Guns to Control House Sparrows

Also see Active and Passive House Sparrow Control, and HOSP Philosophy: Problems with house sparrows on the bluebird trail

From: Bruce Burdett
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 8:49 AM
Subject: Re: :-( HOSP control with pellet guns :-(

To Would-be Marksmen(women),

One easy way to make a steady rest for your rifle is to make a small sandbag by filling an old sock with sand. Then rest your barrel on the sandbag.

(Beanbags don't do the job.)

Bruce Burdett SW NH

From: John Schuster [mailto:wildwingco"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 12:46 PM
Subject: Tradition Cross Sticks to steady your arm at HOSPs!

Dear Friends,

Another way to steady your rifle is to build yourself a set of Cross Sticks.

The tradition Cross Sticks design dates back to the 1800s (very popular with buffalo hunters in the 1870s since there were few trees on the great plains and one never knew where he would make his next stand) are nothing more than a pair of oak sticks that are about 26" to 36" in length, secured about a 1/3 of the way down from the top with either a leather strap or screws. The 2 ends of the Cross Sticks that are placed on the ground have
nails driven into them (you can simple drill a hole into the bottom of each stick and glue a nail into each) to secure the Cross Sticks into the ground. You can also order Cross Sticks from DIXIE GUN WORKS. Their web site is www.dixiegunworks.com and the cost is $37.95 plus S&H.

To use the Cross Sticks you simple open them up, place the barrel of your rifle at the top where the Cross Sticks are joined and place you hand where the Cross Sticks meet. Now your ready to knock your HOSP over with pin point accuracy, as the Cross Sticks give you a portable bench rest that you can take with you anyway on your trails.

Another thing you can do is bait the HOSPs to a location with seeds (usually near bushes where HOSP like to hide), and sight that area in with your rifle. Then set up your Cross Sticks and your ready for action!

Happy hunting, know your back stop (where your projectiles will hit) and do check out a page on our web site titled "European Starling Population Control Method" as there is allot of information there to assist you.

Cheers and as always...

Happy Trails To You,

John Schuster
Wild Wing Company

From: Dottie Roseboom [mailto:rosedot"at"mtco.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 5:41 PM
Re: :-( Know your back stop! :-(

John, excellent points. BTW, Bruce, your last post on gun safety was stopped by my email filter. I think that everyone realizes that even pellet guns can be dangerous, but sometimes we forget. One rule at our house is to never leave a pellet in the gun. (I'm a worry-wart!) Dottie Roseboom

From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com]
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 1:57 AM
Re: HOSP control with pellet guns!

Know your back stop! John has some good advice. What has worked well for me is shooting down from a second story window. I have a bathroom casement window that can be quietly opened and they generally don't look up there if I am quiet and slow. I have a bird feeding station that is about 10 feet from the house so I am shooting down at sharp angle toward the ground about 20 - 40 feet away generally. The back stop in this case is my lawn which is great. Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio

From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"tds.net]
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 1:12 PM
Re: :-( HOSP control with pellet guns :-(

Dot, You've fired a 10-guage!!! I fired one once in my life and it almost broke my shoulder. I have the impression that they don't make them anymore, but I may be wrong. 10-guage shotguns are a holdover from the old days of market shooting, when hunters would shoot birds for sale to the public. Most of these guns had very long barrels and packed a powerful wallop. A good 10-guage shooter could bring down birds at phenomenally long ranges. Often, however, they would shoot at birds in flocks on the water, and hit dozens of birds with one shot. Nowadays, shooting birds on the water is considered to me the worst of poor sportsmanship. Only a certified sleaze-bag would even think of it. Bruce Burdett, SW NH

From: John Schuster [mailto:wildwingco"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 1:20 PM
Subject: Another thing about HOSPs, shotguns and more...

