Im a beginner at this keeping lark but thats another story!
Whats the best bait for getting the first maggie in the larsen traps?
Have got maggies coming out of my ears, got 5 traps in different spots and cant get one whatever i try!
Eggs r just attracting charlies and squirrels (i think)!
What could i be doing wrong!
How should i check em, on foot, from a distance or what!
Please help am at my whitts end!

Ideally you want a call bird from a different location, you may be better off asking other local keepers if they you can have a few.

Yea ive put the feelers out for a bird from another area couple of weeks ago got nothing as yet though! If anybodys willing to give one up around lincolnshire nottinghamshire yorkshire area im willing to travel to pick it up!
Just got a few rats so im gonna try those today!
Heard dead squirrels work pretty well!
Any other tips would be greatley appreciated!

:blink:

Try some white hen eggs- make a nest up in your trap zone and put a couple in there and a couple on the top and break one making sure that there is plenty of the egg white lying on the top as this will shine and attract the magpies. make sure that the egg shells are all shouwing the white insides to the oncoming birds.

Get a magpie decoy and put it nearby.

That should do the trick for you.
Keith

Cheers Keith!
Been trying the eggs but using brown eggs!
Had the nest in trap and breaking eggs on top, something was taking hte eggs then something has been licking clean where the eggs are and disturbing the trap trying to get at the eggs inside, im assuming its a charlie so i set my fox trap nearby!
Ive managed to find a call bird and all being well im picking it up tuesday! Phew!

Ok, got my call bird last thursday and had 11 maggies upto last night!
Im using 4 larsen traps and after the first day i caught 1 or 2 then nothing, soon as i move the traps to another spot same again, 1 or 2 then nothing, doesnt matter how long i leave it there doesnt attract anymore with still plenty of maggies in the area!
Im not complaining cos ive had a pretty good weekend but i havent read anywhere about having to keep moving traps for continued success and was wondering if this was the norm or im doing something wrong?

You have to keep moving your traps, magpies are territorial and when you've cleaned up one patch, it takes a while for the adjacent pair to realise before moving in. Maybe only 10yds. will do, but keep moving every couple of days, until you catch again. Eventually, you will clear the local population out, until new birds move in.
Dave

Cheers Dave!
One area i have a trap is a big mature hedge next to a 30 acre field of old stubble, I can count between 10 and 15 maggies coming off the stubble to same place in hedge in an evening!
Had a pair at this spot first day then nothing. After 3 days i moved trap to different area, i moved it back last night and have 1 in trap this morning!
These birds dont seem to have paired up yet is this why there not using the trap a lot!

I think pairs normally mate for life, unless one meets it's demise. They normally start laying in april. The "flock" of maggies are probably last years young(from various pairs) which have not been driven off by the territorial pair.
Dave

I find putting a few baby rabbit with the skin pulled back in each trap works very well or if you are tying to catch you frist 1 I find I catch better with duck eggs as hens are not wild birds. Dont get me rong they will take hens eggs.
If you are suffering form thing robbing your eggs put a tunal trap down that normaly sort it out for me or if it is a fox pee up a post or somting near by or shoot him.

Hope this helps Richard. :)