# Starling hunting?



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

Here in Washington the only thing I KNOW I can hunt is Starlings. They are an invasive species and a pest with absolutely no regulations on hunting amount or weapon. With an airgun I have been hunting them for years due to the fact that they used to take up roost in our goat barn. After moving back to the city after my parents divorce I had no need to hunt them and I could not fire the airgun in the city. But recently they have come back for the winter (they tend to move towards cities to find food in the winter) and they have begun to eat all the bird seed, cat food, and millet we leave out for our cat and the local songbirds. So my mother employed me to dispose of them quietly and humanly if I could prove my shooting skills. She got me a Scout for Christmas and today I proved to her I could shoot well enough by getting rid of one that was eating cat food in our backyard.
The thing about starlings is that they are very smart. They began to recognize when I had my airgun and when I didn't. If I walked outside when they were around without it they just sat there looking at me and continued to eat, whereas with it they would fly off until I went back inside. I don't want the same thing to happen with my slingshot. Do any of you starling hunters out there have any techniques to fool them? Also I was thinking about leaving one of our back windows open just enough to shoot through so they can't see me coming. I'm hoping that they will recognize my backyard as a "kill zone" and leave for good.
All ideas welcome!
Cheers,
Ben

EDIT: I'm also trying to get them to go away with the least amount of kills possible, I don't particularly enjoy killing them because I get nothing out of it. No meat


----------



## James Smith (Dec 13, 2012)

What's a 'scout' can you send me alink?


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Frankly, I think starlings are beautiful birds. The patterns on their feathers are lovely. Starlings are primarily insectivores, and consume a lot of insect pests. However, they are fairly omnivorous and will consume grain and garbage when it is available. I do understand that starlings can become a pest, squeezing out local birds.

Your idea about leaving a window open is probably the best ... Your house will serve the same function as a hunter's blind. Just be sure you will not get in trouble with a stray shot if you miss your target.

Like most birds, starlings have a decent sized breast, and that can be eaten if properly prepared.

Cheers .... Charles


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

I will look into eating them. Although I regret having to resort to killing them they have become a real problem here with an estimated 3-4 million dollars in crop damage and countless building infestations. Do you know if they taste any good?


----------



## Toddy (Oct 2, 2011)

Reuben said:


> What's a 'scout' can you send me alink?


 http://slingshotforum.com/topic/19682-the-scout-now-comes-in-colors/


----------



## CAS14 (Jul 17, 2012)

Just "wing" them! í ½í¸í ½í¸í ½í¸


----------



## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

hmm... if they are afraid of you or recognize you with an air rifle or slingshot, why not just set up a scarecrow of sorts with a slingshot in hand or a cardboard cutout of an air rifle outside . and when they get used to that- take out the real slingshot on them. then after you get a couple of them , repeat with the faux scarecrow . you need to keep changing it up on them .


----------



## CAS14 (Jul 17, 2012)

Starlings are not native to Oklahoma. This invasive species is crowding out others here, they create quite a racket, and downtown they make as much a mess as the pidgeons. My guess is that unlike some of the songbirds that were popular fare during the depression, starlings may not be so tasty.


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

Imp: I love the idea! But I doubt my mom would want a scare-starling in the backyard.. But if it means getting rid of them without having to kill 'em then I'm game for it. When she gets home from work I'll see what she thinks.


----------



## CAS14 (Jul 17, 2012)

Do those plastic things on a stick that whirl in the wind scare birds?


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

Probably not
Starlings don't seem to be afraid of anything, they just figure out if it is dangerous or not.


----------



## Christopher Phares (Dec 13, 2012)

I think that if you leave a dead one, feet up, the others will not come around for a few days.


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

You say their eating the cat food. I'm wondering why the cats don't take an interest in the birds.


----------



## CAS14 (Jul 17, 2012)

treefork said:


> You say their eating the cat food. I'm wondering why the cats don't take an interest in the birds.


Must taste REALLY bad! ;-)


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

treefork said:


> You say their eating the cat food. I'm wondering why the cats don't take an interest in the birds.


Well I used to have 4 cats at our farm, all good hunters. They would hide in the bushes and jump up on hummingbirds when they flew past








But 3 of them got eaten over the years by coyotes or neighbor dogs. One survived but she has become fat living the city life and was never a big hunter. We also leave out a bowl for strays that the birds pick on.


----------



## Christopher Phares (Dec 13, 2012)

Have you tried putting the food in those large food bins they sell at tractor supply?


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

well they eat it out of the bowl or feeder..


----------



## capnjoe (Jun 3, 2012)

Hey, Ben. I think if you stop supplying them with food, they'll probably stop coming around. The birds and the cats... My stance (not that it matters) on feeding strays is, don't. Unless you are luring them in to trap, spay and neuter, feeding them just encourages them to hang around and breed, thereby exacerbating the situation with both creatures.


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

perhaps, but it is not up to me. Don't get me wrong guys, they are still all over my backyard and the backyards of all the neighbors. They are everywhere! And freaking annoying with their squawking.


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Carbon said:


> I will look into eating them. Although I regret having to resort to killing them they have become a real problem here with an estimated 3-4 million dollars in crop damage and countless building infestations. Do you know if they taste any good?


Like anything else, how they taste depends on how they are prepared. Here are a few recipes, for example:

http://www.zieak.com/2011/01/25/jimmy-stubers-starling-recipes/

Cheers ..... Charles


----------



## mrpaint (May 16, 2012)

well like you said... they are smart birds, eventually they are going to start to recognize you with death let alone the slingshot in your hand or not. Try and do it from cover so they don't see you are the one shooting their friends.


