Truck Gun Hunt

[longislandhunter]

Took a ride to the duck farm this afternoon just to see what was going on.  Pulled into my usual parking spot and when I looked at the duck pen that was to my left I saw a huge flock of pigeons, had to be at least 75 birds, bellied up to the grain feeders.  There was no way to stalk close enough for a shot because it was all open ground between me and them but I had an idea.  I lifted up the back seat of the truck and pulled the Winnie 800 out of her gun case.  I loaded a JSB Express domed pellet and laid the rifle on the passenger seat, then I put the truck in gear and ever so slowly inched the truck closer to the birds.  As soon as I saw the birds starting to get nervous I stopped the truck, shouldered the Winnie 800, took aim at a bird that gave me a broadside shot, raised the crosshairs just a hair high and fired.  At the shot all the birds took flight, except one  

I exited the truck and went to retrieve my harvest, pacing off the distance as I went.  Wound up being 45 yards exactly and the pellet had struck the bird at the base of the head.  The little Winnie 800 truck gun had come through again



I waited around for a little while hoping to get another shot but the birds never came back.

Jeff

[dk1677]

Nice shooting Jeff!

[longislandhunter]

Thanks.  I haven't really been doing any air gun hunting lately because I've been spending most of my free time in the woods setting up and tending trail cameras and doing general scouting so I'll be all set for the opening of bow season on October 1st, but it felt really good to harvest a meal with air again 

Jeff

[Lochlainn]

what's your favorite way to eat them ?

[pindog2000]

Jeff what scope u have on that lady of urs

[Atchman2]

Hey man that was great! One of the things that some folk forget is animals are used to seeing cars and trucks.  They aren't a threat.  However when you open the door......

One of the ways you hunt prairie dogs in KS is to hunt them from a wagon pulled behind a tractor. They just don't have a fear of a farm implement like they do something walking. 

In fact it reminds me of the movie Jerimiah Johnson where he says "they don't know how many legs a horse has" or something to that effect  

[Atchman2]

LOL Found it!

Jeremiah Johnson: [Jeremiah and Bear Claw hunt elk] Wind's right, but he'll just run soon as we step out of these trees.
Bear Claw Chris Lapp: Trick to it. Walk out on this side of your horse.
Jeremiah Johnson: What if he sees our feet?
Bear Claw Chris Lapp: Elk don't know how many feet a horse has!

[oldpink]

LOL Found it!

Jeremiah Johnson: [Jeremiah and Bear Claw hunt elk] Wind's right, but he'll just run soon as we step out of these trees.
Bear Claw Chris Lapp: Trick to it. Walk out on this side of your horse.
Jeremiah Johnson: What if he sees our feet?
Bear Claw Chris Lapp: Elk don't know how many feet a horse has!

Loved that scene with Redford and Will Geer.
And, yes, I have the movie on DVD.
What's even funnier is how Redford's horse smacks into him at the shot, then Redford gets knocked out in a delayed reaction.

[oldpink]

Maybe if you had taken along the shrouded Condor, you could have knocked off more than just the one bird.
 

[longislandhunter]

Thanks guys.  My favorite way to prepare them is to simply give em a good coating of spices and fry until they're golden brown

As for the scope, it's a BSA fixed 4X with AO.  It's my absolute favorite kind of 4X "plain" scope.  I have quite a few of them, mostly on my Chinese shooters.  Since it was going to be my truck gun I just wanted to keep it as simple as possible.  That little rifle shoots dime sized groups at 30 all day if I do my part.  Best $29 bucks I ever spent  

Jeff

[only1harry]

Perfect 45yd shot Jeff!  Glad to see you were able to get to the farm today.  It must be overrun with Groundhogs by now  

That looks like a good sized pigeon.   The 800 probably paid for itself after the first couple of birds.   

[Mebits]

This might be a good jumping off point...I doubt that you'd miss the truffle oil.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/warm-squab-salad-with-aged-goat-cheese-white-chicory-and-wild-mushroom-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html

[shadow]

Great shooting and pic there Jeff and should make for a fine meal with a side. Ed

[Mebits]

BTW, I am so jealous of you guys with edible pigeons that you can go after!

[longislandhunter]

Thanks guys, it did feel really good to get out there again with an air gun.  I may try to get out this afternoon and do some g-hog hunting.  My trail cams won't need tending for another 4 or 5 days so I'm hoping to get back out with the air guns. 

I'm going to pair this pigeon up with another one I had stashed away in the freezer and have a squab lunch later 

Jeff

[oldpink]

BTW, I am so jealous of you guys with edible pigeons that you can go after!

Same here.
The pigeons around here are little disease sponges.
I wouldn't eat one if my life depended upon it.
 

[Mebits]

Actually, I'd be a lot less worried about disease (save histoplasmosis and similar--in case you're doing a renovation while hunting ).

The thing you need to be concerned about is lead. In the cities, most of these birds are roosting/nesting on old homes with deteriorating or deteriorated box gutters. That paint is lead and the paint is turning to dust through oxidation and general deterioration.  As such, eating those birds is increasing your lead exposure beyond what I'd be comfortable with and way beyond what I'd ever want to see a child consume.

Mark

[oldpink]

Actually, I'd be a lot less worried about disease (save histoplasmosis and similar--in case you're doing a renovation while hunting ).

The thing you need to be concerned about is lead. In the cities, most of these birds are roosting/nesting on old homes with deteriorating or deteriorating box gutters. That paint is lead and the paint is turning to dust through oxidation and general deterioration.  As such, eating those birds is increasing your lead exposure beyond what I'd be comfortable with and way beyond what I'd ever want to see a child consume.

Mark

An excellent point there, and particularly relevant with the first I shot just days ago, as I shot it in a 100+ year old building with plenty of lead paint.

[Mebits]

If they are roosting in there and the paint is in bad condition (look especially for paint dust!), I'd either skip eating those birds, or at least run some of those cheap lead testers in the roosting area to make sure there's no lead paint or none that is deteriorating.

BTW, in my non-professional opinion, if you lay a heavy coat or two of good latex primer or paint over the lead paint, you're going to be fine (though) you may want to wait a season or two.

M