Off Topic But . . .

[Josh]

Sorry to post this here, but this is such an ecletic group I thought some
might also be hunters and have other various outdoor interests and that I
might find some help for a probleme we have here at the house which of
course keeps me from
bass fishing (<----- a feeble attempt to get close to on topic).

Am trying desperately to find a someone or a web site that might help us.
Thought some of you folks might give some direction. We have a red cedar and
brick home and are being plagued by woodpeckers who are pecking out the
knots in the wood siding to get into the space behind it and make nests !
They're really making a mess of the side of our house and aside from
shooting them with BB guns or something I don't know what to do. Any help at
all would be greatly appreciated. Please forgive is post is inappropriate to
this group. Couldn't find a place that seems on point.



--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear

[J Buck]

get yourself a couple of big ol' tomcats

__________________________________

"It was like a long, uneventful, cross country flight where at about 500
feet from the end of the runway on approach Captain Grady Little
suddenly decided to see if the 'wings fall off' button was working."

[Joe]

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=stop+woodpeckers
Hope something works! Joe Z.

"Josh" > wrote in message
...
Sorry to post this here, but this is such an ecletic group I thought some
might also be hunters and have other various outdoor interests and that I
might find some help for a probleme we have here at the house which of
course keeps me from
bass fishing (<----- a feeble attempt to get close to on topic).

Am trying desperately to find a someone or a web site that might help us.
Thought some of you folks might give some direction. We have a red cedar and
brick home and are being plagued by woodpeckers who are pecking out the
knots in the wood siding to get into the space behind it and make nests !
They're really making a mess of the side of our house and aside from
shooting them with BB guns or something I don't know what to do. Any help at
all would be greatly appreciated. Please forgive is post is inappropriate to
this group. Couldn't find a place that seems on point.



--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear

[Chuck Coger]

Try a plastic owl and an owl call. Or you can try to attract owls into your
area, I used a call for about 2 months trying to learn how to use it, and we
now have a family of owls in our suburbs. Could be a coincidence, if it was
it was really, really good timing.

---
Chuck Coger
http://www.fishin-pro.com



"Josh" > wrote in message
...
> Sorry to post this here, but this is such an ecletic group I thought some
> might also be hunters and have other various outdoor interests and that I
> might find some help for a probleme we have here at the house which of
> course keeps me from
> bass fishing (<----- a feeble attempt to get close to on topic).
>
> Am trying desperately to find a someone or a web site that might help us.
> Thought some of you folks might give some direction. We have a red cedar
and
> brick home and are being plagued by woodpeckers who are pecking out the
> knots in the wood siding to get into the space behind it and make nests !
> They're really making a mess of the side of our house and aside from
> shooting them with BB guns or something I don't know what to do. Any help
at
> all would be greatly appreciated. Please forgive is post is inappropriate
to
> this group. Couldn't find a place that seems on point.
>
>
>
> --
> God Bless America
>
> Josh The Bad Bear
>
>
>

[RGarri7470]

>They're really making a mess of the side of our house and aside from
>shooting them with BB guns or something I don't know what to do. Any help at
>all would be greatly appreciated.

I have a cedar house and the woodpeckers are after carpenter bee larvae - hate
those things for the damage they do and the woodpeckers they draw. I have had
two woodpecker nests in my house, too.

A 12 guage with #6 shot works well for me. Tried the plastic owl, the birds
lit on it as a roost, I think. And my four cats love birds, but can't climb the
walls to get to the woodpeckers. They do get a lot of song birds, squirrels,
lizards and chimpmonks tho.

Also have trouble with possums here. I have caught three this past week trying
to get the catfood. A .22 in the head and then I can dump them out of the trap
with no problem. They make good fodder for my maggot box.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

[Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers]

"Josh" > wrote in message ...
> Sorry to post this here, but this is such an ecletic group I thought some
> might also be hunters and have other various outdoor interests and that I
> might find some help for a probleme we have here at the house which of
> course keeps me from
> bass fishing (<----- a feeble attempt to get close to on topic).
>
> Am trying desperately to find a someone or a web site that might help us.
> Thought some of you folks might give some direction. We have a red cedar and
> brick home and are being plagued by woodpeckers who are pecking out the
> knots in the wood siding to get into the space behind it and make nests !
> They're really making a mess of the side of our house and aside from
> shooting them with BB guns or something I don't know what to do. Any help at
> all would be greatly appreciated. Please forgive is post is inappropriate to
> this group. Couldn't find a place that seems on point.

Careful Josh,

If you live in the "burbs", there's probably an ordinance against "discharging firearms". It's been
my experience that cop types will lump a BB gun into the same category as a .300 Winchester Magnum
and bust your butt! But in all likelihood, a BB gun is probably your best and most permanent
solution, short of re-siding the house in aluminum! Another thing to consider is I believe
woodpeckers are considered a "songbird" and as such, are protected under Federal Law. But, if
they're doing damage, you might be able to rid yourself of these pesky critters.

An Owl Decoy "might" work, but I wouldn't bet on it. I just had a thought. Go to your local
hardware store and buy a couple of those big rat traps. Screw them onto a nearby tree. Woodpeckers
love suet, and if you bait the trap's trigger with suet, the woodpecker comes along and starts
pecking on the suet...........

It might work, it might not, but it will be less alarming to the neighbors than seeing you sneaking
around your backyard with a rifle in hand...
--
Steve
OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

[Dark Knight]

Here in Canada we have the Humane Society, which will come out and determine
if the woodpecker is a "problem" - i.e. damaging siding. If the bird is
determined to be such, then they take care of it.

DK

BTW I've never heard the bit about suet before. How did you come across
that Steve.


"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Josh" > wrote in message
...
> > Sorry to post this here, but this is such an ecletic group I thought
some
> > might also be hunters and have other various outdoor interests and that
I
> > might find some help for a probleme we have here at the house which of
> > course keeps me from
> > bass fishing (<----- a feeble attempt to get close to on topic).
> >
> > Am trying desperately to find a someone or a web site that might help
us.
> > Thought some of you folks might give some direction. We have a red cedar
and
> > brick home and are being plagued by woodpeckers who are pecking out the
> > knots in the wood siding to get into the space behind it and make nests
!
> > They're really making a mess of the side of our house and aside from
> > shooting them with BB guns or something I don't know what to do. Any
help at
> > all would be greatly appreciated. Please forgive is post is
inappropriate to
> > this group. Couldn't find a place that seems on point.
>
> Careful Josh,
>
> If you live in the "burbs", there's probably an ordinance against
"discharging firearms". It's been
> my experience that cop types will lump a BB gun into the same category as
a .300 Winchester Magnum
> and bust your butt! But in all likelihood, a BB gun is probably your best
and most permanent
> solution, short of re-siding the house in aluminum! Another thing to
consider is I believe
> woodpeckers are considered a "songbird" and as such, are protected under
Federal Law. But, if
> they're doing damage, you might be able to rid yourself of these pesky
critters.
>
> An Owl Decoy "might" work, but I wouldn't bet on it. I just had a
thought. Go to your local
> hardware store and buy a couple of those big rat traps. Screw them onto a
nearby tree. Woodpeckers
> love suet, and if you bait the trap's trigger with suet, the woodpecker
comes along and starts
> pecking on the suet...........
>
> It might work, it might not, but it will be less alarming to the neighbors
than seeing you sneaking
> around your backyard with a rifle in hand...
> --
> Steve
> OutdoorFrontiers
> http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
> G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
> http://www.herefishyfishy.com
>
>
>

[Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers]

"Dark Knight" > wrote in message ...
> Here in Canada we have the Humane Society, which will come out and determine
> if the woodpecker is a "problem" - i.e. damaging siding. If the bird is
> determined to be such, then they take care of it.
>
> DK
>
> BTW I've never heard the bit about suet before. How did you come across
> that Steve.

Being a deer hunter, I knew that woodpeckers, juncos, chickadees, jays and the like would swarm over
the gut pile of any deer that I field dressed. I'd watch them pick the bits of fat and other
assorted goodies.

So, before I moved into town, and lived in the woods, whenever I would shoot a deer, after I was
done boning out the meat, I would take all the fat trimmings and put them in an onion sack and hang
it in a tree near the house so that we could watch the birds feed. They love the stuff! Then, I
took it one step further, much to my wife's dismay. I would tie a short piece of rope to the rib
cage/backbone of the boned deer and hang that in the backyard trees! :) Woodpeckers loved the
"birdfeeders" that I hung, although Janet was less than pleased with the aesthetics....

Now that I'm semi-civilized, I can no longer hang the ribcage in the trees in the yard, but I still
use deer fat (or lacking that) store bought suet to feed the birds. Woodpeckers are all over them.

I just took the idea one step further, from my college days when I used rat traps to "harvest"
pheasants in a nearby vacant lot. I was forced to use them after the local law enforcement
officials came to my apartment, wondering if I knew anything about someone shooting pheasants from
one of the balconies with a bow and arrow! I, of course pleaded ignorance to knowing anyone that
would do such a heinous crime... But to a college student with little money, pheasants sure tasted
good!

I think that a rat trap, screwed to a tree and baited with suet would trap a woodpecker, especially
if they got used to feeding on the stuff first.
--
Steve
OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

[Josh]

As usual, you guys are the best.. off to buy some suet and some rat traps.
Seems safest and most sure way to make them aware of my displeasure.

--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear

[Richard Liebert]

You may have insects infesting your house. The woodpeckers might be looking
for a meal. Call an exterminator to check it out. I had a similar problem
with 50 yr old cedar siding. Why, after 50 yrs, would the woodpeckers take
such an interest in my house? Insects.

"Josh" > wrote in message
...
> As usual, you guys are the best.. off to buy some suet and some rat traps.
> Seems safest and most sure way to make them aware of my displeasure.
>
> --
> God Bless America
>
> Josh The Bad Bear
>
>