WadeS and I loaded up our air rifles today after taking 2000# of junk to the dump and headed back to the barn I raided wednesday. When we went upstairs there were maybe 40-50 pigeons flying around. They must have made an emergency evacuation plan in the past three days because they thinned out quickly through the roof cracks. In about 5 minutes there was silence. We ended up bagging 20 pigeons out of there. When we were collecting the corpses inside the barn, we heard a couple of woodpeckers that landed on the roof and kept poking their heads into the gaps in the roof. WadeS shot and missed the first one nearly overhead but got the second one. We didn't end up finding it but we're both sure it was a hit.
We then went up the draw behind the barn and saw some more birds. These were game birds so we practiced shooting "bird-sized" rocks on top of fence posts at about 50+ yards. Quite challenging but a lot of fun.
We then went back to the barn area and looked for more quarry. There is an old locust tree about 50? yards away with a starling in the top of it. After numerous shots WadeS tagged it and it fluttered down about 15-20 yards away in some thick weeds. We didn't end up finding it either. WadeS also grilled another bird that landed on top of the roof. I ended up getting two starlings in some thickets behind the barns but couldn't retrieve either.
All in all not a bad couple hours. WadeS got 10 pigeons and 3 other birds. I got 10 pigeons and 2 other birds. When we go shooting inside a barn and there is just mass shooting we don't keep track of who shot how many and just split it 50-50. Outside is another thing because of the many shooting variables such as trajectory, range, wind, etc...
On the way home we stopped at my property, as we saw dozens of pigeons land in the grain bin. We plan to build a shooting blind in the ditch 22 yards from the bin with a perfect view of the opening. We also plan on putting a 2x4 across the center of the opening, forcing the pigeons to land before entering. Usually they just swoop down and fly right into the hole and you don't get a chance to shoot.
