Pigeon control...

[mowin]

Just got a email from a client asking if I could, or new anyone that could do pigeon control at his barns. He's been trying with a BB gun, but it's a loosing battle.

So, is it legal to shoot them?  Be good trap shooting practice... Does anyone eat these rats on wings? 

[G-Man]

Yes you can shoot, I've had squab in a restaurant never made one myself. 

[ny hunter]

It is supposed to be pretty good I hear never had it my self.... Please let us know..,

[mowin]

32 minutes ago, ny hunter said:

It is supposed to be pretty good I hear never had it my self.... Please let us know..,

Not sure if I'll try eating them.  Can't get the image of a rat with wings outta my head. Lol

[Splitear]

Street chickens! One of the local FFA's in Illinois would have a pest competition every year, and would award points for various pests/varmints. I don't remember what a pigeon was worth, but I know they were on the list. 

From what I can see, totally legal in NYS, as they are an unprotected species.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27801.html

Edited October 20, 2020 by Splitear

[ny hunter]

18 minutes ago, mowin said:

Not sure if I'll try eating them.  Can't get the image of a rat with wings outta my head. Lol

LOL...,

[Arcade Hunter]

I used to shoot them with a bb gun upstairs in the barn.. and yes, they are very good eating.

[GreeneHunter]

I enjoy watching this on Youtube .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5YPphCBMEg

[Bolt action]

Is it really much different than eating squirrel? City, dumpster diving squirrels that eat garbage, no way. But grain and nut fed squirrels from the country? They're not bad IMO. Pigeon is likely the same. You just have to get past the image of flocks of them eating garbage in the streets. I'd be willing to try them if i knew where they came from. 

[Jeremy K]

Tell him to contact a falconer , they've brought them into the plant here when the pigeons get out of control . I came in one morning to blood and feathers all over the job I was working on ,there was a hawk in the rafter eating a pigeon.

[Marion]

Tell him to contact a falconer , they've brought them into the plant here when the pigeons get out of control . I came in one morning to blood and feathers all over the job I was working on ,there was a hawk in the rafter eating a pigeon.

Awesome!

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[Team Hoyt]

Shoot them up, we get a group together at the fire station a couple of times a year and hit up the local farms. Its a good time 

[ncountry]

The roofs of many local barns have  holes in their roof to attest to my marksmanship , or lack of when I was a young kid.. ;)..10 pumps would blast right through an old tin roof if you missed and went between the wood and right into the metal..lol.. I never did eat any.

[Arcade Hunter]

2 hours ago, Bolt action said:

Is it really much different than eating squirrel? City, dumpster diving squirrels that eat garbage, no way. But grain and nut fed squirrels from the country? They're not bad IMO. Pigeon is likely the same. You just have to get past the image of flocks of them eating garbage in the streets. I'd be willing to try them if i knew where they came from. 

Ill bet most folks have this same image.  The pigeons I have eaten were all grain eaters, not bubble gum and cigarette butt eaters.. 

[Elmo]

11 hours ago, Bolt action said:

Is it really much different than eating squirrel? City, dumpster diving squirrels that eat garbage, no way. But grain and nut fed squirrels from the country? They're not bad IMO. Pigeon is likely the same. You just have to get past the image of flocks of them eating garbage in the streets. I'd be willing to try them if i knew where they came from. 

I've had one.  A city one at that.  Just to try.  It was fine.  I wouldn't make a habit out of eating city pigeons but country ones I wouldn't have an issue.

[Bolt action]

11 hours ago, Elmo said:

I've had one.  A city one at that.  Just to try.  It was fine.  I wouldn't make a habit out of eating city pigeons but country ones I wouldn't have an issue.

Come to think of it I probably have to. I ate at China Dragon just last week. 

[Pygmy]

Pigeons are great fun to wingshoot, but you'll probably never get then all that way....One way to really put a  hurting on them is to shoot them inside the barn at night with a spot light...You can pretty much clean them out that way..You need to use  a BB gun or pellet rifle that is low powered enough to NOT shoot holes in your roof, however

[biggamefish]

They get smart if you are wing shooting them with a shotgun. You will get a couple shots off and they will circle the first time or two then they fly off. They come back but it seems to be sporadic. They seem to move to the next farm then come back later in the day or the next day all together. Get them while they roost and it like shooting fish in a barrel.

[mowin]

Will .22 bird shot punch through a tin roof? 

Edited October 23, 2020 by mowin

[ncountry]

Just now, mowin said:

Will .22 bird shot punch through a ton roof? 

Not normally from the ground.

[mowin]

6 minutes ago, ncountry said:

Not normally from the ground.

Might be a option.   I've got several hundred rounds of bird shot that was given to me that I didn't think I'd ever get to use.  

[josephmrtn]

I killed hundreds of pigeons growing up with BB guns, 22's and various shotguns on our farm. Never ate any but they are fun target practice

[Elmo]

I met John Durant at an event once  and he introduced me to Steve Rinella.  They told me about Jackson Lander's.  After watching the video, I decided I had to give it a shot.  FYI:  Steve Rinella was also telling me how he would trap squirrels in his backyard (this was when he was living in Brooklyn) and eat them.  I pass on the city squirrel but gave the pigeon a try.

https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/a20453541/eating-invasive-species-with-jackson-landers/

[Pygmy]

2 hours ago, mowin said:

Might be a option.   I've got several hundred rounds of bird shot that was given to me that I didn't think I'd ever get to use.  

.22 shot shells would work and would not punch through the roof...The limiting factor might be the range..They are effective to perhaps 20 feet..  BTW, unless you happen to have a smoothbore .22, shotshells tend to pattern better from a handgun than a rifle.. Sounds strange, but  I get better patterns from my 6" bbl revolver than any of my rifles..It may be because in a longer barrel, the rifling whips the shot around more, blowing the pattern...Just a theory...Be sure to wear your safety goggles if you shoot them inside a building...I have never  been hit by a ricocheting shot pellet, but it is a distinct possibility...

Edited October 23, 2020 by Pygmy

[Splitear]

2 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

.22 shot shells would work and would not punch through the roof...The limiting factor might be the range..They are effective to perhaps 20 feet..  BTW, unless you happen to have a smoothbore .22, shotshells tend to pattern better from a handgun than a rifle.. Sounds strange, but  I get better patterns from my 6" bbl revolver than any of my rifles..It may be because in a longer barrel, the rifling whips the shot around more, blowing the pattern...Just a theory...

I think that's the correct thinking, I would imagine the rifling tends to throw the shot around as it goes down the barrel. The more rifling it encounters (long gun/barrel) the more impact this would have on turbulence out of the barrel causing a super open pattern.