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[youngbab]

My fortress has recently been assailed by a flock of 10 giant buzzards that I can't kill no matter how hard I try. Whenever I send my 14 dwarf military out to get them, they give up after one flies up higher than they can hope to swing and go to the tavern, located right where the buzzards are, and goof off until I remove the order. I've tried establishing a small squad of crossbowsman in hopes that they can take the buzzards out from the sky, but my plan worked to no avail, as my crossbowsman decided to socialize and ignore his work. This whole thing is REALLY stressing out my dwarves, and is for some reason giving them "Grudge" relations with some of the farm life. Anyone know how to handle this sort of problem? Thanks.

[Seolferwulf]

I'd suggest crossbowdwarfs but you already tried that.
Maybe they simply fly that high and they can't reach them?
Build a tower to bridge the distance.

Another choice would be to avoid them by acquiring a roof.
Relocate everything underground or build sheds.
If those pesky things are brave enough to follow and challenge your dwarfs inside you already have the means to answer that.

[Loci]

Whenever your dwarves consider your orders impossible they move to an idle location to await better orders. In your case, instead of ordering your military to *kill* flying targets, order them to *station* or *patrol* on the surface near the targets. Then, should the buzzards come within range your military will be in position to attack.

Ranged units are best, since most fliers will keep a distance from melee units. Also watch for dwarves stranded in trees (since they will climb to attack a flying target).

[youngbab]

I'd suggest crossbowdwarfs but you already tried that.
Maybe they simply fly that high and they can't reach them?
Build a tower to bridge the distance.

Another choice would be to avoid them by acquiring a roof.
Relocate everything underground or build sheds.
If those pesky things are brave enough to follow and challenge your dwarfs inside you already have the means to answer that.

Almost the whole of my fortress is underground, but I located my tavern on the outside to help combat cave adaptation. Even if I kept them underground, they'd keep coming up to bring the livestock back to their pasture, as the buzzards keep making them run off, thus making the dwarves clamor to bring the animals back. I'd build a tower if I could do promptly, but there's a severe lack of wood in my fortress because of the biome I'm in, and the only stone is gabbro, which is deep in the mines, and it takes ages to bring over. Even if I did bring it over, the buzzards would just interrupt them, so I don't think a tower is a possibility.

[youngbab]

Whenever your dwarves consider your orders impossible they move to an idle location to await better orders. In your case, instead of ordering your military to *kill* flying targets, order them to *station* or *patrol* on the surface near the targets. Then, should the buzzards come within range your military will be in position to attack.

Ranged units are best, since most fliers will keep a distance from melee units. Also watch for dwarves stranded in trees (since they will climb to attack a flying target).

I'll have to try that at some point. Thanks.

[Madrigal]

Have you tried turning the gabbro into blocks? Those are lighter to carry, which helps your dwarfs build faster.

[Arcvasti]

Note that any wildlife will eventually depart the map eventually, as long as they're not prevented from doing so in some way. Its unlikely that the buzzards will stay on the map for more then a few months and will likely be replaced with less obnoxious wildlife[Like giant honey badgers]. According to the wiki, they also have the "Steal Food" tag. If that works the way the "Steal Items" tag does on Keas, they'll immediately flee the map with their new prize once they pick up something. So you might want to consider making an outside food stockpile with spare food so they'll steal it and run away.

[Fleeting Frames]

Remove the pasture and let your wildlife inside. Once in, make a cave moss pasture.

Later, you can build walls up to the sky for isolated outside tavern.

[youngbab]

Remove the pasture and let your wildlife inside. Once in, make a cave moss pasture.

Later, you can build walls up to the sky for isolated outside tavern.

How would I go about doing that? I've never seen cave moss, and I have no clue how to grow it.

Might consider a large outside tavern, will have to look into that. Last time I tried a multi-z-level construction a dwarf died from dehydration, so I've been refraining from building anything tall.

[youngbab]

Note that any wildlife will eventually depart the map eventually, as long as they're not prevented from doing so in some way. Its unlikely that the buzzards will stay on the map for more then a few months and will likely be replaced with less obnoxious wildlife[Like giant honey badgers]. According to the wiki, they also have the "Steal Food" tag. If that works the way the "Steal Items" tag does on Keas, they'll immediately flee the map with their new prize once they pick up something. So you might want to consider making an outside food stockpile with spare food so they'll steal it and run away.

Hmm. That gives me an idea. Maybe a trap would work then? What if I decided to put a stockpile outside, forbid all vacant food stockpiles, limit food creation, and station my military there to wait. Would the buzzards still try to steal food if dwarves were there in waiting?

[Fleeting Frames]

Once you've pierced caverns with cave moss it will grow in muddy or soil floors, ramps, stairs, etc. in subterranean areas just like grass grounds in aboveground areas.

The buzzards would still try to steal food if dwarves are waiting - until they see a dwarf, after which they'll run away in panic for a bit, then repeat. Ambush appropriately.

[PatrikLundell]

A better way to trap buzzards is to actually use (cage) traps and bait with food in a location where the buzzards would have to pass over the trap to get at the food. One way of doing it is to make a cross shaped "building with a food stockpile in the center and cage traps in the single tile wide arms leading to the center. You need a floor/roof on top to ensure they actually enter through the entrances rather than swooping down to land at the center, though.

[anewaname]

Hmm. That gives me an idea. Maybe a trap would work then? What if I decided to put a stockpile outside, forbid all vacant food stockpiles, limit food creation, and station my military there to wait. Would the buzzards still try to steal food if dwarves were there in waiting?

The "outdoors food stockpile and waiting marksdwarves" method will work. While you can deal with the giant buzzards in different ways, you might see more dangerous creatures arrive later on. This is part of the reason you are receiving suggestions that involve other things like cage traps. Against some creatures, the best safest defence does not include any waiting dwarfs.

For the "outdoors food stockpile and waiting marksdwarves" method, consider creating an outdoors barracks near the stockpile. If a squad of markdwarfs is set to 't'rain there (use 'q'uery on the barracks to set that squad to 't'rain), they will spend time there working the "Individual Combat Drill" job instead of socializing. They will not get much practice using the crossbow unless you set up archery targets but they will shoot at nearby buzzards. If you give that squad an active schedule (using the military screen, check the wiki), they will be at the barracks more often, will train better, and may be more aggressive when wild creatures approach.

[youngbab]

I've put my dwarves in an in-fort burrow and now the buzzards seem to be coming to me. I've managed to kill 3 of them, however, they've wounded three dwarves (just cut up feet) and none of my dwarves are going out to get water to treat the wounds. I know this is because of the burrow, but I've taken the chief medical dwarf out of the burrow and he doesn't seem to have tried to get any water. Other random dwarves are doing it. Anyone know how to get past that road block?

[Fleeting Frames]

If you still have civilian alert up, then the medic stays inside.