Repeating sparrow traps.

[Mike Mack]

After just two years of not staying on top of s and s control my sparrow population has exploded. Would like to know how many of y'all use the repeating traps, and any secrets to success.

[rrmartins]

I have the best luck from now, till they start wanting to breed, with millet. After that, it slows down and they like the nest box traps better. I put feathers and nesting material in it and still catch a few, but they prefer the house trap better. Good luck.

[flyin-lowe]

I've had mixed luck with them. It's been very hit and miss. I might go 3-4 weeks with nothing then catch 10-15 over a couple of days, then a few more weeks with nothing. The best "bait" I ever had was a young sparrow that fledged to early that I found fluttering around my yard from somewhere. I put it in the trap and caught 11 that day within a few hours. Once you catch the first one they will draw others in.

[brent]

I've had good luck. Last year I caught over 100 using white bread and keep a couple alive as decoys. This was in March. I set it last week and caught only 4 but one of them was a male that was visiting the martin houses all too often so it was a good catch. My neighbors, who no longer speak with me since they saw that I was catching sparrows, feed them with cheap bird feed. I'm not catching them as much. After the last four I haven't caught one. But they are there. Soon their feeders will be empty but I will have the trap ready. Once I catch one I keep it in the trap and it will draw more.

Good luck,

Brent

[Bird Brain]

If any of your neighbors have bird feeders, they prefer that over squirming into your death trap. If your trap is the only food around, then you might have success. Gourd traps and pellet gun only thing that works for me.

[Mike Mack]

Thanks for all the replys and good info. Shooting has allways been my main deterant but just ready for a little bit more control.

[Slh566]

Oh my gosh, it works! Caught 3 on the first morning by 10 a.m. I struggled with HOSP for years. Finally broke down and bought the repeating bait trap. Soooooo glad I did. Thanks

[Bird Brain]

If your neighbors have bird feeders, forget about the repeating traps. Who can blame them? Why go through all the maneuvers required by a repeating sparrow trap, when all I need to do is land on the neighbors bird feeder safely hung high in the air and eat to my hearts content? Eventually, your martin housing will lure them away from the neighbors bird feeder, providing you with dispatch opportunities.

[Peter Alberda]

Now is the best time of the year to trap. Catch one and you get the whole family. Sounds heartless but sparrows are not nice either. If you have an empty trap, sprinkle ground corn or chicken feed next to your trap. When that runs out they will go for your corn in your trap. Put plent on all parts of the trap and you will clean up. If you don’t have a trap, put feed within perfect ranges of your shotgun and you can start 5-10 with one shot.

[4th Gen Martin Fan]

Peter is correct.
Just fledged HOSP are very naive and inexperienced. They are easy to trap this time of the year. Their fellow nest mates will follow them into the repeating trap. The parents will respond to the cheeping of the HOSP fledglings and get trapped also.

[Peter Alberda]

I use all of the traps made. Balance, cone, S&S, two compartment, two traps made for a trio, and a V-Top. The big trap I set in a pasture of mine which is across the road from a big pig and dairy operation. I’m sitting here watching my one pair of martins come and go and have NO sparrows and starlings around. Zero. All I hear is beautiful native birds. But I work at it all year long. Right now is the best time to get sparrows due to all the babies.

[Cjs180]

The babies are around now. I have shot at least 6 in the past week.