Re: Trapping
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2025 9:26 pm
Best thing I bought since coming back into it is a big aviary / settling pen on wheels that I roll in front of the YB section to get the YB used to going in and out from when the first wean, have a good look around and flap about but without the risk of a hawk attack.
I too use a short cane (I assumed pigeons were like gun dogs when I train them and you don’t want them hand shy) to usher them through the traps as soon as I whistle them in. I can walk into the pen as I’m doing this and so not doing what I want them to do isn’t an option for them.
Policy from thereon-in has been that they’re either flying or in through the traps and it’s worked like clockwork ever since; loft flying, training or on a race day, they hit the trap, I pick up the cane and whistle and they’re straight in, no messing or sitting about waiting to be hawk bait.
Ok, first few weeks I had problems with them copying the wild stock doves that they’d watched from the pen landing in the trees but, as experienced fanciers on here said they would, after a few weeks they just landed on the loft. Another thing I picked up on was a lesson from a Jeff Cooper video where he has a washing line on the apex of the loft roof on pulley. If they land on there rather than the boards a quick tug on the line soon moves them.
I’ve not got much right this first year, but I think with trapping it’s one thing I did do ok at. Hope this is useful.
I too use a short cane (I assumed pigeons were like gun dogs when I train them and you don’t want them hand shy) to usher them through the traps as soon as I whistle them in. I can walk into the pen as I’m doing this and so not doing what I want them to do isn’t an option for them.
Policy from thereon-in has been that they’re either flying or in through the traps and it’s worked like clockwork ever since; loft flying, training or on a race day, they hit the trap, I pick up the cane and whistle and they’re straight in, no messing or sitting about waiting to be hawk bait.
Ok, first few weeks I had problems with them copying the wild stock doves that they’d watched from the pen landing in the trees but, as experienced fanciers on here said they would, after a few weeks they just landed on the loft. Another thing I picked up on was a lesson from a Jeff Cooper video where he has a washing line on the apex of the loft roof on pulley. If they land on there rather than the boards a quick tug on the line soon moves them.
I’ve not got much right this first year, but I think with trapping it’s one thing I did do ok at. Hope this is useful.