Can I trap pigeons?

[fisher]

Is it legal for me to trap pigeons in my back yard in St. Paul and use them to train my dog? Keep in mind that I would be shooting the birds.

thanks

Jeff Krop

[icehousebob]

I don't know the exact regs but pigeons are not wild animals,they're feral. It should be the same as killing rats. As long as the trapping is not animal cruelty and doesn't create noise or disruption, shouldn't be any big deal. As for shooting them out in the country, that's legal too. As a farm boy, I blew lots of them away. Just my opinion. A call to the police to check might be in order.

[311Hemi]

Yes....you can trap them. Not sure on the shooting part off the top of my head. Call the DNR.

[redhooks]

My father-in-law does it all the time in Grand Forks ND, should be ok here but better check w/ DNR first.

[BucksnDucks]

Yes of course its legal! Like what was posted earlier, there consider feral like rats and what not, so go ahead and trap away! Nothing better than getn into a barn full of em and tryn to net those barn ducks as there swooping from one end of the barn to the other! Man many good times with buddies i've had doing that! Best is to go in after dark with a light and fishing net attached to a push-pole! One guy runs the net light while the other mans the net! Most we've ever netted in 1 nite is 204, but thats after hitting a few different farm sites!

[tybo]

I was working with a dog trainer up in Mora and he told me he buys pigeons from some guys that trap them on the roof of the Mall Of America.

[SportFishin']

Yes you can trap & shoot them. You can also call the DOT & get permission to put some traps under overpass' this helps reduce the car-pigeon collision ratio. I did this a few years ago on in the West Metro. You can also contact a few Building Maintence Manangers they are more than welcome to have you get rid of thier pests on the roofs of the buildings.

A little advice for you is too let them have free food for a few days (open trap) before setting it. They are a very stupid bird you can use them let them go & trap them again. If you keep them in a pen just to warn you they generate lots of dung.

Good Luck

Chris

[shirts]

Has anybody had any luck with trapped pigeons homing back to your coop. If so how long did you keep them penned up before the first release.

[Tom7227]

They are not going to come back. Homing pigeons do that, not rollers - the kind you see in the wild. You can't keep them penned up in a small pen for more than 8-10 days before they get lethargic. Water, feed and grit, and a lot of mess. I had some that I let sit too long. The dogs grabbed a couple before they even got more than 20 feet from where they were plannted. One did manage to fly, but when it tried to sit in a tree it fell to the ground,

[onthejob2]

I raised pigeons as a kid, rollers are not the ones you see in the wild. Rollers are a type of pigeon that can perform front and backward somersaults while in flight. Kinda like tumblers, another type of pigeon. There is no set rule as to how long a pigeon needs to be in the "loft" before it can be released and expected to return. Some say a few weeks and others say could be years? The best things you can do is provide a clean, draft-free loft and provide water and food, give the pigeons a reason to come back. Hope this helps.