Dear Friends, While I enjoy my double barreled 12 gauge shotgun blasting holes through flocks of European Starlings, an though shotguns are safer (limited range) and cheaper to use (shells are cheap at Wal Mat about $14.00 for 100 shells), shotguns do make a load BLAME! BLAME! that is anything but discreet. For the backyard big game hunter I would still recommend a pellet rifle or a wrist rocket instead of a shotgun. Another thing about HOSPs is that you should nail these vermin throughout the year and use anything at your disposal (short of nuclear weapons) to get the job done (i.e. traps, bait stations, etc.) . The more HOSPs that you knock out of circulation today, the less HOSPs you will have to deal with tomorrow (following nesting season.) Safe hunting and as always... Happy Bluebird Trails To You,

From: Tina Phillips [mailto:cbp6"at"cornell.edu]
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 1:51 PM
Subject: From the list owner

Dear folks, This list serve is starting to sound more like an endorsement of the NRA than a list about cavity-nesting birds. I am going to kindly request the end of this thread of posts. Please feel free to take this discussion off line. Thank you for your cooperation. Tina Phillips

Pam in Harford County , Maryland

From: Paula [ mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com ]
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 1:57 AM
Subject: Re: HOSP control with pellet guns! Know your back stop!

John has some good advice. What has worked well for me is shooting down from a second story window. I have a bathroom casement window that can be quietly opened and they generally don't look up there if I am quiet and slow. I have a bird feeding station that is about 10 feet from the house so I am shooting down at sharp angle toward the ground about 20 - 40 feet away generally. The back stop in this case is my lawn which is great.

Paula Z

Powell (Central) Ohio

From: John Schuster [mailto:wildwingco"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 10:27 AM
Subject: Re: :-( Know your back stop! :-(

Dear Dottie and friends,

I like "worry-warts", it's the people that do not worry that worry me. Another good motto;
"Treat every gun as loaded."

... John Schuster

From: Tree Greenwood
Sent: June 15, 2005
RE: Guns

On 11.06.2005 at 09:36 "Gordon McCall"
<gmccall"at"rochester.rr.com> wrote:
> I recommend using pellets instead of BBs.
> The pellets by design are much more accurate ...[snip]
...and...
On 11.06.2005 at 15:33 "Mavis" <imajefarm"at"hotmail.com>
wrote:
> I use a 22 with birdshot and a scope. The scope is well worth the
> price, and if you're at all fuzzy in the eyes it makes it way more
> accurate. NOTE: I said BIRDSHOT-- that doesn't go very far-- but if
> you use a regular
> 22 shell you can take out somebody a couple miles away! ...[snip]
...and...
On 12.06.2005 at 22:29 "agitate" <agitate"at"swbell.net> wrote:
> ... can you tell me more about airguns and/or recommend a site where I
> can get information?
> Would it be something a really bad shot could use in a suburban area
> without taking out a neighbor?.....
...and... well, that's enough.

I've had to resort to projectiles to eliminate
HOSP or EUST that I couldn't trap. If a bird
escapes a trap, it becomes wary and much harder
to trap and even more likely to try to take over
a nestbox already in use rather than to explore
the unknown that may contain a trap. I prefer
to trap but shoot when I must. From reading the
posts here, some who discover that they need to
shoot a nest site competitor don't know where to
start. Here are my opinions:

Your choices: 1) AIR GUNS ..or.. 2) FIREARMS.
I prefer air guns but a shotgun will get the one
you can't seem to hit with a pellet if you live
in a rural area. In suburbia, an air rifle may
be your best (only) choice. Many urban areas
prohibit any device that launches projectiles.

SAFETY FIRST! Air guns are _NOT_ toys. An air
rifle powerful enough to kill a sparrow can also
blind a child for life or put a hole through a
nearby neighbor's picture window. The potential
hazards of firearms are even more serious. Keep
guns out-of-reach of children, locked up. Know
and use safeties and trigger locks. Know what's
behind the HOSP or EUST target. Every gun is
loaded until you personally check and ensure
that it isn't and even then treat it as if you
suffered a brain cramp and it might discharge at
any moment. You don't want to have to explain
that your grandson is in the emergency room
because you were showing him your new rifle
that you THOUGHT was unloaded.

INVEST IN A SCOPE. Good optics are important
not only for accuracy but to positively identify
the target as a HOSP or EUST and not a native
bird. High magnification (the first number)
isn't as important as the size of the objective
lens (the second number). A 4x20 rifle scope
magnifies 4 times with a 20mm objective lens.
Small objective lenses give poor images in low
light. A 4x32 or 4x40 gives a much better view,
especially on cloudy days or near dawn or dusk.
A 3-9x40 is a zoom scope with magnification
adjustable from 3 to 9 power. A magnification
of 4 is about right for most conditions and
shooters. 'Laser dot' type aiming devices
provide no magnification and aren't accurate
enough for shooting HOSP, in my opinion.
Nothing wrong with under-$30 air rifle scopes
from Wal-Mart; I own two that've served me well
for years.

