Barn full of starlings

[StarlingChaser]

1st I am very excited about a new place I have access to shoot starlings. The best part is they are just as excited for me to help them with their problem. With that said I went there for the 1st time today. I have never had the problem I had today. Hundreds of birds, 3 hours, 1 shot and 1 bird. This farm is a commercial milking operation so the cows stay under roof. They built this new place 3 years ago in one of their existing fields. It is pretty impressive but there is not one tree, bush, anything. Even the power lines were ran under ground. The only thing above ground are the buildings. My only restrictions are do not shoot in the barn or off the roof and I don`t blame them even though I know the roof peek would be safe. They just don`t want to risk it. Long story short the birds never land anywhere else, EVER. All the food they want is in the barn. I put out decoys and that didn`t even work. I can`t bait them. They love the high end molasses covered food the cows get. They say they will land on the ground when it gets really cold out and there are over 1000 birds a day. Ya I know goose bumps! Any ideas you guys may have used that may help. *(&^ I am even willing to put up a couple poles and a fake electric cable if they are in for it.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

Maybe you could get some of the cow's "molasses feed" and set up a bait station outside in a more favorable location.

[StarlingChaser]

Ya I thought about that but would they go to a new spot when they are used to the all you can eat buffet and I would have to spread the farmers feed all over the ground. I guess I will have to ask them.

[A.K.A. Tommy Boy]

You could spread out an old bed sheet on the ground and put the feed on that. After you are done just fold up the sheet for a quick & easy clean up.  Also string up some perch wire above the bait station for them to perch on. Lizzie says that they are attracted to her Purple Martin houses. Maybe put one of those in the bait station area too. I've never seen a starling anywhere around my place so I don't know much about them myself but there is always a way. The farmers won't miss the feed that you ask them for, they are putting out thousands of pounds more than you would ever use. I wouldn't think that they would mind as long as there was not a mess when you leave. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

[Mosin Marine]

Get yourself a ground blind and camo yourself up, starlings have a habit of knowing a trap when they see one

[StarlingChaser]

Get yourself a ground blind and camo yourself up, starlings have a habit of knowing a trap when they see one

I was using a camo blind. I could get real close to them in the barn. They still only hung out in or on the barn. I think I will spread out some cat food and see if they want something different. It was funny they would swoop down just above the decoys but never land. I don`t get a chance to get out enough to do routine baiting due to work. I know if I could it would work but don`t think a random feeding will work. These things have tunnel vision for that barn. I think they feel safe around the cows also. The cows act different when people are around and the birds know it.

[Mosin Marine]

For bait you could try some suet cakes, they cant resist suet cakes lol

[StarlingChaser]

For bait you could try some suet cakes, they cant resist suet cakes lol

I have read alot about them but never used them. I prefer shooting them from a tree or a power line but whatever it takes. I did get a chance to talk to the owner this morning and he is OK with me running a rope from the front peak of the barn to the top of the pump house. That is at least 30+ feet off the ground and would be at least 150' long. That will do it. He said he would even raise me up there with a loader so I can do it. He really wants me to thin these things out. They figure they loose a couple hundred pounds of food a day in the winter not to mention all the bird poop on the cows and in their food. Did I mention how much noise all those starlings make, lol.

[Mosin Marine]

For bait you could try some suet cakes, they cant resist suet cakes lol

I have read alot about them but never used them. I prefer shooting them from a tree or a power line but whatever it takes. I did get a chance to talk to the owner this morning and he is OK with me running a rope from the front peak of the barn to the top of the pump house. That is at least 30+ feet off the ground and would be at least 150' long. That will do it. He said he would even raise me up there with a loader so I can do it. He really wants me to thin these things out. They figure they loose a couple hundred pounds of food a day in the winter not to mention all the bird poop on the cows and in their food. Did I mention how much noise all those starlings make, lol.

Hope it works out well for you!

[dv8eod]

With those kind of numbers, it might be easier to electrify the roof.... 
What gun are you using? Do you have a low powered one that wouldn't punch holes in the roof? Maybe there is a high point you could access to get on the same level as the birds?
I can understand the owners concerns for their new barn, just means a lot of creative thinking is in order. You might try downloading baby starling distress calls and playing them near your bait station. Just have to hide the speaker and move it around often.

[JimQwerty123]

I have a low power (CCS 2400KT) that I occasionally use in a neighbor's barn. She was worried about damage to the barn so we took a scrap sheet of tin and set it up at about ten yards. I let her take several shots at it so she could see that it would not do major damage (a couple of dents) to the tin. After that she was fine with me shooting under the barn. I wasn't sure I was going to get the 2400 back because she liked is so much.

If you have a low power air rifle, maybe you can set up a similar demonstration with the land owner. Also, there is a couple of videos from the guy in England (I believe) where he is shooting under a barn but makes sure that he uses an i-beam for a backstop. Maybe you could show the land owner one of these videos.

