invasive

[Bedrock Bob]

If you think you aren't putting a dent in their pest population you should certainly have a talk with them. They might have to use traps, poison or biological control. That's what's most effective.

If you think hunting can affect the numbers and spread of any invasive species you should have a talk with a biologist. Or simply read up on the subject. In certain areas with certain critters hunting can be very effective. But it is not a viable control for any invasive species. Not even the ones that make good targets.

I think you can see the difference between what I'm saying and what you are pretending I'm saying. I think everyone else can too. Let's just drop it. I'm sorry my post caused you distress.

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

He said “hunters provide little value”….

That’s absolutely NOT true.

I, and other “hunters”, provide the only true value there is. Ask the landowners.

Hunters, includes ALL hunters: backyard pesters, landowner-permission shooters, professional exterminators, gov’t hunters, etc.

Again, I ask, are we to simply let them be and hope they go away?

Well I know plenty of us on here sit and shoot hundreds of birds a year or month for some. Do I still see the power wires lined from end to end with starlings? Oh yeah. We ain't making a dent in the end.

Birds lay multiple eggs multiple times a year. Rodents and lizards even more.

Unless every single person were to get out there and shoot them dusk til dawn, I don't think it's really going to put a dent in the population. I mentioned the Barred owl problem in the NW. Half million of them need to be culled? Good luck with getting all them without burning the whole damn forest down.

 

[Ezana4CE]

If you think you aren't putting a dent in their pest population you should certainly have a talk with them. They might have to use traps, poison or biological control. That's what's most effective.

If you think hunting can affect the numbers and spread of any invasive species you should have a talk with a biologist. Or simply read up on the subject. In certain areas with certain critters hunting can be very effective. But it is not a viable control for any invasive species. Not even the ones that make good targets.

I think you can see the difference between what I'm saying and what you are pretending I'm saying. I think everyone else can too. Let's just drop it. I'm sorry my post caused you distress.

@Bedrock Bob You may want to re-read what I typed. Then ask yourself, "why did I quote this post with the above replies?"

 

[Coinwa]

I frequently talk to state biologists…..

Why is it, they want me to shoot every sparrow, starling, and collard dove I can?

Obviously…. they’ve not come to the same conclusion you have.

Maybe you’re the one playing biologist?

 

[Bedrock Bob]

@Bedrock Bob You may want to re-read what I typed. Then ask yourself, "why did I quote this post with the above replies?"

I edited it. I don't know what happened. I wanted to quote the fellows post and got a bunch of quotes. Sorry. This has nothing to do with you. As soon as I posted I went back and cut the quotes out. I'm still getting used to this editor.

 

[LDP]

I eat everything I kill. I don't like eating lizards so I don't kill them.

Do you trap mice in your home?

Do you eat them?

Yes I kill mice. I use traps and poison because shooting them is not effective control.

I am still waiting for the answer to this question? So do you eat the mice

 

[Coinwa]

Traps, and poison, are indiscriminate…. and poison can create bioaccumulation problems up the food chain, probably why we don’t use much of it anymore.

Are they effective? Darn Right… and they’re often MORE “effective”

Do they provide value? Ehhhhhh…. Here’s where we disagree on “value”… because it really depends on if you’re the target species or not.

On eating mice…. We can certainly agree.

Tell you what…. You keep sticking your head in the invasive species sand…. and I’ll keep putting invasive species in the dirt.

I’m out on this…..

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I am still waiting for the answer to this question? So do you eat the mice

Of course not.

But then you knew that. You understood exactly what I said in both posts. Then decided to interpret them in a way that seemed contradictory.

I must ask why? I think both quotes taken in context are very clear. But you chose to engage a conversation based on some perceived conflict in my wording. I'm not sure I want to go down this path again today.

Let's start over. I'm Bob. I'm from New Mexico. Way out in the sticks. I like to hunt and shoot pellet guns. Let's have a real conversation instead of this BS.

 

[LDP]

Why did you get defensive? How could I know you do not eat mice? You said you eat everything you kill. Yes I understood exactly what you said in both posts I even quoted them and you said you eat everything you kill and you confirmed you kill mice. So no I didnt interpret anything or in a way that was contradictory. Those are your own words exactly as you typed them how can that be contradictory on my part? I will fix it for you: You contradicted yourself and got defensive when it was mentioned and asked if you really eat mice. If you cant see a little humor and laugh at my post for what it was instead of getting defensive and looking to find someone trying to attack you I would suggest taking a walk outside and relaxing a little bit or maybe kill a few mice.

Dont take everything so seriously its a joke. I like to hunt, pest and just shoot I also like to make lite of things people say and crack some jokes, after all one day we will all be dead so why not enjoy the time and yes sometimes the joke is at other peoples expense or my own but everyone should be laughing not being defensive.

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

Ok guys, I'm going to help everyone out here. Just send me the mice. I'll eat them for you.



Not the poisoned ones though, they make me terribly gassy.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Why did you get defensive? How could I know you do not eat mice? You said you eat everything you kill. Yes I understood exactly what you said in both posts I even quoted them and you said you eat everything you kill and you confirmed you kill mice. So no I didnt interpret anything or in a way that was contradictory. Those are your own words exactly as you typed them how can that be contradictory on my part? I will fix it for you: You contradicted yourself and got defensive when it was mentioned and asked if you really eat mice. If you cant see a little humor and laugh at my post for what it was instead of getting defensive and looking to find someone trying to attack you I would suggest taking a walk outside and relaxing a little bit or maybe kill a few mice.

Dont take everything so seriously its a joke. I like to hunt, pest and just shoot I also like to make lite of things people say and crack some jokes, after all one day we will all be dead so why not enjoy the time and yes sometimes the joke is at other peoples expense or my own but everyone should be laughing not being defensive.

