GTA
All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Hunting Gate => Topic started by: only1harry on July 23, 2010, 04:53:16 PM
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The Grackles have become a lot more challenging and are starting to learn my strategies, different methods and approach I use to get a shot at them without being spotted. But that's ok, I like a challenge, hehe.
Yesterday I got 5 Grackles. 2 of them were off-hand shots at around 21 and 24yds. These 2 were sitting in the trees watching the cat food in the backyard and waiting for someone else to make their move first. Not surprisingly it didn't take them long to discover that the cat food bowl is dangerous. 3 others not so smart flew in quietly to steal the cat food and met the same fate from the RWS 850 .22 using 14.3gr CPHP's.
Last night a possum also visited early around 9:15 pm to finish off the cat food after he ate one of the Grackles. I can't wait until the regular season in the Fall so I can start shooting some fur, now that I have run out of Groundhogs.
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20birds/July%2022_10/20100722_0666.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20birds/July%2022_10/20100722_0670.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20birds/July%2022_10/20100722_0671.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20birds/July%2022_10/20100722_0667.jpg)
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/only1harry/Hunting/2010%20off-season/2010%20birds/July%2022_10/20100722_0672.jpg)
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Great shooting Harry! Keep getting those nasty devils!
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Great shooting and pic's Harry..kill em all. ;D Ed
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Thanks Ed and Dave.
They have learned to stay away from that food bowl now. Not one came yesterday and today. The Grackle's learning curve was very quick. It took the Starlings about a month to finally stay away from the bait last winter. It only took the Grackles 1 week, but it's summer and I 'm sure they can find food elsewhere. The Starlings were starving over the winter but were still extremely cautious and jumpy. After about 10 days, they adapted by flying in very quickly, grab a piece and take off, spending only 1-3secs on the ground, making it hard to get a shot off. I adapted too by taking quick shots without delay as soon as they landed and I had them in the crosshairs. It was very interesting watching the Starlings try different things. They eventually ended up doing fly-by's to try to grab a piece of cat food making it impossible to take a shot, but they were not very good at it, and most times they got nothing. I can see why they have spread throughout the country in such high numbers. They learn and adapt very quickly.
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harry, i love the hole in the right side of one of those pictures (in the bowl) i'm guessing you overpenetrated something?
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Yes, a possum's head. I can't remember if it was a 21gr Kodiak or 28.4gr Eun Jin. After it went through its head, it went through the side of the steel bowl. I had a similar shot with the .25 Condor, and after the 31gr Kodiak went through the possum's (or coon's?) head, it bounced back and hit the side of the house less than 2ft over my head and barely missed the window glass. It probably hit the inside of the steel bowl at a greater angle and richoceted. It did put a great big dent in it though. That 31gr Kodiak should have penetrated it because it was carrying at least 10 more FPE than the 21gr Kodiak, so I can't really explain it, but I do know that it takes more than 20fpe to have a passthrough shot on the hardest part of the possum's skull, so you have to subtract that from the FPE down range. I have shot possums at 22yds with the 350 .22 and dont' think I ever got an exit wound.
In the 1st pic you can see a lot of dings in it. Those are all from the RWS 850 .22 which has about 1/5th the power of the .22 Condor and 1/6-1/7 that of the .25 Condors. This is the 2nd plate btw. The 1st one had at least 2-3 holes in it from the .22 & .25 Condors after the pellets went through large critter's heads first.
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Nice shootin and yes ,they are smart ,they are like a miniature crow. ;)