Hope this helps,

Jim

[longislandhunter]

Congratulations on obtaining permission on an absolutely awesome starling location.  I hunted for several years t on a commercial duck farm and, like your location, it had literally thousands of starlings visiting each day to gorge themselves on the commercial duck feed.  In my case it was easy shooting as their were trees located near the huge barns and the starlings would land in the trees in huge flocks.  That duck farm unfortunately shut down several years ago and I almost cried when I lost that pesting site, but what can you do.   Anyway, your rope idea will definitely work, they'll land on it within moments of you putting it up.  The starlings at the duck farm would land by the hundreds on the electric lines on the farm.  They will land on anything you put up. Might sound like a dumb idea but I was thinking....... how about putting up one of those umbrella type folding clothes lines, you know the ones I mean ?  They open just like an umbrella.  They are made of aluminum, very light and are sold with a solid base that the pole fits into so you can set it up anywhere you want.   Anyway, just a thought.   In any even, once you refine your strategy at that farm you're gonna be in starling heaven.  Congrats again

Jeff

[StarlingChaser]

Thanks for the ideas. I shoot .22 at 910-925 fps. I like taking long shots so I will stay at that level. Gun shoots dime size groups at 50 yds with my set up. It is a Marauder Gen2 which was so so. When I installed the MMHF barrel it became a supper accurate gun with JSB 18.1 pellets. Anyway I don`t want to push any boundaries with this site. They are to hard to come by. He also has the concern with ricochet with the cows and workers as I do also. I could just see putting one of the cows eyes out. I stopped at Lowes today and bought the rope and eye bolts. My range finder said from peak to peak was 40 yds. That is enough room for a lot of birds. I bought 1/2" diameter so it was easy to see and easy for them to perch on. The 5/8" and up was getting kinda pricey. I am even going to put a couple 2' long skinny rope drops on it so I know exactly what the wind is doing.  . If anyone is interested I can post later how it turned out with a pic or two.

[Mosin Marine]

Thanks for the ideas. I shoot .22 at 910-925 fps. I like taking long shots so I will stay at that level. Gun shoots dime size groups at 50 yds with my set up. It is a Marauder Gen2 which was so so. When I installed the MMHF barrel it became a supper accurate gun with JSB 18.1 pellets. Anyway I don`t want to push any boundaries with this site. They are to hard to come by. He also has the concern with ricochet with the cows and workers as I do also. I could just see putting one of the cows eyes out. I stopped at Lowes today and bought the rope and eye bolts. My range finder said from peak to peak was 40 yds. That is enough room for a lot of birds. I bought 1/2" diameter so it was easy to see and easy for them to perch on. The 5/8" and up was getting kinda pricey. I am even going to put a couple 2' long skinny rope drops on it so I know exactly what the wind is doing.  . If anyone is interested I can post later how it turned out with a pic or two.

I am following chuck, will be nice to see how it turned out!

[Smaug2]

So, they have a huge starling problem, the starlings are on or in the barn 90% of the time, but you can't shoot them there.

My recommendation is keep looking for permissions from more rational owners.

[Dairyboy]

That's tough! Hope the plan works out for you.

[Mackado]

I don't know what material the roof uses, metal sheets, plexiglass, ceramic tiles/panels? but since you think it's safe with your AG shooting at 900 FPS..

Instead maybe try a variable accurate pumper to reduce FPS down to only what it takes to drop a Starlin, and then either build secured scaffoldings or rent a Genie Lift with secured Cage to get close to the targets up there and set up shop behind a blind, with less power needed because of proximity and now shooting at an angle instead of directly into the roof, there should be less chances of any damage. Maybe the owners would go for it after a ground level simulation using spare/leftover panels used in the roof.

of course this plan also depends on the shooter not suffering from Vertigo or fear of heights..

[longislandhunter]

Looking forward to your future reports on how your strategy works.  Sounds like you have it well planned out and I think you'll get great shooting. 

Jeff

[beachgunner]

So, they have a huge starling problem, the starlings are on or in the barn 90% of the time, but you can't shoot them there.

My recommendation is keep looking for permissions from more rational owners.

+1...What Jeremy said. The beauty of an air rifle is it's precise, lower power. There must be a way to rig something up in the barn that allows you to ensure the owners that no damage will be done to property or livestock.

Can you rig up a bait station with some of the preferred feed in the barn? Safe backstop. Set distance to your blind.

[StarlingChaser]

OK I will up date when I can. It is probably hard to picture but there are cows in every square inch of the under roof part. I would not shoot in there even if he did OK it. The birds would fall all over the cows and not able to retrieve most of them and there are workers moving cows around between the barn and milk house all day long. I don`t think they would be comfortable with that either. The birds all leave in late afternoon to roost and return early in the morning, the same hours the workers are there. As far as the roof i don`t think they are unreasonable. The other issue with the roof is all the dead birds up there. They are a big outfit with business professionals coming and going. The roof is white metal. They don`t want the paint broke either. As far as the gun and fps. I used to shoot 22 lr and 22 mag all the time. The main reason for the switch was for sound, extra challenge, and added safety of a pellet over a bullet. I still prefer a 50-80 yd shot over a low powered 25 yd shot but that is just me and what I like. Getting the birds away from the barn is what I want to do. I think the rope will work great since I have the OK to put it up and I am going to try to make some suit cakes as some of you have suggested and put them out in the general area of the rope. Thanks again for the ideas.