The messy feather set

[Philbow]

In about 1/2 of my sets I'll use a hand full of feathers as a visual attractant. White feathers seem to work best, but any feathers help IMHO. I save the feathers from my turkeys and doves to use later for my traps. I also found a large bag of "pillow stuffing feathers" at a local thrift store. If you know a person who dresses their own chickens this could be a gold mine, or at least a feather mine. The big problem with any game bird feathers is that they cannot be purchased or exchanged for any value. So any birds the trapper legally takes can be used, just don't put an ad in the marketplace for "will pay good money for wild duck feathers".

I think the feathers help to have the predators investigate the trap location. Since I place at least 2 and usually 3 traps at each site, 50 to 60 foot area, at least one will be feathered and one as undisturbed as possible. If I use a third trap there is no telling what it look like.

The most important thing is that - Purchasing any part of a game bird is illegal.



(I thought I was putting this in the Sticky at the top of the page, but I missed)

 

[280 Man]

I have added feathers to a few of my sets when I find them! I haven't kept record of success tho but I have had catches doing it!!

 

[jakebuddy]

You can always buy some quail eat them and keep the feathers.

 

[sleepr71]

Great idea! A pile of feathers gives the illusion that a bird was eaten there & there may be scraps left?? Thanks for the tip?

 

[Doug B.]

I don't really have a resource for feathers, but I use them when I find them. This past winter I found where a sharpshinned hawk or Coopers hawk had caught a cardinal. I picked up feathers in about a 20 yard distance. I put them at sets and I want to think they helped. I also pick up fresh road killed rabbit and use hair, meat, feet, guts, etc. off of it at sets. Anything to get coyotes to investigate and step everywhere on my trap pan!

 

[willie1971]

I've had mixed results, but that seems to be the case for trapping in general. I freeze dove carcasses after the season and stuff them in a dirt hole on some sets when trapping in winter. Sometimes it works and sometimes a flat set nearby works better. Never know what appeals to some

 

[Permitchaser]

I'm a fly tier and you can buy all the feathers you want on a fly tying supply site.
I use an electric flipping feather with my fawn decoy. The feathers get their attention