Hello,

Have potential client that is getting a federal permit to terminate two woodpeckers. What is a good woodpecker trap?

Can't shoot them in Mass.

Thanks

Chuck

It is called the old Victor wooden rat trap. I prefer the old style but that's just me. The new ones with the big yellow pan work just

fine. Fill the V-notch with woodpecker suet, drill a small hole through the trap and screw it where ever the woodpeckers are pecking.

I prefer the pan on the bottom but I'm sure they'll probably work any way you attach them.

Make sure YOU have the paperwork in YOUR hand before starting.

What kind of turn around time are you all seeing on permits?
Got a vacant, most of the time, log home that is getting trashed right now.

My potential client I first spoke to her 11/16/14. I explained to her then that woodpeckers were federally protected and in order to terminate them you needed a permit.

She called me back on 1.5.15 and told me that they were expediting her permit and she would have it by 1.12.15.

We will see if she gets it then.

I like this, I just turned down a woodpecker job, they wouldnt have liked my prices anyway. I will have to talk to Fish and Wildlife about permits

Let the customer get the permits. We used to get them ourselves but it's so much easier to let the client do it. I don't know about

the rest of the country but we have no shortage of woodpeckers and none that I know of that are threatened or endangered. Once they

have your permit money, the government leaves you pretty much alone. I am sure that they approve of hiring a professional as opposed

to taking your shotgun and blowing your rain gutter in two, at 5 o'clock in the morning, in the middle of a subdivision.

Paul. I'm curious why you prefer having the customer get the permit?

I think it would be more credible to the fed's if the customers applies for the permit. Time is money and filling out paperwork that may not be approved will be a bill that would be hard to collect. JMO MTCAT, sorry but had to jump in on this one. Been there.

What Everet said and also you know that if the customer takes the time and money to get a permit, they usually have a more serious

problem and will be happy to pay you to get rid of it.

I fill the permit out on behalf of the customer, except their SS#, its all part of a package deal that includes:
1) Initial deterrent strategy (if applicable), most home owners have already attempted deterrents on their own prior to calling...
2) Permitting process, I've never been turned down on a permit
3) removal of birds
4) final repairs

Taking the permit application process in to my control allows me to ensure it is done correctly and I don't miss out on a large repair job because they couldn't fill it out properly. Its like insurance to ensure I don't miss out on the sale.

JMO

When i am on grey squirrel work, i catch a lot of greater spotted woodpeckers in the cage traps, obviously i release them.

Brian

I spoke with the Mass. Director of PAC's. He was very surprised that my potential client was going to receive a federal permit for her woodpecker problem.

Chuck

Im just as surprised as Mike...they are tough to come by...

And if your getting a permit to terminate...why can't you shoot them ?

I have NEVER been turned down on a permit...

Joe... maybe its in the city...

Maybe Chris...In Mass. you can shoot a pellet gun in someones yard, as long as you don't shoot over a road or Rairoad tracks.. In Mass. they will give you a permit, most of the time though the birds are long gone by the time you get it ! Oh...and a Mass. hunting license..

And where the permits come from is 10 minutes from my house...

I would say pellet guns are illegal in 99% of the locations we typically service. Ive never tried to shoot one before... but I would think trapping would be less time consuming? How long does it typically take to successfuly shoot one?

Don't ask me..i never have ever tried to terminate a woodpecker ..except for being a teenager walking around the woods! Im just saying, the use of pellet guns is available if we don't shoot over a road or railroad tracks

Today was a PERFECT example of why I file for the permit.

Got a call from a woman who was looking for woodpecker removal. I explained to her that she would need to get a permit and that I would help her with it as part of the program... she says "I already have the permit." I say that's great how did you know to get it? Her "well I called a guy a couple of weeks ago and he told me to call back when I had the permit" I had to ask why didn't you use him for this project? Her " I couldn't remember which company it was so I'm looking from scratch"

If the original contractor had helped her with the permit or followed up with her properly he would be making an $1800.00 sale instead of me.

Chris, we've never had an $1800 woodpecker job. You're either redoing her siding or she has more woodpeckers than we've ever seen.

Paul, No I'm not redoing her siding, but I am repairing 14 woodpecker holes (at $100 ea.) as well as removing up to 5 woodpeckers from the property (the USFWS limited the permit to 5) there is more $$$ in repair work than in catching critters.

Tell you what Chris, if you catch six, I won't tell a soul. We usually get only one or two on a job, which is fine by me.

I dont use bait Paul, I just line up the holes and screw it down to the building.

Lol Paul, I know what you mean, I've never caught more than 2 either. my fee however is based on the time we have invested not the number of captures.