GET SOME TARGETS and spend enough time with
your chosen varmint rifle so that you hit what
you shoot at. Learn how to zero (sight-in)
your scope because the aim-point will move over
time. Dead-on today may miss by an inch this
fall and half a foot next spring. The web sites
below give instructions and hints. You can
download and print targets as needed at
http://mytargets.com or buy packs where you buy
your gun.

Slingshots, throwing rocks & pebbles and other
perceived alternatives won't work. You're not
likely to hit a sparrow but can hurt people,
windows, feeders and such. You're more likely
to eliminate HOSP & EUST with an air rifle or
shotgun but be careful.

AIR GUNS. There are 3 common types of air guns:
Pump, spring (called 'springers') & pre-charged
(PCP). The most common calibers are .177 and
.22. The .177 has a higher velocity and longer
range but the .22 is less adversely affected by
wind and has better 'knock-down.' You'll also
see .20 caliber, an ideal compromise but usually
found only in expensive guns. A .177 pellet is
harmless as it loses velocity at a distance;
larger, heavier .22 pellets sting as they fall.
Think of being hit by a tiny pebble falling from
a balcony compared to a larger chunk of gravel
(but either would hurt A LOT if shot at you with
a slingshot). The same is true when you hit a
bird: Hit an outstretched wing with a .177
pellet and you'll ruffle the bird's feathers as
it goes through while a .22 pellet is likely
to break the wing and drop the bird to the
ground. Gun enthusiasts argue endlessly about
the advantages and disadvantages of different
calibers.

PUMP AIR RIFLES are the least powerful but may
be a good choice because they're inexpensive,
shoot like a firearm and are effective at short
ranges. Look for a muzzle velocity over 500
feet per second (fps). A Daisy Red Ryder is OK
as a first gun for a 10 year old but won't be
effective for shooting HOSP & EUST. Even if you
manage to hit one, bruising it won't eliminate
the predatory compeditor. Ten pumps are usually
needed to get maximum velocity from a pump gun
and it takes some effort on the last few pumps.
More advantages of pump air rifles: They're the
least expensive; they can be left charged without
damage so you can get off a quick shot at a
varmint; and they're quietest of the air guns.

SPRING-POWERED AIR RIFLES are the most powerful
of the air guns. Some propel pellets at super-
sonic speed (1140 fps at 80F) and can penetrate
a 3/4" thick board. The 'crack' of a supersonic
pellet may be satisfying until neighbors hear it
and call the police. Those 'magnum' guns are
overkill for shooting HOSP. 'Break barrel'
rifles are c_o_c_k_ed (can't spell it out 'cause
spam filters interpret it as obscene) by levering
the barrel down. Then you insert a pellet and
move the barrel back into position. Side-lever
and under-barrel springers leave the barrel in
place but it's harder to insert the pellet. A
disadvantage of springers is that they do NOT
shoot like a firearm. Those used to firearms
will have to unlearn what they know to use a
springer effectively. Some of the more powerful
springers take a lot of effort to c_o_c_k them
and they can NOT be left charged for an extended
time without damaging the spring. Oh, and
springers need an 'AR' (air rifle) rated scope.
Ordinary rifle scopes will be rattled apart by
the movement of the spring and piston.

PRE-CHARGED PNEUMATIC (PCP) rifles use either
CO2 cartridges or a pressurized air canister
or tank as the power source. You can get CO2
cartridges easily but you'll need a compressor,
SCUBA tank or other source of dry, filtered air
to refill canisters. A hand pump is available
but the cost is over $200 and it takes a LOT of
time and effort to fill a tank. Some PCP rifles
are repeaters so you can get off a second shot
quickly which you can't do with other air rifles
and PCP rifles handle like a firearm. PCP air
rifles are the most expensive but they're ready
when you are as long as there's a fresh CO2
cartridge or charged tank.

You can order air rifles on-line or buy them in
hardware, sporting goods and general retail
stores like Wal-Mart. Some on-line sources are
http://www.straightshooters.com
http://www.compasseco.com
http://www.airgunexpress.com
http://www.airgundepot.com
or do a Google.com search for 'air rifle'

Be sure to get maintenance instructions, a
cleaning kit and proper oils. Petroleum oils
like 3-in-1 or a bore cleaner designed for
firearms will destroy the seals in an airgun.
The web sites above sell the synthetic oil you
need for airguns. Alas, many retail stores
carry air rifles but don't carry the cleaning
supplies suitable for them. Plan half an hour
a week to clean your airgun and half a day over
the winter for a thorough cleaning and tuning.

AIR GUN AMMO. Pellets are inherently much more
accurate then BBs. Pellets are also heavier so
the 'knock down' is also better. Do _NOT_ buy
'match' pellets for greatest accuracy or the
'pointed' pellets for greater penetration at
range. Buy pellets made for hunting varmints;
'standard wadcutter' or 'domed' or 'hollow
point.' You want the pellet to hit, mushroom,
and kill the bird, not go through it and bounce
off the neighbor's car. Keeping the rifle bore
clean and some target practice will do far more
to improve accuracy than changing the type of
pellet that you choose. Personally, I use
standard wadcutters or Beeman 'Crow Magnum'
pellets. (A note on 'Sample Packs' or 'Variety
Packs.' I don't recommend them. Most include
1/3 BBs. If you try a sample pack with several
different pellets, you probably won't be able to
tell the difference between them unless you're
already a skilled marksman with an air rifle.
Get a tin of wadcutters from your local hardware
store or Wal-Mart and practice, practice,
practice!)

FIREARMS: 'Bird shot' is created to kill birds.
Do _NOT_ try to shoot a HOSP with a rifle, even
a .22, because the projectile can travel for a
mile or more and still do damage. Suitable
firearms would be a .22 rifle shooting bird shot
cartridges or a small gauge shotgun. You can
purchase long guns from licensed dealers
including sporting goods stores, some hardware
stores and general merchandise stores like Wal-
Mart as well as from gun shops. For basic
firearms, cost is less than top quality air
guns.

If you already have a .22 rifle, shooting bird
shot through it is effective against HOSP and
EUST at short ranges. Shooting lots of bird
shot will eventually ruin the rifling and make
the rifle inaccurate with a regular cartridge
but if the old .22 isn't used much anymore, it
may be the good choice for helping eliminate
HOSP and EUST from a rural property.

If you're buying a firearm to use for HOSP and
EUST control, choose a small-bore shotgun. A
410 or 20 gauge is fine. Using a 16 or 12 gauge
shotgun against a HOSP is like using a 9 pound
sledgehammer to drive in a brad to hang a
picture frame in your home; the likelihood is
that you'll do more damage than good.

The biggest advantage of 'scatterguns' is the
ability to shoot a HOSP in flight. Aim down the
barrel and 'lead' (aim in front of the bird's
flight path so the pellets intercept it), then
squeeze the trigger. Hitting a stationary bird
is easy... but you may need to replace a feeder
or nestbox if that's where the bird perched.
Disadvantages are: Noise that may upset your
neighbors enough to call the police or sheriff;
greater possibility of damage or injury (or even
death); and greater cost of ammunition.

AMMO. 'Bird shot' is the only reasonable choice
for birds. #7 or smaller (higher numbers are
smaller gauge shot, like wire or needle gauges).
A magnum shell would be another case of using
a sledgehammer to drive in a brad.
____________

Now that I've thoroughly confused newcomers to
guns and annoyed those familiar with them, here
is what I would recommend for a novice at
azzzssinating avian varmints. Buy:

- A pump-type .177 air gun (Crossman Powermaster,
Daisy Powerline, Winchester 77 or similar with a
650-700 fps muzzle velocity) for $50 - $75 or so
from a local hardware store or Wal-Mart
- A cleaning kit and air gun oil for ~$15 like
http://www.airgunexpress.com/crosmanmaintenancesupplies.htm
- A tin of 250 or 500 wadcutter or hollow point
pellets from the same store where you purchased
the air rifle for $3 - $7
- A second tin of the same pellets for when you
misplace the first one and that &$!*% HOSP shows
up again... and maybe a third
- A 4x32 or so AR scope for ~$30 from a local
sporting goods, hardware or Wal-Mart store
- An ink cartridge for your printer to print a
few dozen targets. Start with lots of
http://mytargets.com/Target31.pdf and a few
http://mytargets.com/target102gs%20grid%20square%20center.pdf
if your scope is way off to start.

Spend Friday evening reading instructions and
putting the scope on your rifle, then do some
web surfing for hints on using it. Try:
http://www.airguns.net/accuracy.html
http://www.compasseco.com/information.html
http://www.straightshooters.com/common/airfaq.html
http://www.airgunexpress.com/Tech%20Articles/techarticles.htm
(Most of the articles are by manufacturers that
specify their products as the best but the
general techniques apply to all air guns.)

Spend Saturday getting used to the new air rifle
and start breaking it in. Begin sighting in the
scope on a gridded target set exactly 10 yards
away from your shooting position. You did read
the instructions on how to do it, right? And
you are turning the screws under the covers and
not trying to adjust the scope by twisting the
covers on the adjustment screws, right? By the
time the sun sets, you should be able to get
all your shots inside the small targets every
time. You're ready to snipe avian varmints.
____________

NOTE TO ALL: Please change the subject line and
open a new Message/thread when the topic takes a
turn into a new subject area to help readers and
archivers.

Take care,

R J 'Tree' Greenwood
Catlett VA

Pellet guns come in several different calibers with .177 and .22 being the most common. The most economical to shoot is the .177 from an ammunition stand point.

Pellets are designed for the most accuracy at around 650 feet per second.
(Just under the speed of sound.) A flat nosed pellet will lose 1/3 of it's remaining velocity every one hundred feet it travels. Pointed "field or hunting pellets" lose 1/6 of their remaining velocity every 100 feet of travel.

To humanely kill a house sparrow the pellet needs to strike the bird in a vital area going in excess of 225 feet per second. So if you do the math a pellet gun shooting a flat nosed pellet that leaves the muzzle at 600 feet per second will easily kill a sparrow at over 200 feet away or just about 70 yards. The same pellet will break window glass at just over 100 yards. A pointed hunting pellet can theoretically kill house sparrows out to 150 yards and break window glass at 200 yards!

A House Sparrow provides a small target! The bird's head is the size of a dime, the body has a vital area no larger than the size of a nickel. On a piece of paper draw a circle around a dime and below this draw around the nickel so that the whole target is just 2" top to bottom. Connect the two circles with parallel lines the width of the dime. When sparrows are feeding the target is turned horizontal. You MUST be able to hit this target consistently, well WITHIN the lines for clean kills.

I believe your gun needs to completely shoot through both sides of an empty aluminum beverage can at the distance your sparrows are to be able to make a clean kill.

Quality pellet guns are made with a spring piston that are cocked with either the barrel or a side lever and require one single quick "pump" action that compresses the spring. When you pull the trigger you release the spring and it compresses the air heating it to very high temperatures, drying out the moisture in the air and it literally explodes out the barrel of the rifle. There is NO need for the excessive speeds of some of the "hunting"
pellet rifles when used in hunting house sparrows. Look for a rifle that produces around 650 FPS or feet per second.

Pump up pellet rifles compress air in a chamber and often require 8>10 pumps to achieve 600 FPS of air speed. Compressed air is released with a "hammer blow" allowing the air into the rifle barrel to push the pellet out.
Compressed air when released condenses water vapor and most pump up pellet rifles have barrels made out of bronze to keep them from rusting. There are a few steel barreled pump up models but all types must be kept oiled to retain accuracy.

CO2 powered pellet rifles vary in velocity with the heat and cold and amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide) left in the cylinder so their accuracy varies too much for serious House Sparrow hunting.

Before you buy a rifle make sure you will be allowed to return it for a full refund if it is not accurate enough. If you are a novice, have a rifleman shoot a test group for you! Your rifle is only as good as the quality of pellets you use! Some rifles like certain types of pellets better than other brands....Practice is the essential ingredient and pellet rifles MUST be held tightly and with the same "rest" EVERYTIME you shoot to get the best results. Resting the bare barrel on a window ledge can affect the point of aim over two inches in just 30 feet!

There should be more information in the archives. KK

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