Playing sniper hide this morning with the starlings

Wow, those crows are tough old birds. It has been a dreary drizzling morning here in Oklahoma City, but perfect for crows to visit my backyard song bird feeding stations. I wasn't hunting this morning, but just drinking my coffee and perusing the stock market when I heard a crow cawing nearby. I looked out the window and saw him in my neighbor's tree. It was too late to set up my sniping station so I just watched him land, in my back yard and start feeding on some sogging pizza crust I had tossed out there for the birds. He grabbed a cracker sized piece and flew off across the street. Well I decided to set up my sniping station with my .22 Daystate Air Wolf and broke out a tin of 25 grain Diabolos. Well sure enough, as I was sitting in my seat he returned and landed in my yard. (I had already ensured I was dead on with my POI by taking out a sparrow that was feeding on the ground.) I nonchalantly zeroed in on center mass, as he was quartered away from me, thinking these heavy Diabolos would take him right out. Wrong. I hit him in the back with a heavy thud (on hi-power) and he jumped up and was able to fly to the neighbor's tall shrub, just on the other side of the fence. I saw him through the thick leaves and branches and he eventually dropped to the ground among the branches. I'm sure her German Short Hair (Sammy) is going to find the carcass when she lets him out to pee. :ROFLMAO:

Anyway, I tossed a bright white flour tortilla back out in the yard and sat down to drink my coffee and continued to peruse the stock market. If figured I would hear the next crow and have time to get to my seat without spooking him. Again wrong. The next one flew in silently and I only happened to see him out there when I went to the kitchen to recharge my mug with another cup o' Joe. I slowly slid into my seat as the big bird walked over to the tortilla and let out a couple of caws. By then I had his head in my crosshairs and squeezed of the shot. Of course, he dropped like a rock. Gotta be precise in shot placement on these tough old birds.

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That looks great!! My decoys arrived today. I think I may go to the dollar store tomorrow and look for yellow figurenail polish and give some color to the beaks. Once I get them set up in a couple of days I will post a picture. Rain here for a couple of days. Appreciate your input and photos, thank you.
Wouldn’t it be more “appropriate“ to use yellow lipstick? 😂 sorry
 
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Broke out the Crown .25 on another rainy dreary morning in OKC. Shooting the Predator non-lead GTO domed 16.54's. Already have eight starlings, four sparrows and a grackle in the bag. No missed shots yet at 25 yds. Really like the brightness and clarity of the Optisan EVX 4-16x44 set on 10 pwr. If I was starting over with scoping my PCP collection, I would consider topping them all with Optisan glass. I really like that reticle as well. I have a CP 3-12x32 compact on my .177 Akela that is perfect for that bullpup.

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Only bagged one starling this morning, but sat on the back porch for the late afternoon hunt and quickly dropped four. The Predator GTO Lead-free 11.75's are very backyard friendly and float like a butterfly but sting like a bee. Rain and wind is starting up again chasing me back inside.

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All of the led free stuff I have tried(any brand) have been reallyyyyy accurate and very reliable. Haven't gotten to try those out yet
 
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I have had good luck with a Bluetooth speaker playing a starling in distress call from YouTube they come right in looking for ther buddy, mainly staying in the tree though and not landing on the ground!!! I shot a starling that hung up on a limb in the old cottonwood tree in early spring and I had a lot of opportunities from birds flying by stopping to check out what was hanging ther...just some ideas I've had luck with.
 
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All of the led free stuff I have tried(any brand) have been reallyyyyy accurate and very reliable. Haven't gotten to try those out yet
They are a bit pricy, but I single load them just for starling hunts. Worth it IMO. One thing I learned though; you can't go from the lead-free to say an 18 grain without adjusting your scope. And he difference was not just elevation with my Air Wolf. It was more windage adjustment for some reason.
 
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I have some in lead free .22 but not .177. The Wolverine is my HFT gun and hate to mess with the setup. But considering how quiet it is, I may have to try the lead-free. I shoot HFT with the single shot tray but use the magazine when hunting in the back yard - just when time is of the essence! I'm lucky enough to have neighbors that let me come into their back yards and remove the kills. Took the .22 evol out and sighted it in... too much horsepower for the backyard!
 
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They are a bit pricy, but I single load them just for starling hunts. Worth it IMO. One thing I learned though; you can't go from the lead-free to say an 18 grain without adjusting your scope. And he difference was not just elevation with my Air Wolf. It was more windage adjustment for some reason.
🤔how did you have to adjust? I'm curious on the differences...I have a few different lead frees, they all seemed to be fairly within my regular hold areas; depending on distance....up close they were laserssss even in my p17 at 30 yards(was using the... .177 crosman gold flights)***miiiight be my favorite pellet....ever...but only for now I assume🥴
 
🤔how did you have to adjust? I'm curious on the differences...I have a few different lead frees, they all seemed to be fairly within my regular hold areas; depending on distance....up close they were laserssss even in my p17 at 30 yards(was using the... .177 crosman gold flights)***miiiight be my favorite pellet....ever...but only for now I assume🥴
At 20 yards I would sight in the 18 grain domed lead pellets. Stack 'em. The I would switch to the lead-free and the POI would be about 1.5 inches left of the POA and maybe .5 inches high. I could easily dial 'em in and stack them as well.
 
At 20 yards I would sight in the 18 grain domed lead pellets. Stack 'em. The I would switch to the lead-free and the POI would be about 1.5 inches left of the POA and maybe .5 inches high. I could easily dial 'em in and stack them as well.
Now I know we all know about the up and down flight pattern of pellets; cannon ball trajectory.
Buuuuuut....
If someone with an awesome scope cam could record some tests; I am willing to bet that they also have an indicative spiral trajectory as well...🤔🥴
Orrrrr maybe try multiple targets at say 10,15, 20, 25, 30, 40...
Then take those targets*use same poa entire time* and stack those targets like a pages in a book with the yards in order, would the poi have a.spiral pattern as you went through the pages?😳
...just a theory😅🤷‍♂️🎩🤙
 
Wow, those crows are tough old birds. It has been a dreary drizzling morning here in Oklahoma City, but perfect for crows to visit my backyard song bird feeding stations. I wasn't hunting this morning, but just drinking my coffee and perusing the stock market when I heard a crow cawing nearby. I looked out the window and saw him in my neighbor's tree. It was too late to set up my sniping station so I just watched him land, in my back yard and start feeding on some sogging pizza crust I had tossed out there for the birds. He grabbed a cracker sized piece and flew off across the street. Well I decided to set up my sniping station with my .22 Daystate Air Wolf and broke out a tin of 25 grain Diabolos. Well sure enough, as I was sitting in my seat he returned and landed in my yard. (I had already ensured I was dead on with my POI by taking out a sparrow that was feeding on the ground.) I nonchalantly zeroed in on center mass, as he was quartered away from me, thinking these heavy Diabolos would take him right out. Wrong. I hit him in the back with a heavy thud (on hi-power) and he jumped up and was able to fly to the neighbor's tall shrub, just on the other side of the fence. I saw him through the thick leaves and branches and he eventually dropped to the ground among the branches. I'm sure her German Short Hair (Sammy) is going to find the carcass when she lets him out to pee. :ROFLMAO:

Anyway, I tossed a bright white flour tortilla back out in the yard and sat down to drink my coffee and continued to peruse the stock market. If figured I would hear the next crow and have time to get to my seat without spooking him. Again wrong. The next one flew in silently and I only happened to see him out there when I went to the kitchen to recharge my mug with another cup o' Joe. I slowly slid into my seat as the big bird walked over to the tortilla and let out a couple of caws. By then I had his head in my crosshairs and squeezed of the shot. Of course, he dropped like a rock. Gotta be precise in shot placement on these tough old birds.

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LOL, those are 'Federally approved nontoxic shot' right? ;-)

https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/regs/crow-woodcock-rail-snipe-gallinule
 
Thank you for the advice Nvreloader. I watched out the window today late morning for about an hour and reduced the population by nine. Two fell into a brush pile but the others dropped under the feeder which is at 55 yards. I also got the decoys painted up and am hoping to try them tomorrow afternoon. I will not leave them out at night because something is coming in durning the night to take what’s still there.


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I see only one Starling in this pic. The rest are, AFAICT, Common Grackles.

In some states Common Grackles may still be "protected". Not sure even here in Alabama.

Don't know why they would be as they are so numerous!

Anyway, since they eat up most of the feed I put out for the other birds and rabbits, it would be nice to know that I can legally take them out!

I am target poor most of the time these days... (chuckle)
 
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