Missed a starling at 25 yards

[paulemar]

It's a miserable, rainy, cold day in mid-May here in SW PA & I missed a starling at 25 yards from my 2nd floor bathroom window with my .177 FX Streamline. I saw that I hit the dirt left about 1-1/2 inches. I recently changed scopes and previously only shot for grouping testing pellets & didn't sight it in exactly yet. So I adjusted the scope to the right & began shooting at dandelion flowers at that same range. It was very consistently dead on. The starlings vanished after that first shot so there was no follow up. They now fly off as soon as I try to slowly open the bathroom window. Smart birds! I'm pretty patient though.

 

[rockydwg]

Perhaps, you didn't really want to kill it at that time.

 

[Jim81]

Gee! I've never missed a 25 yard shot from my upstairs window...to often! lol I have my window in a small office with a wall heater. I just leave the window open and run the heater. I often put on a light weight black balaclava so my white face won't shine out the window. I have learned the collared doves and Startlings know where to look after a couple of shootings and the slightest movement you are toast. Its just a different type of hunting allowed by the use of air rather than powder.

 

[qball]

I suggest leaving the window open a little and also put a dark colored blanket over your head and rifle, kinda of urban ghilly suite. Be sure to move very slow also, their eye sights are tuned for movements but not great on actual definition.

 

[heavyw8]

What brand scope u working wit ?

Also shooting @ a angle ?

 

[paulemar]

What brand scope u working wit ?

Also shooting @ a angle ?

Athlon Optics 3-12x40 Talos

The view from this window has at some point been laser ranged at about every distance out to over 60 yards. The rangefinder automatically accounts for angle. Besides the shot landed directly to the left of the bird and the elevation was spot on so my estimate of the actual range was pretty good. I'll mostly use this gun for squirrel in the fall but until then don't generally sight it in dead on so I don't blow out the center of the aim point. I just forgot that I was messing with the scope & testing different pellets. I'll fix that as soon as the weather cooperates & I find the time.

 

[heavyw8]

Any 100 yard ranges in the Philly area ....new to airguning and just got a Impact .30 cal with slug liner , Nightforce 4x32, just waiting for my Tier one 6mil one piece scope mount to be delivered from the UK

 

[Longbow53]

+1 with Qball. Hang a blanket on window , have the gun on sand bags ready to go...bait them birds! With A suppressor helps also!

 

[Jim81]

Scratch corn from a feed store is really cheap. Throw out a couple of cups full and spread it out. Do it regularly. I have found it attracts a whole lot of different species. In my state, Starlings, Collared Doves, English Sparrows, 'Park" pigeons, not rock doves, and cowbirds are good anytime. If I am pesting on a farm the motto is, 'If it flys it dies". Well not raptors cuz they eat the things, birds, that eat and poop on the farmers feed and their animals. Cleares a Heiffer barn of Starlings and their poop, the farmer lost no animals this spring. Usually he loses several from the poop on the animals back as they lick each other. Besides fun hunting, we pesters are helping make a difference.