This morning I got up at 7am and headed out to our local cattle yard/feedlot. I'd asked permission yesterday and the feedlot manager said he really appreciates us coming out and helping thin the nuisance bird problem. Last night at dusk I'd zero'd my 850 with the JSB 14.3g pellets at 40 yards and then tested ranges to 70 yards using the truck headlights to light the target.
When I got there I immediately had the chance to shoot a couple pigeons on the grain bins. I then walked across the road to the feedlots and shot there for about 1.5 hours, then went back to the grain bins to get a couple more pigeons. That was 13 pigeons and 3 starlings. One of the shots was 70 yards, 2 mil-dots high. On the way out, I slowly drove around the feedlots, shooting out the window, getting 6 more pigeons in about 15 minutes. That is the way to go. You can listen to the radio, the birds aren't scared of vehicles, you don't spook the cattle, the window/mirror make decent rests, etc. As I headed for the road, I noticed a few pigeons on the bins again. I slowly drove over, parking the truck diagonal to them with the window 1/2 down. Two pigeons sat on top, oblivious to me being there. WHOP, one went down at about 45 yards. The other circled a few times and landed right about where I shot the other. WHOP, down he went. Those two seem to be juvenile birds: their feathers were really light and sparce and they were noticably smaller that the others.
Not a bad few hours of shooting. 21 pigeons and 3 starlings. There were 9 pigeons that I didn't retrieve. They either fell in a pile of lava-like manure that I wouldn't venture into or they limped away to fall in another lot and I couldn't find it.
