Deer and gardens
 

George Shirley wrote:
....
What brand and caliber Songbird? There's two calibers IIRC, .177 and
.22.

Benjamin Prowler Nitro Piston .177, the scope is a
Nikko Stirling 4x32 AO IR MD, Mountmaster Side IR.
there is also the .20 caliber - that is what i had
before, multipump Benjamin gun of some kind, i gave
it away not too long ago - i could bring down
rabbits with it. took too long between shots to
pump it up. the new gun is single pump breaking
barrel type.


Mine is a Gamo Air Recon .177 with an air rifle suppressor built
in. Being that is spring operated it isn't that quiet but it gets the
job done within 20 feet maximum for my old eye's. The graduated iron
sights are fairly easy to dial in. I shoot from the back porch to the
back fence, about 18 to 20 feet.

most of the shots i need are 50 - 120 ft. i sight
it in for 100ft (starting closer and then moving the
target further away).

it sounds like metallic clunk when i shoot the
lead ammo. not very loud at all, it has gotten quieter
as the gun breaks in.


I had an offer the other day to go back to gunsmithing but turned it
down. I closed my shop in 1982 and haven't looked back. There's two
things most Texan males seem to thing they know all about, guns and
women, and, in my opinion, they don't seem to understand either. G

i don't really like guns, but the warden here has
shoot to kill orders for various varmints and i'm
her hired gun. luckily these days we are able to
live trap the bigger ones (raccoons and groundhogs)
and the rabbits run away enough and the other traps
are working ok for the chipmunks (buckets) that i
only really have to go after the once in a while
grackle (now that nesting season is over). our
bird population is very diverse here, i like to keep
it that ways. 50 grackles can make a mess...


songbird

Deer and gardens
 

Frank wrote:
....
Had not read your note when I responded to Songbird. Mine is .177 but
I'm not sure of the action. While I think it may be some sort of spring
it does not have a bad jolt which I hear strangely that some airguns
with a spring have trouble with a scope because of this.

yes, the scope should be pretty rugged to hold
up to most air rifles. at least that is what the
dude at the store told me when i was buying the
previous gun. and considering the mounting that
had to be done to get it to stay put (it actually
never really did stay in place well) i can believe
it.

the mounting for the more recent gun is more
solid and it hasn't moved (except when i first put
the scope on and didn't use the set screw which
keeps it from sliding - after 100 shots the scope
was holding on by one set of grippers before i
noticed it was off. good laugh, but it explained
why sighting it in was taking so friggen long...).


songbird

Deer and gardens
 

Terry Coombs wrote:

....
Set the live trap last night , untripped but there's another hole and a
volunteer 'mater dug up . I figger it must be an armadillo , 'coon or
'possum would have gone for the meat scraps and baked tater skins I used for
bait ... and it's raining today , won't be setting up that 'lectric fence
until a dry day .

we've been using sunflower seeds. groundhogs
and raccoons go for them.


songbird

Deer and gardens
 

On 7/4/2016 4:12 PM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote:
...
What brand and caliber Songbird? There's two calibers IIRC, .177 and
.22.

Benjamin Prowler Nitro Piston .177, the scope is a
Nikko Stirling 4x32 AO IR MD, Mountmaster Side IR.
there is also the .20 caliber - that is what i had
before, multipump Benjamin gun of some kind, i gave
it away not too long ago - i could bring down
rabbits with it. took too long between shots to
pump it up. the new gun is single pump breaking
barrel type.


Mine is a Gamo Air Recon .177 with an air rifle suppressor built
in. Being that is spring operated it isn't that quiet but it gets the
job done within 20 feet maximum for my old eye's. The graduated iron
sights are fairly easy to dial in. I shoot from the back porch to the
back fence, about 18 to 20 feet.

most of the shots i need are 50 - 120 ft. i sight
it in for 100ft (starting closer and then moving the
target further away).

it sounds like metallic clunk when i shoot the
lead ammo. not very loud at all, it has gotten quieter
as the gun breaks in.


