How do I get rid of house sparrows?

[tarajane]

I LOVE that trap..now, after you trap them, then what ???

 

[flyin-lowe]

If I don't get the trap real full I keep them alive in there for bait. The trick to the Blaines trap is catching the first bird. Mine would sit for weeks sometimes with nothing then I would come home from work and it would have 8 or 9 in it. If I have one for several days and nothing else I usually get the bird into a wal mart bag and a shot of ether puts them down quick.

HOSP are territorial and you can make a dent in there population. At my old house I had farms and barns with livestock on both sides of me. I started shooting and trapping them when I put up my first martin house. The first couple years I killed over 100 easily. As time went on I would only kill 2-5 per year. Now I moved to a new location and am starting over. If anyone is interested you should also check out Troyers large V trap. Andy Troyer, an Amish man, designed a large V trap (big enough to walk into). It will trap hundreds of starlings and sparrows a day. I have considered one of those but haven't got around to building one yet, I have the plans for it. I spoke to Andy about building a smaller version and he said his study show the size designed I most affective, he said much smaller and the starlings were reluctant to go in.

https://www.purplemartin.org/shop/product/vttp/troyer-v-top-trap-plans/

 

[PoultryPedia]

Though they are unwanted, they do deserve the most humane death, but I am not sure what that is for small, non-domesticated birds?

p.s. What is a HOSP?

 

[flyin-lowe]

HOSP= House Sparrow

 

[Cottage Rose]

How do you shoot Sparrows? I tried with a pellet gun but that didn't work well at all. And why is that big v trap better than the smaller trap? I have a regular sparrow trap and they will sit right on it and not touch tbe grain inside where they go in.

 

[flyin-lowe]

You typically need a high end air rifle if that is what you are going to use for sparrows. The typical ones you buy off the shelf at Wal Mart etc are consistent enough to hit time after time a target that small. So if you don't live in an area that will allow .22 rifles or even a shot gun then you will have to resort to trapping.

I have done business in the past with Andy Troyer, who designed that large V trap that was linked earlier. I was curious about building one about half that size. He said the success rate was a lot lower the smaller the trap. With one that big the bird feel more comfortable going into it. Like others have said the smaller "Blaines" trap will work but it can be hit and miss.