[SCCC] birds pests

[Randy Johnson]

I am a duck, quail, and pheasant hunter so it's not like I'm against shooting birds BUT there are a few problems here.

1. Except for $1,000+ "match guns," pellet guns are not accurate enough to hit small birds at any distance, so it's a waste of time and effort. Even hitting a small bird with a .22 would be difficult unless you were a skilled marksman.
2. The pellets come down somewhere which is why shooting them is almost certainly illegal in San Diego and most other urban areas.
3. The Dept of Fish and Game regulates hunting of birds and have regulations established for shooting gamebirds. Virtually all other birds are technically classified as "songbirds" and it's illegal to kill them anywhere at any time. I think that crows and pigeons may be the only exceptions to that. 

All that said, we have way too many crows in my neighborhood and I'd love to shoot the lot of 'em if I could get away with it!

Go with the owl or, better, a hawk decoy, and Mylar. I'd be interested in seeing how it works out. 

Check out http://www.trapman.co.uk/decoy-bird-scarers.htm and http://mojooutdoors.com/bird_deterrents.htm

Randy W6SJ