I had an offer the other day to go back to gunsmithing but turned it
down. I closed my shop in 1982 and haven't looked back. There's two
things most Texan males seem to thing they know all about, guns and
women, and, in my opinion, they don't seem to understand either. G

i don't really like guns, but the warden here has
shoot to kill orders for various varmints and i'm
her hired gun. luckily these days we are able to
live trap the bigger ones (raccoons and groundhogs)
and the rabbits run away enough and the other traps
are working ok for the chipmunks (buckets) that i
only really have to go after the once in a while
grackle (now that nesting season is over). our
bird population is very diverse here, i like to keep
it that ways. 50 grackles can make a mess...


songbird

Most of the critters you've mentioned are considered food in most of the
US. We used to go to Maryland every other year, where Miz Anne's folks
lived most of their lives. Her Dad would break out the eighteen nineties
single shot .25 rifle and have me snipe the ground hogs off the
property. That's when I found out they were right tasty critters. Some
went to the neighbors but at least one got roasted right away. Never did
find any use for the hides.

I hunted squirrels a lot when I was a youngster. We ate the meat and I
sold the cleaned out tails to a guy who made fishing flies. Got 25 cents
for each and, back then, was pretty good money for a half cent .22
round. Mostly I shot shorts for squirrels back then. Even Sears sold
guns and ammo then. I don't hunt anymore, mostly because I can't walk
very far with bad legs and back. May go deer hunting with grandson this
fall, I have had a lifetime hunting and fishing license since the early
eighties, they're very expensive now but were fairly cheap back then. He
generally brings us lots of dressed out and prepared venison, just had
venison and pork sausage with our dinner.

Deer and gardens
 

George Shirley wrote:
....
Most of the critters you've mentioned are considered food in most of the
US. We used to go to Maryland every other year, where Miz Anne's folks
lived most of their lives. Her Dad would break out the eighteen nineties
single shot .25 rifle and have me snipe the ground hogs off the
property. That's when I found out they were right tasty critters. Some
went to the neighbors but at least one got roasted right away. Never did
find any use for the hides.

if i knew someone who would kill and eat them
they could have them. all they wanted. we seem
to have a near infinite supply. saw three large
groundhogs yesterday. several raccoons at night.


I hunted squirrels a lot when I was a youngster. We ate the meat and I
sold the cleaned out tails to a guy who made fishing flies. Got 25 cents
for each and, back then, was pretty good money for a half cent .22
round. Mostly I shot shorts for squirrels back then. Even Sears sold
guns and ammo then. I don't hunt anymore, mostly because I can't walk
very far with bad legs and back. May go deer hunting with grandson this
fall, I have had a lifetime hunting and fishing license since the early
eighties, they're very expensive now but were fairly cheap back then. He
generally brings us lots of dressed out and prepared venison, just had
venison and pork sausage with our dinner.

i like venison sausage, but don't eat it that
often. never had squirrel.

if i'm ever starving i'll learn how to kill and
clean the various critters around here. until then
they get live trapped and released or buried for
worm food.


songbird

Deer and gardens
 

On 7/6/2016 7:07 AM, songbird wrote:
George Shirley wrote:
...
Most of the critters you've mentioned are considered food in most of the
US. We used to go to Maryland every other year, where Miz Anne's folks
lived most of their lives. Her Dad would break out the eighteen nineties
single shot .25 rifle and have me snipe the ground hogs off the
property. That's when I found out they were right tasty critters. Some
went to the neighbors but at least one got roasted right away. Never did
find any use for the hides.

if i knew someone who would kill and eat them
they could have them. all they wanted. we seem
to have a near infinite supply. saw three large
groundhogs yesterday. several raccoons at night.


I hunted squirrels a lot when I was a youngster. We ate the meat and I
sold the cleaned out tails to a guy who made fishing flies. Got 25 cents
for each and, back then, was pretty good money for a half cent .22
round. Mostly I shot shorts for squirrels back then. Even Sears sold
guns and ammo then. I don't hunt anymore, mostly because I can't walk
very far with bad legs and back. May go deer hunting with grandson this
fall, I have had a lifetime hunting and fishing license since the early
eighties, they're very expensive now but were fairly cheap back then. He
generally brings us lots of dressed out and prepared venison, just had
venison and pork sausage with our dinner.

i like venison sausage, but don't eat it that
often. never had squirrel.

if i'm ever starving i'll learn how to kill and
clean the various critters around here. until then
they get live trapped and released or buried for
worm food.


songbird

Sissy, it's all good, wholesome, organic food. BSEG