starling mayhem

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

miguel1

Member
Dec 20, 2016
25
0
mt
http://i1253.photobucket.com/albums/hh600/miguelito13/starling%20mayhem_zpsey9egbxd.jpg


First of all starlings are an invasive non-native species in my country and their destruction is encouraged by the government.
I found a dead tree near cut hay fields where starlings were feeding and near some brush where they were roosting. There was some brush nearby and I set up a lawn chair and a tripod with a view to the top of the tree. I sat there for 2 days starting at daylight and the starlings kept landing and I kept shooting. I got about 150 or so and it was my best hunting of the summer.
I also had some success with starling decoys that I made and set up in recently cut hay fields with a hide nearby.
I am curious if anyone has had success with the electronic calls. Foxpro has about 5 different sounds of starlings that you can get. They are mostly Starling in Distress calls. When I have wounded one and they make the distress call, others come in but just hover.
 
Miguel1, where are you busting those starlings? I shoot a few at 70 Yards and they disappear. I have a permission that I remove the pests in the spring of the year. They see my blue truck show up and fly to another country it seems. Any way I would be very interested to know how the fox pro distress call works for you if you try it. PM me with your results. You are correct on distress call, if I hit one and it screams always be quick on trigger to hit second one. Keep up the good work, I love hunting sturnus vulgarus.
 
Upvote 0
Hi Monkyshine
I live in Montana. I have hunted starlings a lot in the past year and a half. There are large numbers of them around here in the summer, but they leave or go to a feedlot to snuggle with cows when it gets cold. I have the most success setting up places to hide near either a big old dead tree in a area they are hanging out or in cut hay fields where lots of them come to feed on bugs. I set up maybe a dozen decoys made of black foam in the hay fields and it really seems to attract them to land although sometimes pretty briefly. You gotta be quick to load and shoot. I shoot a RWS .22 model 54. I could kill at least a third more with a PCP. When I set up on the dead trees I am in a area where they are feeding or roosting. They land in singles, pairs, small groups or sometimes large flocks and when i have a really good spot the action goes on all day. Frequently when you kill one the mate will come back to look for it and you can kill that one too. When I use a hide it is nice because I know all my range and wind holdovers and it is a real high percentage shot. I use a tripod and the shots are usually under 50 yards.
I am a little reluctant to buy the electronic call unless they offer a peaceful flock of starlings sound. I think that would work really well with decoys. The distress call sure sucks them in but they hardly ever land and if they do it is very briefly.
 
Upvote 0
Thank you! That was shooting about 30 yards and 45 degree incline. I only missed a couple of shots. The Model 54 is really accurate. I have hit starlings to 107 yards and if the wind is manageable they are in big trouble to 75 yards. On a calm day at a cattle feedlot and shooting out the window of my truck, I shot 47 at an average range of about 55 yards. Recovering them for a picture was out of the question. It weighs in at about 12 lbs though!
 
Upvote 0
Well-done! We owners (or previous owners) of recoilless springers know, they are a lot like PCPs, except for their practical power limit of about 23 FPE.

Starlings are pests and can travel in flocks of THOUSANDS strong, so I don't wish I had them, but it's nice that there are good citizens out there keeping them from totally overrunning the native birds. It makes me wish that I had kept my 56TH.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu