weedkicker
Blooming
The Utah high desert, zone 1-6 (it's a %$# crap shoot)
Posts: 179
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Post by weedkicker on Jan 21, 2021 13:57:51 GMT -5
No doubt most of you know what a Eurasian collared dove is. They have become ubiquitous around here along with becoming MAJOR pests! They are referred to as “Tree Rats” by even my bird loving neighbors who spend a king’s ransom on bird seed every year. I’m guessing there are at least three dozen living around my place alone, and quite frankly, I’ve had it with them. Their poop is everywhere and covering everything. The playground in my backyard is so covered with the crap that the neighborhood kids won’t even play there anymore. The birds sit on the net poles of the trampoline and I am constantly having to spray the stuff off the tramp.
Now understand I like birds. No, I love birds. I’ve landscaped my property to make it very attractive to birds because I enjoy watching them, listening to them, and just having them around. But the doves are no longer welcome.
For Christmas I bought myself a new Air Venturi Avenger PCP air rifle. My old spring piston rifle simply wasn’t up to the task anymore. After killing half a dozen doves with it they wised up and would fly the second they saw me anywhere on the property. I needed something that would reach out to 75-100 yards, and I needed something much quieter than the old spring piston.
For the past four weeks I have fired over 2000 rounds---testing and tuning this rifle to the point where I can put 5 pellets into a half inch at 100 yards. I have been simply blown away by the accuracy I’m getting. These are .22 cal. 16 gr. pellets at around 850 fps. Simply amazing! I also installed a DonnyFL suppressor that makes the rifle mouse-fart quiet. No disturbing the neighbors, and quiet enough that often the birds don’t even fly when one of their companions tumbles out of the tree next to them. (Hey Fred, it looks like Bill’s been eatin’ them fermented Hawthorn berries again).
Anyway, the dove population is quickly being reduced to something a little more manageable. If any of you have pests that you aren’t averse to using lethal means to control, I can’t recommend this rifle highly enough.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Jan 21, 2021 14:29:16 GMT -5
I used to have morning doves which dined underneath my now retired spruce tree. I enjoyed listening to them and peeking out the window watching them. But I never had more than half a dozen at one time. When the poor old spruce tree came down, they left and haven't returned.
As to the air rifle, it's interesting to read of someone using this freely in his back yard. Obviously you're out in the country? I've never lived so far out that any kind of gun could legally be used in one's yard...children's cap guns, maybe, but not real guns.
One neighbor who's long since passed away was obsessive about his lawn. Our county has home repair loans for people in need. A different neighbor received assistance for a roof replacement and some other work. The "contractor" was a real amateur. Instead of working with his crew, he wandered around the yard on either side of the house under repair, bragging about being a contractor (I suspected this might be his first job, especially since he wasn't employing safe tactics.)
I wasn't there at the time, but another neighbor told me the contractor kept walking on the lawn of one of those people who worships green grass. When he either didn't or wouldn't get off, the home owner went inside and came out with a pistol in his hand.
My neighbor said that within just several minutes 6 police cars arrived.
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jan 21, 2021 14:35:55 GMT -5
the dove population is quickly being reduced How do they cook up?
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Post by gardendmpls on Jan 21, 2021 23:42:51 GMT -5
I was curious about that also. In Texas, people hunt and eat white wing doves and I have heard of them eating mourning doves. Just researched this and it seems they arrived in the US via Florida in the '70s after escaping a pet shop in the Bahamas. They have spread from there across the US (invasive species). They are classified as unprotected and they are supposed to make for good eating. They are larger and have more meat than the mourning doves. www.tsusinvasives.org/home/database/streptopelia-decaoctoidfg.idaho.gov/question/can-you-eat-eurasian-dove
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Post by James on Jan 22, 2021 11:29:24 GMT -5
Air Venturi Avenger PCP air rifle
Sounds like a nice rifle. Enjoy! I enjoy guns and have quite a collection myself.
Yes, I too have Eurasian collared doves coming to the bird feeder.
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weedkicker
Blooming
The Utah high desert, zone 1-6 (it's a %$# crap shoot)
Posts: 179
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Post by weedkicker on Jan 23, 2021 12:54:40 GMT -5
As to the air rifle, it's interesting to read of someone using this freely in his back yard. Obviously you're out in the country? I've never lived so far out that any kind of gun could legally be used in one's yard...children's cap guns, maybe, but not real guns. "Out in the country", so to speak. I live on the edge of a very small town and there is nothing but 100 miles of desert to the north and west of me. I can shoot in either direction without worrying about hitting anything but sagebrush and snakeweed. As far as I know there are no ordinances regulating air rifles here, which isn’t surprising considering the fact that most kids start shooting .22s before they’re in kindergarten. I doubt many of them even know what a Red Ryder or Crossman is. On the other hand, I guarantee you they know what a Ruger or Marlin is. It’s less than a five minute bike ride out of town for any of these kids, and once out of town they are free to shoot to their heart’s content. The pop of a .22 LR on the outskirts of town is as commonplace as the croak of a raven. No one raises an eyebrow.
