The sad thing about airguns becoming so available.

There must be something wrong with me.....
I used to hunt all sorts of things day in and day out...always used the meat.... Never killed for the enjoyment. I 
never liked killing and do not get any kicks by it...
I gave up powder guns because I saw way to much of this kind of non-sense... people hunting and shooting deer 
and then not wanting the meat and would actually leave them because they were to small... People run off to buy new guns and only hunt with them for season and then sell them...
I lost a lot of hunting land because farmers would rent their land out for the season.... so I was not able to hunt on this land...
I started hunting public land..... the things I saw and the disrespect for life turned me away from hunting with powder burning...

I hunt for the hunt and not for the kill..... I have always killed but never enjoyed it...How people enjoy this is puzzling to me...
I will not and wouldn't hunt with people like this...... gangs of 25 driving the woods to chase deer out...
And they call this hunting.... give me a break...

The only hunting I do now is all squirrel.... I enjoy the hunt and the woods and the skill it takes to get one with an air gun...
But.... I am puzzled....
Many times this year and this happened just last night ... I had a squirrel in my sights .... no doubt a perfect head shot...
But, the squirrel was only 20 yards away and very unaware I was there... 20 yards is nothing to me now...
I did not shoot the squirrel and watched it take off.... Puzzled at myself.... wondering what is wrong with me...

I actually enjoy the hunt where the squirrel knows I am there and peaking out at me... also I like the longer shoots that take skill
but still at acceptable range for the gun.... and / or I like the squirrel that runs off sneaks back ... knowing I am there ... and is about 30 yards and thinks he is getting away with something ... hunting is called a sport for a reason..

I get it Billy. I now hunt squirrel's with just an airgun. I only take shots 35 yards+. I have no desire to shoot one at close range anymore. I want the challenge of a long range head shot. If I miss, so be it.

"guod123"

Click to expand...

Slightly nit-picky,

But, where did you hear this?

There is no color change in males that I'm aware of, although it can vary slightly due to diet. Females are brown and somewhat similar in tone to sparrows, but still, a drastically different bird.

As for those who can't tell the difference between a robin and a starling, then that's definitely good that you don't take such shots! Even at distance it becomes very easy to tell species apart with enough time spent around them. Not just the appearance, but their behavior, movements and sounds all are telltale signs. 

I think this is where my desire to eradicate starlings (and at a lesser degree, english sparrows) comes into play. You spend enough time around your local birds, and you begin to see what makes "pests", pests- and I enjoy doing my part to help native birds- atleast on my property.

Get National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds by Farrand. It will help with identification and makes hunting more fun by knowing all the players. Ted also has lots of vid on pest birds.

This is the newer edition of what I used to learn about birds. http://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-Field-American/dp/0679428526/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BRK9YQ82ZB8QH0QHFJC&dpID=41EMRZ46C2L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR82%2C160_
I find that knowing the different species, all the players, adds to a day of pesting. Recently I spotted a Northern Flicker and I live in the deep south. Checked the book and found my area listed as natural range but that was my first sighting in my 50 years.