How to get rid of Andrey the goshawk?

[AxelCoon]

No. Stupid pesticide mafia won't let that happen.
And yes the orchard is where my chooks roam; quince trees have nice big branches and where they are full of fruit they look like huts, providing excellent shade and camouflage. - but Andrey's been around longer than my trees so he already outsmarted that idea.
Ima try catching him with fishing nets the next time i see him on the ground.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Well this makes me even more confused.
I cannot legally assemble a team of hunters to shoot down the goshawk because i am not a registered poultry farmer and hawks are not regarded as pests for orchards....This legal loophole kinda sucks..

Axel I and many others would have told you to do it yourself and tell no one even if it is legal. A team of hunters is like killing a baby chick with a shotgun..... You could probably reach out and choke that thing yourself and save yourself alot of bureacracy..... Never ask a question if you do not want to hear the possible answer.

 

[happyfrenchman]

I think people do not appreciate the abilities of a goshawk. If you get rid of this one, and another one immediately takes it's place, I too would be advocating a covered run because there is no way to defend against them. They fly like scythes and are deadly. But I am assuming that chickens are not their normal prey. I hope they don't get after you for having unregistered chickens.

 

[Kessel23]

dense vegetation will not help, have you watched the videos I posted? If a chicken can get through something then a goshawk can to.

OP, you should just take a shovel and go smack that thing the next time it kills one of your birds. Don't try to grab it by hand or net it, that is not a chicken and you will regret it.

Even in the US we are aloud to kill a problem bird like this one if you get the proper permit. If a bird of prey is consistently hunting livestock or causing problems there is a special permit that you can get that allows you to kill the problem bird with a gun. The permit is very strict though and only allows for you to hunt in a very limited area and time. This won't really help you though because you don't live here, what will help you is a shovel.

A goshawk has a massive amount of prey species that consists of birds that are members of the pheasant family, like ringneck pheasants. They also hunt several other birds like ducks, turkeys, and quail. Chickens are not their natural prey though but that does not mean they will not kill them. Goshawks have somewhat short wings for their size, a male's wings are usually under 1 meter, but the short rounded wings are what allows them to be such agile forest hunters.

 

[Sylv]

Pheasant netting can be bought in large sizes and would keep all flying predators out. It isn't too expensive, but it might be cheaper to replace the lost chickens.

 

[AxelCoon]

Nah, having chickens is considered traditional in Romania and you are only required to register them if you're into large scale industrialised farming.
I'm quite sure i would not get a gun license in the US either due to my color blindness.
A friend of mine has a professional slingshot (you know, those made out of hardened carbon & s^it). I might persuade him to borrow it. And then i could try taking him down, completely legal - no fireguns involved and no Ornithology Association crap.

 

[happyfrenchman]

here in the US, blindness itself would not stop you from getting a gun....

A slingshot eh? Get good at it before you take him on... they are dangerous when wounded. Good luck.

 

[Folly's place]

Venting here! In Michigan, if you appear to be breathing, getting a driver's license is easy too.
Mary

 

[Blue Tiger]

No falconers in your area looking for a new hawk?

 

[AxelCoon]

So...i finally caught the lil bugger!
I've sacrificed one of my oldest hens which didn't seem to have many days left anyway - separater her from the rest of the flock. Meanwhile Andrey was floating around in circles as usual. I then went hiding. As soon as he attacked, i threw a large, wet fishing net over him and he got tangled in it trying to fly off! He apparently broke his wing - i went to grab him with oven gloves (lol) and took the prisoner inside. Now i must decide his faith.
(PS: holding like like that was a very bad idea, as you can see from the second pic..)