So how do you get stupid starlings

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"iride"Brian
I am in West Texas,
I could say I shoot two or three grackles a week and a few cowbirds, But there protected.
So I can not say that.
Mike
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From the Texas Hunting Guide page 76: all grackles, cowbirds (does not include cattle egret), crows, or magpies may be controlled without a federal or state depredation permit when found committing or about to commit depredations on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard or other nuisance.

Enjoy

Thurmond
 
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"iride"I was told by a Game Warden once that to hunt or shoot anything in Texas you have to have a hunting license.
Not sure how true that is,
I was also told that at the rattle snake round up in sweet water Texas?
Mike
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P 27 : A Hunting License is not required for the following:• Coyotes, if the coyotes are attacking, about to attack, or have recently attacked livestock, domesticanimals, or fowl.• Depredating feral hogs, if a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner’s agent or lessee is takingferal hogs causing depredation on the landowner’s land.• Fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a trapper’s license or if the fur-bearing animals are causingdepredation.

Enjoy but do not take my word for any law. Look it up yourself. Google Texas Outdoor Annual

Thurmond
 
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Alan,
Everything is pretty well locked down tight with the oil field.
Back around 1985 I would visit a few towns in the middle of nowhere, Duel sport bike, I had a about three towns I visited , No roads anywhere near me, I rode cross country . 
Take out my blanket. Lunch and jar of ice tea, Park under a nice mesquite bush, Take naps , and shoot with my Ruger single action six pistol. 
If I could do this now with my Crickets , I would clean them out,
Oh Back to the Starlings , I got some new hatchlings that are flying around but not taking the bait at the feeders , I am putting up two more feeders soon so my luck may change,
Starlings are not dumb, or stupid, Not in my area anyway.
Mike
 
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Maybe this is too expensive of a suggestion but Sibley's Birds puts out an app that has nearly every bird species calls and songs. You'd probably have to pipe it through external speakers but these for smart phones are not all expensive. Maybe the predator call guys produce one for starlings. Given how they are hated I would not be surprised. Also in that app you can find the calls of the Eastern Screech Owl. Playing this will draw all kinds of birds as the Owl is a predator of small birds and when the other birds hear that sound they will come to mob the owl.
 
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Lol,...love the responses to this question....but the bottom line is they are very intelligent birds. May be the smartest bird I've ever hunted. They used to fly circles around my property and very fast to scope it out. They learned to land out of my shooting lanes if landing ever at all.

My only luck was that the Maple in my backyard must have been two hundred years old and had a canopy like something out of a dream. Those bastards had been using that tree for Generations and could not leave it alone for any reason. It must have had 25 cavities from open broken branches to holes in the tree itself. They used it seasonally for different things... nesting and food sources and Roosts.

You're going to have to try everything. Blinds in several locations, feeders,...

I'm telling you as crazy as it sounds, go get six hens and build them a little setting house and turn 'em a loose in your backyard, get a stand feeder and a stand waterer with a tray. Maybe the chickens make them feel calm. But you will see an unbelievable amount of activity coming to the feeder as soon as they figure out where it is and what's going on with it. A little much yeah, but to get to maylay starlings at a whim. Hey, it works.... I only know because I grew up on a farm with three 100 chicken runs. And I also had a neighbor who had free-range chickens with stand feeders and you would not believe how many of those Sobs come in Daily. I had an old Benjamin Sheridan pump gun with iron sights that was laser accurate if you knew how to line up the sights and I'd shoot a box of 250 pellets a week.

Me and my buddy used to play games and let em lineup and we'd try to shoot two or three with one pellet... save the bullets so we could shoot more. He actually got four in one shot one day...but he also was the best shot I've ever seen in person too. Boy was, hell, still is ridiculous.

Anyway, line em up! See how many you can get in one shot. Hell that's all you get some days.
 
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I managed to get one hanging out on the gourd rack set up for Martins. They are extremely wary and this one was no different. But the Martins were on the gourd rack and probably the biggest factor was the wind. The direction of the wind forced it to face away from my location. Shot it a couple of days ago and noticed there were two more of them hanging around-hard for them to resist trying to nest in the gourds we have set up for the Martins.
 
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Some tips from my neck of the woods in Missouri. Don't wear bright clothing especially white shirts, camo is not necessary but never white. Learn their calls and flight patterns, a nervous bird gives a unique sound that tells you now or or never.This also makes finding them way easier. If your in the open don't stare up at them they know what normal behavior is and educated ones are very spooky. In early Sommer find the nests and ambush. Hope it helps
 
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