Pigeon abatement - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #16 11-13-2009, 09:00 PM

Killing pidgeons with a pellet gun is not that easy. With a bb gun I would think you could kill maybe one out of 50 that you hit. I think you'd have to hit them in the eye to kill them.

With a pellet gun If I hit them on the wing they would fly away. A head, chest or neck shot was what it took.

I once shot one under the wing. I suspect it was in or near the heart. The bird flew away, and I thought....damn, I was sure I hit it but there it goes. It flew out over the street and dropped out of the sky a half block up the hill. Dead.

johnjzjz · #17 11-13-2009, 10:03 PM

in jersey walking around an apartment complex wit a rifle will get you a ride in handcuffs

try a bug guy with a gurr and pay the fair, in the end it will be cheaper than the lawyer ride and court costs

t walgamuth · #18 11-13-2009, 10:32 PM

One morning as I was staulking pidgeons around my house I attracted the attention of a local policeman. He pulled up and asked what I was doing. I told him and he said something which I forget and drove away.

I think he said it was illegal to shoot an air rifle in town but he didn't care or words to that effect.

cmac2012 · #19 11-15-2009, 03:05 PM

My pellet gun (pistol) is not that loud and with the red dot scope, pretty accurate. It would almost be cruel to shoot these things as I have a perfect view of their big chests. I could get one of the big garbage cans in the right spot, sit behind it on the sidewalk between the two houses and wouldn't be visible from the street.

I dunno, could be dicey. The next door house where they're roosting has some youngsters and plenty of residents (Latin group house). If one of them saw me pointing a pistol in the direction of their house, could bring me more grief than I want.

I'm going to try the blowgun first. Would look less threatening to an observer and would be more fun. (I'm a sicko all right)

Da Nag · #20 11-15-2009, 05:09 PM

I'm all for the good fun of armed pest control...but it's far from the most effective method.

Trap 'em. No muss, no fuss, very effective - if done right.

The trick to successful pigeon trapping - bait the trap, and leave the one-way doors open for a week or so. Pigeons will come and go, and get used to the contraption.

Drown, dump, repeat.

Mistress · #21 11-17-2009, 09:48 AM

get a cat.

cmac2012 · #22 12-24-2009, 01:24 PM

A cat would never get up to these guys. They perch on a phone or power wire just under the eves, about 15 to 20 feet up. At any rate, I found a solution, on the kill angle anyway.

My blowgun has recorded its first kill(s). I bought it about 7 years ago and had just used it for target practice. I was confident I could hit the pigeons and sho nuff. The first one I shot at, I just missed it twice and the darts embedded themselves in the underside of the eve. The pigeon jerked a tiny bit at the noise but none of them flew off (5 at the beginning). When I did score a hit, it barely moved. I landed a few more darts and after about 5 minutes, it tried to fly off but fell to the sidewalk instead and expired shortly after. None of the others stirred at any of this. It was about 9 pm, perhaps they were half asleep.

I got two more in similar fashion. One looked like it flew off but I found it on the curb next to my car as I was leaving. 2 darts and it was dead. For the fourth, I tried a dart with a larger plastic pointed head. Quite sharp but apparently too big as the one I hit with it flew away, apparently uninjured. The dart had bounced off.

The last one was still sitting on its perch and he came down too. It took many more darts on the ground to kill it. The third one also was tough to put down - I pulled out my pellet gun and shot it a few times, still no kill, so I got one of my big pry bars and broke its neck. Not pleasant but oh well. The pellet gun was much louder than the blow gun (almost silent) - the tenant came out and I explained what was up. He knows me well as I've improved their plumbing a few times. He didn't have a problem with it, but I realize I should have notified him first.

I went back the next night and got one more. Not sure if it's the one I shooed off the night before. It was the only one there.

Now I'll clean up the poop (gives a signal to others that it's safe) and put up the netting.

cmac2012 · #23 12-25-2009, 05:08 PM

Yesterday I cleaned off the guano (I'm going to add a 'nasty' premium to the bill for that one), came back that night and no pigeons present. Earlier when I was doing the cleaning, I heard the tale-tell pigeon warble/cooing and I'm thinking 'where's my blowgun?' It was in the car but the pigeons I spotted were on the TV antenna of the house I was cleaning and the crest of the roof of the house 2 doors down. Not sure I needed to kill them plus I'm bound to miss with some of the darts and at that angle, they'd fly over the house and land God knows where. The last thing I need is some denizen of East Oakland running out in the street demanding to know what bastid shot her kiddie with a dart, while the child was innocently playing in the backyard. Could happen, stranger things have.

In my original hunt, the eves were well positioned to stop any errant darts. I collected about 6 of them when I had the ladder up for the cleaning. I can still hardly believe the way the pigeons didn't react when the darts plunged into their chest cavity. The steel wire the darts are made of is small - 3/64ths of an inch.

This thing wouldn't be much good for hunting though - the range is too short. Maybe if you were starving, docile critters like possum or raccoons could be had - docile in that they often don't run off when you encounter them. You might need some South American frog juice on the tip to paralyze the bigger critters. Then again if I was starving, I would have eaten the pigeons. Not a pleasant thought.

Maki · #24 12-26-2009, 12:40 AM

I've heard good things about this stuff.
http://www.tanglefoot.com/products/birdrepel.htm

Carleton Hughes · #25 12-26-2009, 09:27 AM

Here is the stuff I mentioned a few posts back. Pretty damned effective.

http://www.avitrol.com/pigeons.php

cmac2012 · #26 12-27-2009, 04:40 AM

Both sound promising. At the beginning I mentioned using pigeon spikes. They worked but it was an optimal situation. It's a weird setup - the remodel happened a few years before I started with this lady - A larger roof was put over the front porch and a small previous roof is about 16 inches below part of the new roof. I don't get it but there it is. They like the little space. The spikes make it hard enough to gain access to the space behind the spikes so that they haven't made it back. The spikes are bloody expensive - $50 for 10 feet, I bought two boxes. I ordered enough netting to make it hard for them to get to the phone wires next door (both infestations rained crap onto the sidewalk for the rear apt.) Netting might have worked for the first deal for about half the money or less. I'm getting a 14' x 25' package for about $80 with the shipping. It's 3/4 inch polypropylene netting. The eves where I'm putting it face north, lucky break cause UV is what degrades it. Might never get direct sun in that location.

I read online that guys who trap them have to euthanize them anyway (I guess they'll just go back if you try to relocate them), so I don't feel so barbaric for spearing the critters with the power of my mighty lungs.

These critters are roosting on wires, I imagine the tanglefoot might work on wires but they didn't mention that in the promo.

Aquaticedge · #27 12-27-2009, 06:14 AM

There is an electronic system you can install, the name of it escapes me, however you tack up these strips wherever they like to roost etc and it works like an electric fence, It's not harmful to the birds and they learn to keep away. Rig it to a Solar collector and it'll run free all day. i dont know what it's called, I've seen it on either Dirty Jobs or Verminators.

Palangi · #28 12-27-2009, 03:31 PM

Local hardware store has a realistic looking plastic owl. Head rotates and everything. Must be battery powered or somehing. I wonder if something like that might run those flying rats off?

Carleton Hughes · #29 12-27-2009, 05:15 PM

On the other hand. there may be an organic and natural method to pigeon control, what with folk's sensibilities in Cali embracing environmentally friendly methods such as below....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSlvuzpR3Qc

rwthomas1 · #30 12-27-2009, 08:32 PM

I use galvanized wire installed with roofing nails over anyplace I don't want squirrels to get into. Works well, should work on pigeons. That said I also own an Airforce Talon SS air rifle in 22 caliber. The "SS" version is silenced. Yes, this is legal. It doesn't quiet the report entirely, but as long as you keep the power adjusted to half or less it sounds like a pneumatic trim nail gun. Mine has a Bushnell scope on it and it will drop squirrels, etc. with ease. Its not cheap but you could shoot most any pest quietly and unnoticed. RT