the caged ones eating and join them. This has worked for me. Good luck.

This sound like the ticket to me. Just have patience, and once they start, you should be able catch all you need. JMO.

[k2k]

I've got a trap set out in the back yard after they started coming to the bird feeder. I use black oil sunflower seed, and sometimes sprinkle some cracked corn or scratch grains on top of the pile in the trap. It's kind of spendy but I catch all the birds I want, some over and over again (one in particular seems to be a slow learner..).

And tying up the bobs for a while is a good idea too. Sometimes I just tie them up for a week or so and let them come and go.

So try sprinkling some sunflower seed on the corn and see what happens!

[ceadmin]

Ha! Me and my wife went through this exact same thing this year. I bought a trap after convincing her of all the money we would save over buying them from our local club. Well, we went out and trapped from June-July and didn't catch a single one of them and there were 40-50 birds in the area (and that's what we could see on a continual basis). We were thinking, man, we have to be the worst trappers in the world as the pigeons just have to be laughing at us. We had done the tie the pigeon bobs up, throw food around the trap, use different kinds of seed/grain mixtures and nothing was working.

Later in July, when I had given up for a few weeks, I approached with a new game plan and we have been catching them ever since:
1) Find an obvious place that holds birds - visual cue is the best - and then find an obvious trapping spot. Alot of people recommend a flat roof top area, but we catch ours on the ground.
2) Start a roadrunner bait pile on the picked trapping spot. Our mixture is some cracked corn, alot of shell corn and topped it off with alot of stale/throwaway bread (why let it go to waste). What's a roadrunner bait pile? Well thats a frickin huge pile of seed/grain (think of Wiley E. Coyote trying to bait the Roadrunner). Do this with no trap in sight for 3-5 days.
3) Put the trap over the same spot, tie up the bobs, sprinkle some of your mixture at the entrances (not much at all) and put in a roadrunner bait pile in the middle of the trap. Do this for 3-5 days and you should notice: a) bait pile decrease in mass; b) feather or bird crap in or around the cage.
4) Drop the bobs in late afternoon and check the traps late at night or in the early morning.

This is what has given us the birds and now we don't even raise the bobs anymore. We just sprinkle a little mixture and bread at the bob entrance and throw the roadrunner pile in the middle of the trap and haven't had a problem catching birds since.

Things that did not work: decoy in the trap; live pigeon in the trap (the birds impaled themselves trying to get out).
Things that we learned, besides how to trap them: throw a rock or partial cinder block over one or two corners - we had crows that came by and moved the cage off the bait pile; add a small piece of wood or shade cloth over the cage in a corner or over the bait pile area (not much area)- makes the birds feel secure and keeps them from dying in the heat, if you forget or don't have time to check your cage during the day (speaking from experience on that one).

Thats about all I got - good luck. One thing to remember is its harvest season to, which can make them harder to trap as there is corn/grain/seed everywhere right now.

[TEX-X]

i use to trap the he** out of the pigeons on the courthouse in W. TX and i never allowed time for the pigeons to get use to the trap i just sprinkled a bunch of food around and in the trap and checked a few days later....15-20 birds everytime....I used Horsman's edge horesfeed.....seemed to work out great for me...maybe try some horse feed