I can tell you from all my years of experience, it always one particular woodpecker doing the damage.
To kill four more woodpeckers that aren't doing the damage, seems to many, extreme !
And yes, I understand that you want to get the right one !
In my region, it''s usually the Downy or the Red bellied/breasted woodpecker.

Woodpeckers only peck for three reasons and those are as follows.
1) Announcing it's presence.(Most always a male during mating season.)
2) Eradicating a hole. (nesting)
3)Eradicating insects from wood...and yes, that could be a wood siding /cedar home.


Thing is, I learned long ago that IF you give the woodpecker something it wants....it will leave the wood siding alone.
What is that "something", you ask ?
Food!
And that comes in the form of peanut butter suet, shelled peanuts and a few other morsels that woodpeckers absolutely love!
This is placed as close to the damage as possible!

If a woodpecker is damaging a home NOT to eradicate a hole to nest in, it will feed at the offering and abandon the damaged area.
Never had it fail.

Now if a homeowner has an insect issue, ie: carpenter ants, carpenter bees, termites, etc. then that is an issue that must be addressed.
People that rush in to just 'kill the woodpecker' may quickly solve a problem but, don't fully understand the nature of the beast.
We are after all, dealing with an animal with a 'bird brain' !




LT

LT is probably right but after buying a permit or paying me to do it, the customer WANTS A BODY!!

Be careful if they get a permit they have to go through USDA Wildlife Services...... and they will try to take the job from you. Walk your client through the process and do as much as you can to help them get the permit.

Have you tried the scarey spider? They work great and only respond when the bird starts to peck.

what wildlifeus said

I hear ya', Paul.

That said, it's a little like saying a crime has been committed and SOMEBODY is gonna pay...
Wait, he looks like the one...lets blame him.
And so an innocent man goes down for something he didn't do because he was in the area, and well, he looked like the one.
Ok, ok I realize we're talking about a bird and so what, if we kill 5... well, 20 more will take their place.
Maybe if they were sparrows or starlings but woodpeckers are somewhat territorial and not as common in many areas as others.
Some woodpeckers, such as the Red Headed woodpecker, have been gone from their native habit for quite some time.
They are and do, after all, play an important part of our ecosystem.

Yes, I realize that WCO's have a job to do.
I totally understand that.
I worked as one for a long time.
I don't want anyone thinking I've gone soft...I'm still a trapper after all.
Still, I think of me/us as 'stewards of wildlife' in a sense...
And that doesn't mean resolving animal and human conflict is done by killing everything to make sure we get the right one.

Here again, we do what it is we have to do and I'm not pointing a finger at anyone unless it's myself first.
I've killed my share of wildlife.
What I am saying is this :

At this point in our career...our lives, shouldn't we be smarter than we were yesterday ?
I mean, isn't that the point ?
It is to me...

I want to be better than I used to be.
Don't you ?

So....I'm asking you, the nuisance trapper, WCO, wildlife tech, or whatever title you deem yourself to, before you even ask/apply for a permit and start trapping and/or shooting woodpeckers in an area to at least TRY my method.
If you need some finer details or advice, send me a PM, or just call me.

I'm not that hard o find...

LT

your post LT is one of the best I have read on woodpeckers so far.
One problem I have with doing pecker work is it is almost imposable to give a warranty. For me this suck because my minimum warranty on anything I touch is 2 years.
spider may last that long but batteries don't.
One solution for nesting bird is to build as box inside on the attic were the bird has pecked. This eliminated the reassurance of further damage in 15 homes so far.

LT, that was one of the smartest post I have seen. Truly a steward for conservation. Education definitely has to be a part of our jobs. Letting customer emotion, although profitable, can not dictate a jobs process. Science has to take the front seat.

I've often reminded customers that :
I'm not here to catch every (*squirrel) in the neighborhood and send you the bill, I'm only here to remove the one(s) causing you problems !


(Because believe me, if I wanted to run up a tally, I could !)

Feel free to use that line...


* COULD BE ANY ANIMAL

you are getting soft in your old age my friend,,,,,,,,,,,

How "long do you have to feed the bird lt?

Some species of woodpecker are easily spooked with flashy stuff that spins in the wind, like red headed woodpeckers. Those guys are making little holes all over the place. But those Downey woodpeckers are some stubborn little rascals. Usually run in pairs, and dont spook easilly. They are the ones who make the holes a little over an inch in diameter. They keep working the same hole, rip out the insulation, and keep working it. Sometimes they make 2-3 holes before the customer makes the call. I've never seen 17, but its wildlife we are talking about rite? And some customers don't see the back of their home for 2-3 years.
I gotta agree with Vinke on the coverage of the work. You just cant. About the best a guy can do is kill them, fix the holes, and charge accordingly. I only see the issue in spring and fall here.