[T A 70]

Help me get rid of this little ba$tard; put a 3" hole through my once was PERFECT stained redwood siding along with other smaller peck marks mostly on one side of the house. Looks like it came around the front and started doing the same, but settled on the west side of it. I have covered the 3" hole with a tacked on wood block for now and hung some bright stringers on that side.
As soon as I make the corner on this thing it flies off.
I need a game plan, and will shoot it gladly endangered or not.
Mostly starts hammering in the AM, but no consistant time.

Hide out in the brush freezing my A$$ off until he arrives?

BTW, I've read about the faux owls, snakes, and other remedies recommended on the web but I don't think there's any other way but to kill the thing.

What do you think?

[The Boss]

Any chance you have carpenter ants or bee larva in any of the boards?

Woody doesn't peck for sport, if there's no food they move on.

[johnsma22]

There is a $500 fine for killing woodpeckers. There are all sorts of methods to deter them without harming them, most of which don't work very well. Everything I've read to help you out points to one logical conclusion. Kill the thing if you get the chance while nobody is looking!

[T A 70]

Originally Posted by The Boss

Any chance you have carpenter ants or bee larva in any of the boards?

Woody doesn't peck for sport, if there's no food they move on.

No, clean as can be..the house is (was) perfect in every way...and I just had it stained again last year/every other year. I read that it can be a mating call to hammer like that in the spring.

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by T A 70

I read that it can be a mating call to hammer like that in the spring.

Horny bastard!

[T A 70]

Originally Posted by johnsma22

There is a $500 fine for killing woodpeckers. There are all sorts of methods to deter them without harming them, most of which don't work very well. Everything I've read to help you out points to one logical conclusion. Kill the thing if you get the chance while nobody is looking!

No problem with anyone seeing me, I back to national forest with rarely a person hiking up. I'd pay the 500 anyway as I'm sure the damage is or will be above that amount.
I have a scoped air rifle, just can't get a shot off without him seeing me/flying off. He knows I'm out to get him and flies off way out of range.
Guess I need to do a stake out!

[T A 70]

Originally Posted by Lloyd-TX

Horny bastard!

He better get some soon before it's too late

[GoatRider]

Maybe put a lure of some kind out in the yard, away from the house. (Where you can get a clean shot at him...)

[goatless]

Originally Posted by T A 70

No, clean as can be..the house is (was) perfect in every way...and I just had it stained again last year/every other year. I read that it can be a mating call to hammer like that in the spring.

I'd put money on there being some type of insects in that wall. He wouldn't keep going in one spot unless he found something. You could kill it if that makes you happy, but there will be another there before long.

[T A 70]

Originally Posted by GoatRider

Maybe put a lure of some kind out in the yard, away from the house. (Where you can get a clean shot at him...)

Although a very good idea, I have a gazillion birds around the house. Probably 100+ woodpeckers, jays, etc. just everywhere. If I even toss an empty peanut shell off the deck the jays are all over it before it hits the ground! I've been feeding the jays for years by hand, when I come out it's like a dinner bell for them. They have always been a good warning for when the coyotes come close as they start squawking like heck so I like having them around.
First time in 15 years my house has ever been touched if you can believe that. My closest neighbor's home has been hit bad by the woodpeckers but never ever mine. And I used to give him chit about how I never got hit

[Jim Scites]

.17 HMR. He won't fly out of range with one of them around.

[Mr. G]

SLT huh? Well I am here in Reno but my house back east had a woodpecker problem and I finally ordered a Bird Pro bird guard for the house there. It makes noise of distressed woodpeckers and also predatory birds who attack woodpeckers and it scares the woodpeckers off. You can program it to sound off at different intervals and it has a photocell so it only goes off during daylight hours. If your neihbor has problems with the woodpeckers, he may be willing to share the cost of the unit which was about $150 for the one acre version, but they have a few diiferent models. Look it up on the internet. I tried shooting the problem bird with a pellet gun, but they don't sit still very long so it was futile and as you said, they fly off as soon as they see you. They are attracted to exposed wood so a stained board gets thier attention as opposed to a painted board but if you are regulated by TRPA, you will probably need some special permit to change anything on the exterior of your house. Good Luck!

[T A 70]

Originally Posted by goatless

I'd put money on there being some type of insects in that wall. He wouldn't keep going in one spot unless he found something. You could kill it if that makes you happy, but there will be another there before long.

No bugs dude, really! As I said, he started around front too and moved to the side. Also read he could also have been making a nest. Very common around to see this type of damage, but like I said, 15 years and never a prob till now. And yes, killing it would make me happy for this season anyway.

[T A 70]

Originally Posted by Mr. G

SLT huh? Well I am here in Reno but my house back east had a woodpecker problem and I finally ordered a Bird Pro bird guard for the house there. It makes noise of distressed woodpeckers and also predatory birds who attack woodpeckers and it scares the woodpeckers off. You can program it to sound off at different intervals and it has a photocell so it only goes off during daylight hours. If your neihbor has problems with the woodpeckers, he may be willing to share the cost of the unit which was about $150 for the one acre version, but they have a few diiferent models. Look it up on the internet. I tried shooting the problem bird with a pellet gun, but they don't sit still very long so it was futile and as you said, they fly off as soon as they see you. They are attracted to exposed wood so a stained board gets thier attention as opposed to a painted board but if you are regulated by TRPA, you will probably need some special permit to change anything on the exterior of your house. Good Luck!

Thanks, I'll look into it. Is it loud?
You're right, these birds are spooked very easily, but are persist once the coast is clear.

[Mr. G]

It has a volume control but can be turned up so as to be pretty loud. Also has adjustment for how frequently it sounds off. I find it really annoying and I am not a woodpecker. The one I bought is for 1 acre and has two speakers, one on the unit itself, and the other with about 50' of wire so it can be placed on opposite side of house or whatever. Farmers use the larger units to protect thier crops from pest birds and they can cover several acres.

[Sirrotica]

There doesn't have to be bugs in the wood for them to hammer on it, it doesn't even have to be wood for them to hammer on it. I had one that for like 2 weeks pounded on my stainless chimney flue for my woodburner. The stove pipe ran up the outside of the wall on my bedroom and he would wake me up every morning just after sunup. I think it's to attract females or stake out their territory. You would have thought he'd pound himself silly beating his beak on that pipe. It only happened that one year I lived in that house and after a couple weeks he finally stopped.

[Cammer-6]

Originally Posted by The Boss

Any chance you have carpenter ants or bee larva in any of the boards?

Woody doesn't peck for sport, if there's no food they move on.

Bull
I have cedar siding and no "bugs'"and they knocked a hole in it to build a nest in the wall.
My youngest son(3 yrs old at the time) came in my bedroom early one Sat AM to tell me
"daddy,woodpecker peck,peck,peck on my house and wake me up." I introduced "Woody"
to my shotgun and solved the problem. BTW we have the pileated woodpeckers here,and I believe if they wanted to,could tear up an armored tank.

[beemergary]

I have cedar siding and they will make a hole then other birds will make a nest there. They can sound like a machine gun. Try sneeking around the house and there gone but can be ten feet away at the bird feeder and you can stand in front of the sliding door and watch them. I enjoy seeing and feeding them but there's always that one pain in a$$

[salem1912]

Originally Posted by Lloyd-TX

Horny bastard!

Are you saying Woody got wood??

[goatmanmitch]

Originally Posted by T A 70

Help me get rid of this little ba$tard

Correction, that would be a little pecker!