CrackPot
NES Member
Large 200+ year old barn. 3 stories, windows, doors, belongings, goats, chickens, feed, and a LARGE flock of annoying (non-song) birds that eat the feed and sh*t EVERYWHERE.
We have had the same setup for 10+ years, but this is the first time a flock of birds has taken up residence. My cat is getting fat eating a bird+ a day, but it does not make a dent. My wife has gone out and ordered a "live trap" to entice them in for capture, followed by a summary drowning.
My thought is to just shoot the bastards. While I would love to take out the 12gauge and just blast away with some #8 bs, the collateral damage would not be acceptable. Also the level of noise would become very noticeable and likely cause its own problems.
I went and bought a box of .22LR shotshell. As the box says, it does not cycle the SA, but firing is easy and the noise is no problem. I have a red dot on the gun (Ruger MK III) zeroed for 7 yds and I am sure I am hitting what I aim at. When hit, they stagger, fall, and then fly away. All but one that could not fly so I was able to walk up to and deal with. In other words, not enough stopping power from .22LR shotshells at a distance > 5 ft to put down a bird that is no more than 4 inches long. (what is the point of that ammo again?)
I could up the caliber. Go for .38Spc/.357 shotshells or any other caliber I have (9, 40, 45).
Other thoughts on bird control? Shooting would be the most fun/satisfying, but I do have to live within the constraints of no projectiles pierce the outer layers of the barn and the noise level does not attract undue attention.
We have had the same setup for 10+ years, but this is the first time a flock of birds has taken up residence. My cat is getting fat eating a bird+ a day, but it does not make a dent. My wife has gone out and ordered a "live trap" to entice them in for capture, followed by a summary drowning.
My thought is to just shoot the bastards. While I would love to take out the 12gauge and just blast away with some #8 bs, the collateral damage would not be acceptable. Also the level of noise would become very noticeable and likely cause its own problems.
I went and bought a box of .22LR shotshell. As the box says, it does not cycle the SA, but firing is easy and the noise is no problem. I have a red dot on the gun (Ruger MK III) zeroed for 7 yds and I am sure I am hitting what I aim at. When hit, they stagger, fall, and then fly away. All but one that could not fly so I was able to walk up to and deal with. In other words, not enough stopping power from .22LR shotshells at a distance > 5 ft to put down a bird that is no more than 4 inches long. (what is the point of that ammo again?)
I could up the caliber. Go for .38Spc/.357 shotshells or any other caliber I have (9, 40, 45).
Other thoughts on bird control? Shooting would be the most fun/satisfying, but I do have to live within the constraints of no projectiles pierce the outer layers of the barn and the noise level does not attract undue attention.