After stalking a large g-hog and losing him into the thick brush earlier around Noon today, I decided to concentrate more on some Starlings that had been hanging out pretty far from the house but still on my property. I finished with work around 5pm (work from home a couple days/wk) and went sat in my porch where I had all the windows opened but the blinds down. I can see through some small openings on the blinds pretty well but the critters can't see me. There is a pair of Starlings about 40-45yds out but about 10ft from my neighbor's driveway so I decided to leave them alone for now and see what happens, they may come closer.
I wasn't sitting long, maybe 10min. when I noticed a couple of black figures flying by one of the windows on the other side of the porch and seemed to be landing. I slowly move to the window and look through the blind and there they are - 2 Starlings about 25yds out. I slowly pull the blinds up. One of them sees me and I freeze. He puts his head back down again and I pull the blind up a few more inches. I had both the 36 and 850 .22 in the room but grabbed the 850. That's the bird killer. Recoiless, short and easy to handle. The magazine is loaded with both 14.3gr CP's and CPHP's mixed in. I wait until the bird is broadside and as soon as it puts its head down (stops moving) I squeeze the trigger. It goes right down and no movement! Yes! I haven't got a Starling in about a month so I was excited :) His partner takes flight. I watch the bird for another few secs and then walk to the other side of the porch to check on the other pair of Starlings at the opposite side of my property. They 're still there but now they have moved closer to my position about 35yds out and about 10yds from the neighbor's property. I slowly pull the blind up about 8-9" and get into position. I have a chair set up there and rest my hand that holds the 850's forearm on the window sill. They are now about 34yds away according to my scope's A/O that's focused well. I zoom in a little more to 8X magnification and put the crosshairs on the biggest one (or closest one?). All of a sudden the Starling turns and faces away from me. I wait a few secs and put the crosshairs just slightly above its head since my gun is zeroed in at 20yds, and the Starling is about 34-35yds with a velocity of only about 615fps (about 80deg out). I know from past experience the heavy .22 pellets start dropping past 25-30yds with this gun. The bird puts its head up again looking far away somewhere, and I take this opportunity and squeeze the trigger. Right after the gun's report, I hear a very loud CRACK! It sounded the same as when I shoot into my target log in the back yard. I see the bird go down through the scope lens. I 'm ecstatic. 2 Starlings within 1-2min. and a 34yd shot! I walk outside and count 33.5 steps to the bird (I 'm 6'2). I was up on the 2nd floor so that makes sense that it was around 34-35yds from my elevated position.
I brought both birds to the back yard behind the house and took a couple of pics during which time a squirrel kept barking at me from the nearest tree about 25ft up. I noticed the 2nd Starling was hit perfectly in the back of the head and the loud crack I heard was his skull cracking open. The squirrel now starts coming towards me walking on a thin branch extending pretty far from the tree and continues barking! He 's now only about 15-16yds away. He 's got some nerve.. I figure I haven't shot a squirrel in a couple of months and since I 'm on a roll why I don't I take him down? There are plenty of them around. I take aim off-hand and put the crosshairs between eye and ear as soon as he turned but he was still at an angle. I waited another 20secs or so and figure I better take the shot before I get tired and while there are no neighbors around. I squeeze the trigger and he falls but hangs upside down from the tree with 1 leg! He kept hanging there for another whole minute. I was starting to wonder whether he was going to drop so I pulled the bolt back and reloaded. I walked up a little closer to about 10yds, re-adjusted the A/O and as I was ready to take the shot the squirrel dropped. That was the longest I had seen a squirrel hang upside down like that. Upon hitting the dirt he starts doing the death dance for 3-4secs and stops upside down on his back with legs up in the air. I look through the scope and I can see its chest still moving a little. He 's still breathing so I put another pellet in it head from about 8yds away to finish it quickly. He was a young one, not a full-size adult but a good 80-90%.. This explains why he didn't turn and run but hung around and even came closer. I took a couple of quick pics and I as I was going to get the 850 to pose it with the nutter, the wife pulled up so which means game over.. I called it the day. Not a bad day, and all 3 were taking within 10-15min. First shot hit the squirrel right under the ear and went all the way through. 2nd shot was under the eye as I was too close and the POI was destined to be low.. First pic is the impact point and 2nd is the exit side..
