Hunting harmony ?

[airiscool]

Woke up this morning and while I was drinking coffee and looking out the back door,  one of  my two clean up Crows was up on the barn roof yelling for breakfast. With the Starlings  scattered and nesting, there have been only a few showing up around here, and very skitterish if they do. Plus, I've been too busy lately to put in enough time, so the Crows haven't had a good Starling meal for weeks.

After getting yelled at by the Crow this morning, I put the Trail XL by the back door and I've been checking every 20-30 minutes. One Starling showed up and had his head down in the grass long enough for me to load, open the door, and nail him.

Left it right where it dropped and sure enough, 30 minutes later the Starling was gone, and no more Crow yelling.

This team work has another plus to it too. The Girl friend, who was nice enough to give me this XL for my B'day, really likes Crows. After seeing me move the gun near the door, she gave me a quizical look. I mention that I need to get another Starling for the Crows. She said she's glad to hear that I'm helping feed the Crows and that she had some part in that.

Just doing my small part to help Mother Nature !!!

Paul.

[dk1677]

Was that the pied piper crow that was bringing them in before? ;-)

[airiscool]

Dave,
Yup, that was one of the nesting pair that have been living in the trees behind my place for a few years now. We had two pairs up until  middle of last year, now just the one pair.

I've heard Crows are smart, but smart enough to figure out all that calling might bring it a fresh meal soon after ?

Reminds me of in similar instances my mother used to say,"Now which one was the dumb animal ?".      

Paul.

[dk1677]

Yes they are smart, I remember reading many years ago they could tell the difference between a man carrying a gun and a fishing pole, and that females that had mates miles away from the flock they were raised would come back to visit with the "family"

[airiscool]

Dave,

Not sure if I've trained them, ..or they've trained me. Probably a bit of both !!!!  

And they are still calling in the Starlings. Yesterday morning I heard one of them caw-ing from the compost pile. I looked out and right above the Crow in a black walnut sapling was a Starling. By the time I got the gun both left.

A little while later I heard the Crow again. Surprised that any bird was around with the winds and rain squalls, I looked out  and there was a Starling at the base of the feeder. It had it's back to me so I opened the door and aimed. It turned toward me and I squeezed of a Predator. Dang I thought I must have missed because It took flight straight away toward the back of the property. I watched as it stayed low, flew into the edge of the brush line and fluttered straight down through the branches - never moving again.

I looked out the other side of the house and there were two more Starlings pecking for bugs in the lawn. The Trail XL going off  hadn't spooked them. I had time to sneek out to my shed blind and slowly open the window. The Pred hit center mass and kicked up dirt and grass beyond the Starling as it fell over without a twitch.

Went out and retrived  both.

The one that was breast shot had  a very large exit wound in it's lower back. The Pred did major damage on the way out, but still this tough little guy was able to fly about 30 yards before dropping dead.

The second Starling, like other side shots, had wing feathers stuck into the chest entrance wound. The Pred easily passed through both wings and chest.

Put both birds on the lawn by the compost and within hours I heard a  Crow caw-ing again and both were gone when I looked out.  With the Crow's help I've manged to thin out the local Starling flook and  recycle them.

Harmony !    

[gamo2hammerli]

Great shots at the Starlings....hmm, and using them to feed the Crows....that`s a new one.

[dk1677]

More nice shooting Paul!

[jake]

great shooting

[airiscool]

Thanks guys.

Sure is a cheaper method than putting out cat food !  

Paul.

[airiscool]

Had another Starling come in, this time to see what another bird I haven't identified yet was looking for in the lawn.

Another sneek out to the shed blind,.... slowly open the window,... cross hairs on center mass, ... squeeze .... and a miss ! Dang !!!!

Lucky for me the Trail is quiet, because the Starling landed near the back of the property and went back to looking in the grass for a meal.  

Once again, center mass,.... squeeze,... it dropped in it's tracks !!! Went out with the camera and found that the Predator entered the left shoulder at the wing root - exited the right shoulder blowing out the wing root compleatly.

Missed at 20 yards, but got it straight through both shoulders out at 36 yards with a gun zeroed in at 30. Getting old sure can be frustrating at times !!!!  

Anyway, I moved the Starling over by the compost pile same as the others and 20 minutes later when I went back out, it was gone. I heard one of the Crows give one short caw from way out back somewhere. I wonder if that's Crow talk for "thanks".

Paul.

[airiscool]

Ok, I found a picture of the "other bird" the last Starling was so interested in. It's a Yellow-shafted Flicker.

Here's a picture of one on Wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Colaptes_auratus_auratus1.jpg

The only differance was that unlike the one in the picture, the one I saw was also buckskin colored on it's wings and back - same color as the belly of the one in the picture, and the red patch on the back of the head was much smaller. Maybe a female ? Anyway, was cool to see a bird I've never seen before !!!!

Paul

[dk1677]

More nice shooting Paul! Get flickers here now and then

[only1harry]

You got a Trail XL too Paul?  Nice!  Good shooting on that Starling.

[DougT]

Nice shooting.  I want to know:  where did you get a girlfriend like that?  If she's a good cook I'd keep her.

[airiscool]

Thanks guys,

Doug,

We met through an antique car club.

Yes, she loves to cook and she's very good at it.  She's a nurse who grew up in a family with three older brothers who  hunted and fished, so she's not the least bit squeamish about dressing, cooking, and eating wild game.  She loves the outdoors, especially camping and fishing so much that starting every April 1st, she keeps two fishing poles and a tackle box in her car. And, she has all her own hunting gear and has joined me on hunts too.

I'm so lucky she's willing to put up with me !!!!

Harry,
Got the Trail back in March- one of the second batch of XL's from Pyramyd.

Paul.