Complicated pigeon control.

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   Question for the experianced pest controllers…

I have a client where I control pigeons. Their premises is on the main road through town (pigeons sitting on the gutters and walls) so I usually visit there late at night, around midnight. I’ve got the number of roosting pigeons at night down to basically zero but there are many pigeons that visit during the day, but dont roost there at night.
So I'm trying to think through everything that would be required for a day time visit 🤔, saftey control, possible road closure? etc…

I’ve got two questions…

Q1-  Who would you involve (police? councle? Etc) to organise a day time pest control operation on the sidewalk of the main road through town?

Q2- shoot one, the rest fly away. Wait for 10, 15 minutes for them to return… shoot another one, fly away repeat?
It would take a while to get 8or 10, assuming they will even keep returning after the first or second shot.
Is it worth it? 

How would you approach it and who would you get involve?
Thanks for your input.
Pete.

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RangerPete Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 18 Apr 2023 Location: Cambridge. Status: Offline Posts: 884	Post Options Post Reply Quote RangerPete Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Complicated pigeon control. Posted: 04 Sep 2024 at 12:31pm
	Question for the experianced pest controllers… I have a client where I control pigeons. Their premises is on the main road through town (pigeons sitting on the gutters and walls) so I usually visit there late at night, around midnight. I’ve got the number of roosting pigeons at night down to basically zero but there are many pigeons that visit during the day, but dont roost there at night. So I'm trying to think through everything that would be required for a day time visit 🤔, saftey control, possible road closure? etc… I’ve got two questions… Q1- Who would you involve (police? councle? Etc) to organise a day time pest control operation on the sidewalk of the main road through town? Q2- shoot one, the rest fly away. Wait for 10, 15 minutes for them to return… shoot another one, fly away repeat? It would take a while to get 8or 10, assuming they will even keep returning after the first or second shot. Is it worth it? How would you approach it and who would you get involve? Thanks for your input. Pete.
	Walk quietly, but carry a big stick.

Pauly5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 10 Mar 2013 Location: Titahi Bay Status: Offline Posts: 1410	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pauly5 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 2024 at 12:41pm
	Gee, that's always tough and I am not a fan of shooting in the public eye, as you will more than likely get your face and company plastered over social media. Personally I wouldn't for this reason. I wouldn't think any worse of you if you did of course, but once it gets onto social media, it's out of your control and all the keyboard warriors and snowflakes will come out to play online, fouling your company name. There are proofing products that can stop them getting to these areas, but access can be your biggest enemy there. Happy to share my knowledge of these.

kruzaroad Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 02 Jul 2022 Location: Hastings 4 now Status: Online Posts: 2283	Post Options Post Reply Quote kruzaroad Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 2024 at 12:58pm
	Start baiting them into the back yard and set a trap. There is a old bird catching technic which requires sticks in ground around bait close enough together that a bird must brush past them. These get covered in a sticky substance, this then prevents the birds from flying. Get them to put sticks in ground and prefeed so they don't give a rats arse about them. Set the sticky stuff prior to the shoot. Wait for birds to come in and feed when a good percentage of bait is gone, shoot one and clean up the ones that can no longer fly away. I dought you will get permission to shoot at angles that could possibly end up on another section.The laws about discharging firearms in a but up area going to hinder you. To block a road is heaps, you have to get traffic management invoked. You could trap them. You could put some sort of cat, owl, hawk figurine on the roof. Poison baits. Sometimes shooting isn't the answer. Edited by kruzaroad - 04 Sep 2024 at 12:59pm

nunga Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 08 Mar 2013 Location: Pukekohe Status: Offline Posts: 1009	Post Options Post Reply Quote nunga Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 2024 at 12:58pm
	Yes involve the police. call the 105 number. they will give you a job number. Tell them when you are starting and then ring them when finished. If there is any schools in the street notify them as well. I am going to be doing the exact some thing next friday. Last time i did that it kind of went smoothly but there is always someone from the public that will call the police so you must let them know you are there. They will ask your name. car rego number and company name if you are doing it through a company. As for shooting them in the day. i have found you will only get one or two shots at them and they will not want to come back for a while. i would setup under a cover or something because they will just sit on the roof next door and wait for you to go...even baiting them with food didnt help. I have caution tape i put up everywhere and have big printed signs to say danger shooting in progress do not enter. and i normally have people guarding all entrances and we have walkie talkies to keep in contact. my guys normally have high vis vests on too...makes the general public more at ease when they see all that.
	2nd place HP springer - WFTF World Championships 2014

nunga Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 08 Mar 2013 Location: Pukekohe Status: Offline Posts: 1009	Post Options Post Reply Quote nunga Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 2024 at 4:33pm
	https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/herne-bay-man-shooting-pigeons-sparks-ponsonby-primary-school-lockdown/7KZGMCYIWND4BEYIRATOEOMO2U/ This is a classic example of what not to do
	2nd place HP springer - WFTF World Championships 2014

Pauly5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 10 Mar 2013 Location: Titahi Bay Status: Offline Posts: 1410	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pauly5 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 2024 at 6:06pm
	A few years ago I was travelling to destroy a bees nest at a university. A student took a video of the nest which was on the front of a campus house and put it on FB. It created a lot of interest in minutes and tvnz even turned up. Made me appreciate that I don't want that type of attention.

Myson Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Mar 2016 Location: Feilding Status: Offline Posts: 182	Post Options Post Reply Quote Myson Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 05 Sep 2024 at 9:52am
	I don't think this is very helpful for your situation Pete (!) but it'll give you a chuckle..... An explosives expert friend of mine was given the chance to get rid of a load of rooks in the Wairarapa about 20 years ago. He discovered where they were roosting when on the farm and he rigged the old elm with Powergel and det cord, with the ignition box fed out for 100yds (to a drain). When the farmer told him the rooks were back, he went over that evening and from the drain, blew the tree (with rooks) to bits!!!!! He reckons he got 30+ rooks that way! Wish I'd been there for that one!!!! Officially he was blowing up old tree stumps - or so the Police were told beforehand!!!!! Food for thought perhaps?!!!!! Ha!
	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq7jVyBfFqE Air Arms S510 US .22 Air Arms S410 .22 Weihrauch HW97KT .177 Weihrauch HW95 .177

RangerPete Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 18 Apr 2023 Location: Cambridge. Status: Offline Posts: 884	Post Options Post Reply Quote RangerPete Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 Sep 2024 at 6:58pm
	Thanks for all the reply’s and suggestions guys. Lots of valid points and things to consider. Don’t think I’d like any social media interest, although I wouldn’t mind blowing up a few hundred pigeons at a roost site 😂😂😂 I think baiting with something like treated wheat might be an option, but would need to find out how fast it works first, needs to preferably be “instant” so we don’t have lots of sick and dying pigeons all over town.
	Walk quietly, but carry a big stick.

nunga Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 08 Mar 2013 Location: Pukekohe Status: Offline Posts: 1009	Post Options Post Reply Quote nunga Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 Sep 2024 at 8:35pm
	unfortunately no matter what you choose to kill them can lead to bad social media attention, I remember reading in the herald a few months back a pest control place poisoned pigeons at a local bakery because the council said the birds were in the shop and they would get their food grade changed or something so they came in and poisoned them. the next day they were flapping around the footpath and some tree hugger complained about it. sometimes its a no win situation lol
	2nd place HP springer - WFTF World Championships 2014

Pauly5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 10 Mar 2013 Location: Titahi Bay Status: Offline Posts: 1410	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pauly5 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 Sep 2024 at 9:49pm
	The treated wheat, PestOff is the name, uses alphachloralose at 2.5%, so no license required, but you will have to stick to the label directions legally. It's better to use it when temperatures are low, as pigeons can sleep it off. You could get the paste version and warm it and soak pigeon pea in it. Use untreated pigeon pea to prebait so the pigeons get familiar with being feed. It doesn't bowl them quickly, maybe 10 - 20 min, so you would need to remain onsite to pick up effected birds and either cull or put them somewhere cold to die. Pea is too big for sparrows and non target birds. You could try using a cage to trap them, but this would involve multiple visits.