Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Starlings- one down 6 billion to go

A sign of the times!

I know a fella who eats those things.. Starlings. Breasts them out like a dove, wraps them in bacon and smokes them, or pounds them out, breads and deep fries them.

I have yet to try it, though I'm not one to turn up my nose to food. I reckon I'll give it a try some day.

A few years ago, I was standing by the kitchen sink looking down the driveway. There was a large flock of starlings flying straight toward the house about 4' off the ground. When they got to the house, the whole flock went straight up over the house but on the way up, they all dumped their loads. They splattered the whole front of the house with shyt. It was about 10F and it froze almost immediately. It was a month before it warmed up enough to hose it off. Starllings aren't my favorite bird.

Eugene Schieffelin (January 29, 1827 – August 15, 1906)[1] was an American amateur ornithologist who belonged to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and the New York Zoological Society. He was responsible for introducing the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) to North America.[2]

Starling release
In 1890, he released 60 starlings into New York City’s Central Park.[9][10] He did the same with another 40 birds in 1891. Schieffelin wanted to introduce all the birds mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare to North America.[2]

European starlings were not native to North America. Schieffelin imported the starlings from England. Scientists estimate that descendants from those two original released flocks now number at more than 200 million[12] residing in the United States.

The starlings' wildly successful spread has come at the expense of many native birds that compete with the starling for nest holes in trees.[13] The starlings have also had negative impact on the US economy and ecosystem.[14]

Probably the most worthless bird I can think of.

Terrorists.

The were introduced at the same time when the passenger pigeon was being wiped out. They filled an empty niche. We'd be better off with the pigeons.

My first two casualties of the morning are now decoys.

If every gun owner in the US would shoot 1 starling a day all winter long... it still wouldn't make much of a dent in the population.

They kept flying down my chimney for some reason. I made 1/2" hardware cloth flue covers to keep them out...

Gotta keep that in mind. Mine are so spooked by the door opening and now the window when I lift it to shoot thru a hole in the screen, a decoy might convince them to stay for a second or two longer.

I saw feathers fly on one yesterday. Won't bother me if he flew off wounded and a cat gets him.

I set that other one up on a pallet holding the compost pile. He gone now..

Interesting note: I left those two decoys overnight, because early morning is the best time to hunt Starlings around here, but the next morning they were gone!

I shot hundreds those things back when I lived in the suburbs we don't have them here in the mountains I used to go out on the deck with the R-1 Beeman pellet rifle and the cats would perk up and be ready to fetch they loved it when I started shooting Starlings

I expect you already know about starling-resistant entry holes

https://www.purplemartin.org/purple-martins/competitors/64/non-native/

The half-moon crescents block starlings most all of the time. Sparrows can be trapped out using a house opening or gourd with a entrance shimmed down too small to let a Martin in. Starlings are the same size as martins but they can be trapped with nest box traps set against a wall, martins usually won’t enter cavities without 360 deg clear vision all around.

kinda like Magpies in Utah-------

I M2 every one I can

nest robbin' SOB's

#WWJD
#hewouldkillthefuggingthingstoo

What Would Jesus Do

He would kill them too. Y'all boys kill me.

Let not the little starlings be a plague upon the land. Do thine best to annihilate them in their comings and goings. renegade50 5:16

Taking a play from the 'snipers' handbook. Cover and concealment. And one of you fellows (Orange Okie?) mentioned using the window?

Had to get some old sheets to keep the cold air out, only 23F when I started:



All they see before lead flies:



One more down, serving as a decoy. Pretty tough assignment here. Lots of civilian activity in the environment, juncos and my big ol' hen, but as rene says, it's a religious requirement to repel invaders.

Allowing the barrel to protrude from the windows gives away your position.

I don't know if starlings can figure that out, but they might.

Valsdad: When you are done at your place come on over to mine.
I have about worn out my pump up pellet gun!
Keep up the good work.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy