Today I'm after Blue Jays...

[TJDIV]

I don't know what it is about these birds. All the other birds get along, then 25 Jays drop in and run them all off.


Well it's a Christmas Story with the Daisy BB Gun today.


Are there any actual cures that the 85 year olds don't know about up here? Grandma has a 3 legged cat and I'm helping him out with some "hunting".

[lunyou]

it's funny my mom didn't care what birds I shot at with my BB gun when I was growing up as long as they weren't Robins, Blue Birds, Cardinals, or Blue Jays.

I can understand the Robins, Blue Birds(state bird), and cardinals. But Blue Jays are like the terrorists of the bird community. They push eggs out of nests and trick other birds into raising their young, bully the rest of the bird community, and they are just plain mean. But I couldn't shoot them. Take some out for me.

lunyou

[carboncycles]

Blue jays are illegal to shoot in texas...personally i think they are pretty cool unlike grackles (sp?)

[TJDIV]

Originally Posted by lunyou

it's funny my mom didn't care what birds I shot at with my BB gun when I was growing up as long as they weren't Robins, Blue Birds, Cardinals, or Blue Jays.

I can understand the Robins, Blue Birds(state bird), and cardinals. But Blue Jays are like the terrorists of the bird community. They push eggs out of nests and trick other birds into raising their young, bully the rest of the bird community, and they are just plain mean. But I couldn't shoot them. Take some out for me.

lunyou

Got 4 of 'em for you. I winged one and gave it to the 3 legged cat for a spell.


Blue Jays and Cow Birds. Too many of them around here right now.


I don't shoot ANYTHING anymore, but watching 20 to 30 Blue Jays run all the other birds off got a bit annoying. I'm trying to bring the ducks in right now and the Blue Jays are eating all the corn.

I surprised myself grabbing the old Daisy BB gun again for old times sake....and Blue Jays are TOUGH. I must've bounced 15 BB's off birds today, a couple feathers and they fly away.

Not gonna use the 22 though.

[fsusteve]

I used to like them when they'd show up here in the winter time, till I watched them gang up on every other type of bird or even my dog and cats, mean little bastards.

[TJDIV]

Originally Posted by carboncycles

Blue jays are illegal to shoot in texas...personally i think they are pretty cool unlike grackles (sp?)

Originally Posted by fsusteve

I used to like them when they'd show up here in the winter time, till I watched them gang up on every other type of bird or even my dog and cats, mean little bastards.

I actually really like them. If you watch them long enough you'll see some of them have a good temperament toward other birds, and some don't. I'm patient enough to watch and go for the bad attitude type. (it may sound strange, but there really is a noticeable difference between individual Jays)

The ones that drop in and run all the other birds off.......get to meet Ms. Daisy.

[romegadave]

I noticed that they seem to call fellow jays in the morning...so in they come to run everybody else off...I am a morning person when possible so when I would see the first jay I will blow on a whistle to run them off...seems like they move on and the good birds come in--my .02

[romegadave]

and if not....they die!

[webelk6]

Blue Jays will ward off important game. Like yelping when a nice 10 pointer comes in close. Crows are good for it too. I say shoot em. They prolly taste like chicken.

[Landpimp]

I warned them for months........then took out the ole Crossman and took out 8 of them in 10mins.......

best shoot(and Connie watched it) was 50+ yards(neighbors tree) in a tree in the wind, with a Crossman pump pistol.......droped em

but yes, some seem much nicer than others, most are just a PITA to other critters

[TJDIV]

I will say, the oddest part is after I popped 4 of the "aggressors" the larger flock never came back and there weren't ever more than 4 or 5 in a group on the ground (which is normal compared to the other birds)....best part is that I'm sitting on the ground for 20 minutes hardly moving shooting Blue Jays and the Humming Birds sit right next to me on the feeder and watch.

Ahh...the small things in life....snapped several pics yesterday...

[carboncycles]

very cool w/ the feeder...I need to do something like that. maybe the birds can help control the damn cottonwood borer problem ive got going :|

['74 UA FJ]

So, you're saying that blue jays = pit bulls?

[TJDIV]

Originally Posted by '74 UA FJ

So, you're saying that blue jays = pit bulls?

Hmmm......I suppose.


I'd have to upgrade the one pump daisy bb gun though....

[agomez]

Originally Posted by '74 UA FJ

So, you're saying that blue jays = pit bulls?

please not anymore!!!!lol......cool pics .....golden finch....we don't get those down here....I have seen one once....birds are cool.

[bull]

I bet a 410 gauge shot wouldn't bounce off them

[Bogo]

Originally Posted by bull

I bet a 410 gauge shot wouldn't bounce off them

Also one of them high velocity pellet guns.

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

When he gave us our air-riffles Atticus wouldn’t teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn’t interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem one day, “I’d rather you shoot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

From To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I wern't smart enough to read it yet , but my daughter pointed that passage to me today after a conversation about blue jays

Butt

[Bikerso]

A 22-250 makes nice work of birds and usually leaves small enough pieces that make good fertilizer so there is nothing to pickup in the end. Seem to be getting a lot of the brown headed cow birds around here and they even chase away the much larger quail--time to break out the 7mm. Nice photos of the birds!