# Hawk problem



## flying pig (Apr 2, 2009)

Any brilliant idea how to deter hawk?

I have tried, scare crow, plastic owl, CD, mirror, cut trees, remote helicopter to chase away, let out bird different time, hawk call to scare, ....etc.

I basically tried everything I know.
I spent thousand of $$ to take down all the trees.

Nothing seems to work....

Help


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

What kind of hawks do you have?


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## conditionfreak (Jan 11, 2008)

May I suggest that you obtain some Catalonians. Let the Cats. out alone, before you let out your homers.

The Cats. are very good at dodging and out flying hawks. It will frustrate the hawks and they will "learn" that the pigeons at your location are just too darn hard to catch, and go look elsewhere for easier food. Once they learn, then you can let out the Cats. first, then let out the homers.

Of course no method is perfect, except for not letting your bids out at all. But this has worked for many flyers with heavy hawk infestation.

As a funny suggestion. I considered using something I use with puppies to keep them from chewing on furniture. It is a spray called "bitter apple". It tastes so bad that animals avoid it. Maybe spraying pigeons with something like that, will cause the hawks not to want to eat our pigeons.

Of course the hawks would have to eat one or two before they learned the lesson.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

The only thing you can do is stay out with your birds and hope they get good at out flying the hawk, which most homers do well... also you can try to scare a hawk away...not likely though as when they get in that mode they ignore humans...but you can scare him enough to get your bird back and nurse him back to health because you were out there and could go get your bird as the hawk would bring him down to the ground... Those are the only things you can do besides keeping them locked up..and this subject has been milled over for years...it is illegal to do anything to a hawk so all you can do is give him the evil eye and keep your birds up.... and what you do on your property should be kept to yourself, as hawks can be a stickey subject with the law.


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## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

We all know the permanent solution for hawks but that is not an option unless you're okay with paying the costly penalties. If you have homers then the chances are better for your birds to out fly and out wit the hawks "in the air". I put quotes on "in the air" because the hawks around here have no chance with my birds while in flight, so now they dive bomb my birds as they are coming in for a landing! Hawks will adapt and find ways to get that meal. What I do now is stand guard and keep an eye out while my birds are landing. I hang out until every bird is in the loft. I've only had one instance where the hawk went for my birds while I was on guard. He manage to get pass me and pin down one of my birds but I was quick to shooo him away before he did any damage. That sucker was so quiet I didn't notcie him until I heard my birds take to the air again and saw him on my bird.


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## welder (Aug 2, 2008)

red tail hawks will be around as long as ya have racers or any other birds thay have not gotten any of mine o i have 2 red tail hawks ..... now on the other hand i have white homers and did have 2 birmingham rollers 1 was taken buy a hawk redtail that is the reason behind it is that the hawk sees the roller do its areial trick and when flying w/ my other birds, the hawk sees this bird drop out of the sky and keeps an eye on it and the roller was taken buy the redtail hawk this last fall so red tails will not go after racers i will not say never but it will not happen as much as a coopers hawk will go after racers and be successful so we are in a sport where ya let your bird out to fly it may come back and it may not a bird is abird so i hope this will help buy the way i love ALL birds no matter what I have bald eagles here and i love too watch the hawks kevin


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

flying pig said:


> Any brilliant idea how to deter hawk?
> 
> I have tried, scare crow, plastic owl, CD, mirror, cut trees, remote helicopter to chase away, let out bird different time, hawk call to scare, ....etc.
> 
> ...


Please see : http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f14/dealing-with-the-cooper-hawk-9341.html#post459632

Hundreds of posts trying to answer your question !


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## BTut (Oct 18, 2009)

Jay3 said:


> What kind of hawks do you have?


i have a Peregrin falcon and a Red Tail and coopers hunting my birds they take turns. i have lost one homer this year and a few misses . I stopped flying for awhile untill they move on

Bill Tut


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Hawks are not stupid so all those hawk deterring stuff is not going to work. In the end the smartest, most fit, fast flier of your pigeons will survive. Obviously if your predators are the migratory stuff and not the resident kind, then flying at certain months and locking down are your best bets. If you have the resident kind, then good luck! I have those and there is no solution except locking down for life. But then that was not your question, is it?

To decrease damage I just fly my birds when I am present. A not so funny thing is that once I get inside the house to get something, then something happens outside--the deadly kind. I have encountered falcons and the way my birds survive is to fly real high so that the falcon can't setup dive. For coopers pigeons obviously can out-fly them except a surprised dive ambush. And yes if pigeons try to outmaneuver among trees, they will lose. Hawks evolved to handle trees. In the end you will end with pigeons that are semi-hawk proof. In evolution pigeons use baby productions as one of their survival mechanism. The more babies they have the more they have the next generation so the ratio of death to birth is less.


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2010)

hawks and falcons are gonna take your birds no matter what you do , there is no winning when it comes to birds of prey as they are build to adapt to any situation you throw at them


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