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weedkicker
Blooming
The Utah high desert, zone 1-6 (it's a %$# crap shoot)
Posts: 179
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Post by weedkicker on Jan 23, 2021 13:00:36 GMT -5
About like liver. In other words, not so good. I’ve eaten lots of mourning doves, white-wings, and band-tails; and while they’re all better than Eurasians, I don’t consider any of them very good. That’s one of the reasons I stopped hunting doves and pigeons years ago---never did much like the taste. Yeah, I know there are ways to supposedly make them better, and I tried many of them, but nothing really appealed to me. Another reason I quit hunting them was because I couldn’t reconcile so much death for so little reward. Ten dead doves for one meal seemed like a poor trade to me. And even if I was inclined to eat these Eurasians, you need to understand that popping one of them through the pump station with a 16gr. diablo at 850fps yields a very different result than killing one with a few #9 pellets. There just isn't much edible meat left to salvage.
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jan 23, 2021 13:29:10 GMT -5
Grilling the Eurasian Collared Dove www.airgunnation.com/topic/grilling-the-eurasian-collared-dove/"This is a fine bird to shoot and a delicious one to eat! ..." Why don't you just bark them or shoot them in the head? There are other articles on different ways to cook them. I'd recommend soaking them in pepper water.
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Post by Wheelgarden on Jan 23, 2021 14:40:54 GMT -5
Lots of dove hunters around here...never tasted dove. But don't go talking bad about liver. I love chicken or beef liver with mushrooms and onions. Mmm-mmm-good, and makes your pee turn bright yellow like asparagus does.
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Post by James on Jan 24, 2021 12:13:20 GMT -5
""Out in the country", so to speak. I live on the edge of a very small town"
About the same here. I am on the edge of town. The city limits line goes through my lot, so part of my lot is in the county. The neighbor to the South is an old hunter himself so he doesn't mind hearing a gun. House to the North, no one lives there. Across the street, vacant lots. To the East, farmers fields then the mountain.
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Post by James on Feb 25, 2021 9:46:13 GMT -5
Liver? Whenever there was an animal killed for meat, we always saved the liver to eat. Liver and onions was a tasty treat!
Doves, used to hunt mourning doves. Only used the breast. Not enough meat on the rest of the critter to be worth picking the feathers off.
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Post by gianna on Feb 26, 2021 19:23:23 GMT -5
I have a blueberry patch with 40 to 50 plants in containers. The fruit is beginning to ripen on some plants. I used to keep the area totally enclosed with aviary wire and bird netting, but that was just too difficult to keep up. I don't mind sharing with the birds, and there have been entertaining tales of them taking the fruits.... but they got greedy during the multi year drought, and it's very dry again this year.
I have no intention of harming any, I just want to slow them down. I saw reference to someone floating partially inflated balloons in an area they wanted to keep birds from, and wondered if anyone had tried that. The balloons are said to dance around in light air currents. Perhaps dangling some mylar bird ribbon from them might help too. Any other suggestions?
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Post by desertwoman on Feb 26, 2021 19:32:07 GMT -5
gianna,I've heard that hanging old CD's works as a good deterrent. I haven't tried it but it might be similar to the balloons. I'd be worried that some of the balloons would eventually burst and get ingested, causing distress for the birds
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Post by gianna on Feb 28, 2021 14:37:49 GMT -5
I'll look to see if I have any old CDs to try. As for balloons, I'll be watchful and since there are not going to be that many so I can keep track of them. I'm not planning on fully inflating them so they would more likely slowly deflate instead of explode.
Years ago I used bird mylar flashing tape. When the berries were in the front with lots of flashing tape hung, the yard looked like a used car lot, lol. And while that worked for awhile, the birds do get used to it and get back to eating berries. Probably should get more of that too.
edit... Just ordered some reflective bird 'scare' tape. It hangs there and reflects light in the breeze. : )
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Post by James on Mar 1, 2021 11:16:29 GMT -5
Well....... either you protect what is yours..... or go without! Your choice.
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