The Annoyed Man wrote:SlickTX wrote:pdubyoo wrote:Got it sighted in and plinked with it all weekend. Wow that pellet gun has some power. I was really surprised at the amount of kick it has, but I guess being a springer, it should be expected. I tweaked it to the point that I can keep a quarter-sized pattern at 40 yards. The Ruger scope it comes with is very nice and easy to adjust.
There are a few less grackles this weekend!
I shot some of the Gamo Raptor pellets and noticed a considerably louder crack. With these pellets, the Ruger AH Elite velocity is supposed to be around 1200fps. I noticed a lot less accuracy with these though. Lots of fun!
Keep in mind that hunting grackles is not allowed unless special circumstances exist. From the 2010-2011 hunting manual:
ENDANGERED, THREATENED, AND OTHER PROTECTED NONGAME SPECIES
It is unlawful for any person to hunt (see Definitions - Hunt, pg. 55) threatened, endangered, or protected
nongame species. To sell or purchase goods made from threatened or endangered species, proper documentation
must accompany the goods. For a complete list of threatened and endangered species, and regulations
relating to breeding threatened and endangered species, please call (800) 792-1112 (menu 5).
• Protected Birds: Hawks, owls, eagles, and all other nongame birds and songbirds (except for the few
unprotected birds listed below) are protected by various state and federal laws and may not be killed,
taken from the nest, picked up, or possessed for any reason, and their feathers may not be possessed or
sold. Arts and crafts may not include these protected species under any circumstances.
• Unprotected Birds:
• The only birds not protected by any state or federal law are European starlings, English sparrows, feral
rock doves (common pigeon - Columba livia), and Eurasian collared-doves; these species may be killed at
any time, their nests or eggs destroyed, and their feathers may be possessed.
• Yellow-headed, red-winged, rusty, or Brewer’s blackbirds and all grackles, cowbirds (does not include cattle
egret), crows, or magpies may be controlled without a federal or state depredation permit when found
committing or about to commit depredations on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock,
or wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard
or other nuisance.
One definition of depredation:
An act of consuming agricultural resources (crops, livestock), especially as plunder.
A raid or predatory attack
That definition ought to include what they have done to my car in several parking lots. I knew they were "full of it," but who knew that such small birds could hold so much? That right there is a depredation by anybody's book, and deserving of a .177 caliber stopper inserted at 1,000 fps into their excratory orifices....
...not that I have any particular opinion about grackles...
Crossfire wrote:
I HATE grackles! They are nasty, filthy, noisy, aggresive, and worst of all, PROTECTED!
Otherwise, we would be having 4 and 20 grackles baked in a pie...
Plainview Herald, Plainview, TX
puma guy wrote:
A reader called the Herald and asked if it was true that birds which could be seen in such large numbers around town really were protected.
According to local and area wildlife experts, the answer is "yes and no."
Joe Zotter, a wildlife biologist with the Texas Wildlife Services in Canyon, understood the confusion.
"It's a tricky law," he said.
As it turns out, Zotter said, by virtue of the fact that grackles are migratory, they are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. According to information found on the Internet, the agreement was created in 1918 between the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico and the former Soviet Union.
However, Zotter continued, there are circumstances under which grackles may be killed.
In reading from the law, Zotter said, "Grackles may be killed only when found committing or about to commit depredation."
When presented with that terminology, local game warden Mark Collins laughed and said he had never seen a grackle that was not "committing or about to commit depredation."
Per Wikipedia: The common grackle population has greatly increased in the Austin, Texas, area in recent years and has become quite a nuisance.[2]
The are more than Grackles committing depredation in Austin!
