Can I trap magpies in my garden?

You don't need to be a gamekeeper, farmer or land manager to trap Magpies as almost anyone, including a homeowner, can trap them and other pest bird species under the terms of the general licences.

The general licences are issued by the government agency for the UK country you intend to trap in and permit 'authorised persons' to carry out actions that would otherwise be illegal.

An “authorised person” could be the landowner or occupier or a person who has permission from them to undertake the trapping of magpies on their ground. So as long as you have permission to trap you are one step closer.

You will also need to consider why you wish to trap magpies and is this activity covered by the general licences. There are a number of accepted reasons for controlling magpies, the most common is for the conservation of wild birds. As a gamekeeper you would be protecting the eggs and chicks of ground nesting birds like pheasant and partridge, or as someone in a domestic environment you could be protecting song birds.

This may appear a bit complicated, but in most cases the licences give clear guidelines on, the reasons for control, who can use them and under what circumstances, the species covered, the methods of control and dispatch, along with a very useful definitions section. We have another blog post here covering in more depth the legal aspects and linking to the various Gerneral Licenses.

Basically if you can be deemed to be an authorised person, you have an accepted reason for trapping magpies and you understand and comply with the term and conditions of the general licences, then YES you can trap magpies.

All you need to do now is equip yourself with an appropriate trap for your current situation, identify a good trapping area and get started. We have another blog post with some basic guidance to get you started - How do I trap Magpies.

If you have any specific questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below.