So what kind of air rifle do you shoot?

How far out do you think you could hit that lizard with it?

I have a couple plastic lizards I use for targets. The small one is about that size. He's no problem at 70 yards with a rested gun. A head shot every time wouldn't be easy. But I think the HW97 could do it more often than not.

I think I could hit him in the grease at 50 yards offhand with iron sights. I don't think I could guarantee a head shot. No worries. It's just a freaking plastic lizard anyway.

 

[coastal drifter]

So what kind of air rifle do you shoot?

How far out do you think you could hit that lizard with it?

I have a couple plastic lizards I use for targets. The small one is about that size. He's no problem at 70 yards with a rested gun. A head shot every time wouldn't be easy. But I think the HW97 could do it more often than not.

I could hit him in the grease at 50 yards offhand. I don't think I could guarantee a head shot. No worries. It's just a freaking lizard anyway. Hit him anywhere but the tail and he's going to need emergency medical attention.

I currently have 4 air guns, my favorite being a FX Impact m3. Mostly I shoot in my yard at paper 60 yards. I have hit shot gun shells out to 130yards with pretty good success maybe 7 out of 10 on a calm day, benched of course. You're a better shot than me off hand. I also have a HW77 I'm just beginning to get good with. My best-off hand shooter was a HW95 I sold. I had a Williams peep sight on it and could put a few holes in the bottom of a beer can at 50 yards. It's not that I haven't killed a few critters I just don't want to kill everything crosses my yard.

 

[LDP]

I currently have all PCP rifles. I owned cheaper hatsans up to FX and daystates. Currently I have 5 FX rifles, 3 BSA and 1 AA S510. Unless something comes out that really grabs my attention thats probably how my collection will sit for awhile. I cut my teeth on a crosman 760 pump master at around 6 years old. Based on average size of a basilisk lizard I would take a poke at him out to 100 yds on a calm day if he was just sitting there enjoying some sun using a bipod. I had a TX200 underlever .177 that I should have kept it had a really nicely figured walnut stock. That TX would easily take out HOSP at 60 - 70 yds if the wind didnt ruin the shot. I dont do much off hand shooting with small game. I like to take headshots unless its a starling at further ranges so I setup with a bipod and snipe ground squirrels, rockchucks or pest birds.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I currently have 4 air guns, my favorite being a FX Impact m3. Mostly I shoot in my yard at paper 60 yards. I have hit shot gun shells out to 130yards with pretty good success maybe 7 out of 10 on a calm day, benched of course. You're a better shot than me off hand. I also have a HW77 I'm just beginning to get good with. My best-off hand shooter was a HW95 I sold. I had a Williams peep sight on it and could put a few holes in the bottom of a beer can at 50 yards. It's not that I haven't killed a few critters I just don't want to kill everything crosses my yard.

I got into air guns to improve my offhand shooting. In the past 5 years I've put 600k shots through about 12-15 guns. I only shoot rested with a scope when my back gets sore. I'm doing a steady 1000 shots per week lately.

I love my Diana 34 offhand. I try to not shoot it too much. I don't want to wear it out. I generally shoot a couple hatsan 95's offhand. I have them in thumbhole stocks. They are crap off a rest but they really shoot well offhand. I've worn out 8-9 of them. I'm not ashamed to say I like them. I think they are a good value, they are pretty darn accurate once the spring breaks, and I'm not heartbroken when I trash one.

I shoot the HW95 but I keep a scope on it. Again to pace the shot count. It's a fantastic offhand gun. I have a relatively new HW97kt that's fantastic rested. I've been shooting it a lot sitting in a patch of shade in a lawn chair this summer. A 410 shell at 70 yards is about 60% after you find the sweet spot.

If I was down in South Florida at ground zero of the serpent invasion I'd be shooting the hatsan with iron sights. But I bet some of those shots in trees and foliage would suit a scoped gun better. So I'd probably pack the HW95 too.

 

[L.Leon]

For me its a two edged sword, because in my home backyard, I many times give a pass to certain pest birds that I kill without mercy on the farm… I dislike picking winners and losers feeding at my suet cakes. So some pests get lucky, if they start to number too many then I will cull a few and the rest just leave. Rats and mice get zero quarter anyplace I can send a pellet into them…

 

[Bedrock Bob]

For me its a two edged sword, because in my home backyard, I many times give a pass to certain pest birds that I kill without mercy on the farm… I dislike picking winners and losers feeding at my suet cakes. So some pests get lucky, if they start to number too many then I will cull a few and the rest just leave. Rats and mice get zero quarter anyplace I can send a pellet into them…

The subject of ethical shots is a sticky one. I agree with you. If I was shooting a mouse or a lizard I'd nail him anywhere.

If a guy is worried too much about a quick dispatch on a mouse you better not go big game hunting. Every shot does not kill immediately. They don't always flop over. A well placed ethical shot takes several seconds. Often much more.

I'm not going to sweat it if a gut shot mouse kicks around a bit before I step on his head. I'd worry a lot more about him dying in the wall. Any shot that stops your target is a good one. You can finish him pretty quick after that. That's as ethical as I feel a guy needs to be with a rodent or a bird.

 

[RickH]

I can’t believe I wasted 20 minutes of my life reading what is mostly a big pissing contest.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I can’t believe I wasted 20 minutes of my life reading what is mostly a big pissing contest.

You think you have wasted time. I spent the whole afternoon pissing in a contest.

 

[boscoebrea]

I would say something smart, but I can't, plus it would be out of place.

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

I'm still waiting for my mice. Getting pretty hungry guys.