To shoot or not... am I providing a service?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
L.Leon

L.Leon

Member
Aug 29, 2018
7,105
5,968
NY, Ulster County, United States
I’ve been spoiled killing rats, whether it’s one or six it’s very satisfying to kill those crafty, sneaky, vermin. I’ve also taken a fair share of pigeons, starlings, and sparrows. I’ve had many opportunities where just a few birds come in. If I shoot one the rest take off and don’t return. So I’ve taken to giving them a pass when in small groups, 3-4 birds. I do place them in the crosshairs for practice though. When there are lots of birds feeding it seems like I get more kills, as they’re feeding and there’s a lot happening. Killing over 6 of any combination feels like I’m making a difference. When I only kill one or two starlings, sparrows, or pigeons I question whether I really doing a service for the dairy. Thought?
 
i’m no expert but here’s my take on this subject..........

i would say that one or two people shooting occasionally really does not make a noticeable difference. its like shooting two or three squirrels from an area. others just realize its open territory and move in. same with ground squrrels. we have places we can shot a couple thousand in a spring and summer. the next year you cant tell a difference. mother nature takes care of all. plenty of food and cover means a good hatch or litter. shoot a couple coons out of a woodpile and more move in, etc, etc.........

but we can say that we are doing a service to make the property owner feel better. I am into Bowfishing and when tournaments are held on lakes it is always brought up to lake property residents that it does the lake good to take out 10,000 pounds of carp. sounds good right! well, in reality, its about like Bill Gates having a hole in his pocket and losing his loose change.
 
Upvote 0
Yeah keep it up. I recently was invited to shoot on a local farm where the farmer has not allowed airgunners due to the stoopid. He has 1000s of birds everywhere and in one session and a tin of pellets we took about 380 birds and we didn't make a dent. The farmer told us to keep coming by because everyone we shoot saves him 100s of dollars in lost feed, and his animals from getting sick when the birds poop in the water trough. My state just issued a stay at home order so I haven't been back which sucks lol.
 
Upvote 0
My partner and I went out yesterday for around 5 hours to a dairy. AZ has a stay at home order with an exception for exercise. The gyms are closed now and we doubtless walked several miles carrying rifles etc. while we were there, so I think it does qualify as outdoor exercise.

The owner always says to shoot as many as you can; obviously he thinks our work is beneficial.
 
Upvote 0
Along a different line of thought, with enough hunting pressure, you can influence where an animal decides to live or feed. Properties that are hunted puts stress on an animal that it doesn't have somewhere else. 

Opening day of deer/ duck or any other season, all thing being equal, is a different experience than hunting the same location a week later.

Properties where my friends and hunt ground squirrels have a very nervous population compared to the properties right next door. We should offer counseling for them....
 
Upvote 0
The only thing that matters is if the farmer thinks you are making a difference. I try not to be a distraction and talk to him every trip, but he either sees me or we talk occasionally and he thinks my continued pressure makes a difference. The pigeon numbers are way down this year and I don’t think it is because I pop a few each trip, but when we talked about it he thinks it is because I am thinning them out. In fact he joked he doesn’t want another farm to steal me away! I have to admit I was a little humbled that they appear to think so much of me when in my head it has always been me cherishing them for letting me come out. 
 
Upvote 0
Went back today killed three pigeons and two sparrows... one of the pigeons was a 100 yard kill witnessed by the owner and his friend, the other two were at 54 yards. Also shot this chipmunk at 45 yards on the trail behind my barn.

1586040723_17881849225e890f93cb26d8.50810287.jpeg
1586040724_10853452905e890f94ac5620.50889822.jpeg
1586040821_8710882585e890ff5ebcc53.40720195.jpeg
1586040823_1130445545e890ff713dd65.81109072.jpeg
1586040823_5589807685e890ff7ac4174.03459786.jpeg

 
Upvote 0
It’s a service if the owner thinks it is. I was planning on hitting up a farm owner I pass on the way to work, where I always notice an abundance of pigeons. Then the apocalypse hit.
Click to expand...

You should still approach the owner and ask from a distance. Pesting is typically a solo endeavor, you don’t get close to anyone while doing it anyway. I thought the owner of the dairy would want me to stay away... but he said I could come there anytime... it’s not like we’re hugging 🤗. In the country lots of us already live lives of “social distancing”.
 
Upvote 0
L.Leon,

Lots of good opinions already posted and I agree with everyone that if the farmer thinks you're providing a service then you are.

But if you're trying to eliminate pest birds from a farm it will all depend on how many there are to start with. At a small, hobby farm (with maybe a couple buildings) you can either truly eliminate them or put enough pressure on them to move somewhere else. I would consider this a success.

At larger farms, like where my favorite pesting places are, there are literally many millions of starlings. We've shot over 1,000 in one day and you can't even tell the difference. If each female has two hatches of 6 birds per year the void we created will be filled very quickly.

Here's a typical winter day at the reject food pile.

RHTGVK5.jpg
[/url][/img]

Here's what we typically see on a winter day. It's like this for miles. 65,000+ milk cows, at least that many beef animals, miles and miles of irrigated grain crops, gigantic sileage piles, huge stacks of hay bales everywhere. The perfect starling habitat.

LZfA06O.jpg
[/url][/img]
 
Upvote 0
I’ve hunted farms for years ... and I’m convinced you can drive off pigeons by over hunting. Starlings ... I’m not so sure.

If you continuously hunt pigeons near their nesting areas... many will leave the farm... and sadly...ruin a great hunting spot.
1f937-1f3fc-200d-2642-fe0f.svg

One of my favorite farms has never full recovered!
Click to expand...

I bet you made that farmer happy...
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu