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Shooting Grackles/Starlings

My in-laws were over this weekend, and they got really pissed because my son was shooting grackles with BB gun. They said I’m teaching him to be killer not a hunter, and there’s no reason to shoot them, and a bunch other BS mixed in between. I told them I did same, and was told by dad/grandparents to kill them all because they kick Robin eggs out off nest to lay there own. They disagreed and left before dinner. They are city folks never done any outdoor activities. What are your thoughts?? Unless I was told wrong I need some good comments to copy/paste in their Christmas card since they might not come this year.

Never mind wife just found my answer. I didn’t know redwings, and crows are on the list too. I still shoot them. Redwings are songbirds to me, and crows are eating the road kill, or telling you were your dead deer is.

Well many birds are parasitic nest layers, but mostly I'd truly make sure your definition of depredation falls within the guidelines of the Federal CFR'S Section 20. Grackles might or might not be off limits, along with others that are listed. Migratory birds are a very sketchy area. Sparrows and starlings I know are a go, but my understanding was those others listed which are protected need specific authorization and strong evidence of depredation or nuisance. And to set the record straight, I might be wrong lol. All of which is very interpretive.

Tree hugging in-laws. They must have known your views a long time ago. I turned all of my kids loose on birds with a BB Gun, all adults now and not criminals. No Robins, Doves, or swallows (maybe another species too, can't remember). Kill everything else, just make sure you throw them in the cornfield afterwards. They always seem to disappear overnight.

Your kids aren't doing anything different than any other kid I grew up with. Great way to keep the inlaws from coming over though!

When I was a kid on the farm in the 50s and 60s I shot cowbirds and dropped them off by the food dish for our farm cats. Those cats enjoyed a fresh meal of cowbird. That improved my shooting eye too. I see no problem beerbobber31.

What good is being 10 years old with a BB gun and not shooting all the above? People nowadays are wacked is all I can say. They do not know of the problems out of control populations of animals/birds/fish do to the environment. They view one thing, you killed something. Well, I am an omnivore which means I am a HUNTER/gatherer, so ya? Same with fur, most fur bearers are nuisance animals that are going to get killed off for the problems they cause so may as well use them for fur. Nope, the wack jobs only see one thing, the killing. I could go on and on because there are soooo many other things in this world that are really F'd, and nothing surprises me anymore.

Wish I had a nickel for every critter (whether it could fly, crawl, slither, hop, or run) I put down with my BB and/or pellet gun, or my lemon-wood bow, when I was a kid. We were young and adventurous. And stupid! We choose sides and had BB gunfights. I've still got a small chunk of my left ear missing, a battle scar from back then. Seems to me a boy, a BB gun, and a target are a good combination to learn about life. The boy's dad has already learned how narrow-minded some relatives can be.

Sparrows (brought from England) and Starlings (brought also from England) are invasive species like Carp ( brought from Germany) and should be exterminated like the invasive water weeds Zebra Mussels et al. Grackles however are a native species and because of the good they do destroying above said non native birds eggs and hatchings. Leave the Grackles be as they are your partner in destroying non native birds.

Buy him a wrist rocket. All the great times riding around the neighborhood shooting birds, chippers and rabbits with the wrist-o.

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I wish my in-laws would leave. They do the reverse, stay too long and eat all my food. You're a lucky guy;)

I had a neighbor that when he was a kid had a bird book. He showed me the book and he'd checkmark each bird he shot. There were a a ton of checkmarks he had in that book. I had to check and see that the author didn't have a checkmark next to him. ROTFL

A couple of friends and I used to do bunny and chipper drive with wrist rockets. We made chipper pelts for the handles of our slingshots. One day, we shot a few black birds, breasted them and fried them in butter. Dumb kids but we sure had fun.

European house sparrows and starlings should be shot year round as non-native invasive species. Cow birds do lay eggs in other birds nests. However, if you cannot tell the difference between a grackle, cowbird, starling, and blackbird .... then you should not be attempting to shoot them. JMHO

I agree with sagittarius.

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