----------



## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

The slingshots I use are all small enough to comfortably keep in my pocket yet powerful enough to hunt with. I rarely shoot anything but I like the idea that my walks could be Starling hunts if I so chose. I live in Washington State where nothing is legal to shoot, however, given the right circumstances and location I would not hesitate to shoot a rabbit or grey squirrel. Just be quiet about it.

Carbon was wondering about crows in Washington. For many years shooting crows was legal. The problem is/was that crows migrate and there are indigenous peoples in Mexico that, in one form or another worship crows. The Feds, a number of years ago, agreed to not hunt crows in exchange for seasons and limits being placed on ducks by the Mexican government. Within the last few years they have again been made legal to shoot but only, techically, for predation. Having said that, I have never heard of anyone getting in trouble for shooting crows ("shoot a crow and save a duckling"). Just be careful where and when.


----------



## CAS14 (Jul 17, 2012)

I didn't know there were States where no hunting at all was permitted. I grew up in rural Oklahoma where hunting was an integral part of the culture. This is a bit of a surprise!


----------



## Winnie (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm sorry, I didn't make myself clear. Hunting is allowed, but only with a firearm or, in some circumstances, a bow. No game can be taken legally in Washington with a slingshot. I have always presumed it was because slingshots have long been associated with poaching.


----------



## CAS14 (Jul 17, 2012)

Well then, good luck Winnie, and have fun!


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

nah, everything is legal to hunt here with a firearm, bow, or crossbow. Just slingshots are not in the regs. Good to know about crow hunting.


----------



## nutthrower (Dec 18, 2011)

STARLINGS - ya, a love/hate relationship for sure - love to shoot them hate to miss - they breed so much dont have to worry bout harming thier population - never had a problem with taking them out with the R-1 airgun, always put a smile on my face - was out one day when low and behold we were comfronted by bird lovers from the autoban Society asking us what we were shooting, not wanting to offend them we said Starlings and I'll be darn if they didnt say thanks - that they were a real nuisance to other birds - they are very smart, and seem to come in big flocks which makes it even harder to score a kill, and they are always moving - sorry what was the question again


----------



## nutthrower (Dec 18, 2011)

hey thanks Charles I'm going to look in to this for sure, do you happen to know if they carry any diseases to worry about? would be a great survivor food


----------



## DaveSteve (May 16, 2012)

As a kid (bad kid) I killed some starlings with a mouse trap. The spring loaded one.


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

nut thrower said:


> hey thanks Charles I'm going to look in to this for sure, do you happen to know if they carry any diseases to worry about? would be a great survivor food


I do not know of any diseases peculiar to wild birds that one needs to worry about. That does not mean there aren't any ... just that I do not know about any. Frankly, I think you are much more likely to get food poisoning from grocery store chickens, which are raised in close confinement cages in filthy conditions and slaughtered in large, difficult to clean facilities, then trucked for hundreds of miles, where they sit in grocery store coolers. The starlings are opportunistic, but the majority of their food consists of insects:

http://www.starlingtalk.com/wildstarlingdiet.htm

Cheers .... Charles


----------



## Berkshire bred (Mar 4, 2012)

i havent shot any myself but i would advise not to try to shoot them through a window A because it is alot more difficult than you would think and B it is very easy to get it wrong and smash the window.


----------



## Viper010 (Apr 21, 2012)

Carbon said:


> Here in Washington the only thing I KNOW I can hunt is Starlings. They are an invasive species and a pest with absolutely no regulations on hunting amount or weapon. With an airgun I have been hunting them for years due to the fact that they used to take up roost in our goat barn. After moving back to the city after my parents divorce I had no need to hunt them and I could not fire the airgun in the city. But recently they have come back for the winter (they tend to move towards cities to find food in the winter) and they have begun to eat all the bird seed, cat food, and millet we leave out for our cat and the local songbirds. So my mother employed me to dispose of them quietly and humanly if I could prove my shooting skills. She got me a Scout for Christmas and today I proved to her I could shoot well enough by getting rid of one that was eating cat food in our backyard.
> The thing about starlings is that they are very smart. They began to recognize when I had my airgun and when I didn't. If I walked outside when they were around without it they just sat there looking at me and continued to eat, whereas with it they would fly off until I went back inside. I don't want the same thing to happen with my slingshot. Do any of you starling hunters out there have any techniques to fool them? Also I was thinking about leaving one of our back windows open just enough to shoot through so they can't see me coming. I'm hoping that they will recognize my backyard as a "kill zone" and leave for good.
> All ideas welcome!
> Cheers,
> ...


you could feed them to your cat, saw some starling pest control vids on utube (edgunusa) he fed them to the farm cats n they loved em. better then letting them go to waste in the trash...

cheers, remco


----------



## nutthrower (Dec 18, 2011)

Winnie said:


> I'm sorry, I didn't make myself clear. Hunting is allowed, but only with a firearm or, in some circumstances, a bow. No game can be taken legally in Washington with a slingshot. I have always presumed it was because slingshots have long been associated with poaching.


Us Washintoians are so misunderstood ......


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

So all of you Washintoians in this thread; Are any of you in the Vancouver/ Portland area?


----------



## nutthrower (Dec 18, 2011)

matter of fact you'll find me here in Vancouver


----------



## Carbon (Nov 18, 2012)

nice!


----------

