My favorite Starling and House Sparrow hunter on YouTube. His videos are outstanding. If you hate Starlings and HS as much as I do, you'll appreciate the videos he shoots of actual airgun kills.
In this video, he has some amazing footage of what a starling is capable of doing before he exterminates her.
Be warned-- these videos show actual super-slow motion kill shots. But regardless, they are VERY instructional. You can see the pellet in flight all the way to the bird in most cases.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBg_NroP ... re=related
Here's some video of him ridding starlings from a nesting box for Flickers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxR0ifBc ... re=related
And a mission to rid a homeowner of House Sparrows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWLCa-PM ... ature=plcp
This guy's videos are extremely informative. He mostly shoots PCP style airguns, uses a high quality scope, with a digital video cam attached to record all shots.
Outstanding starling hunting video (very graphic)
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dsonyay
- Posts: 1677
- Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:10 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Broussard
- Martin Colony History: 2010-2014 located in Slidell LA. Gourd rack with 16 gourds. Max of 2 pairs during this short period in Slidell. Plenty of fledglings.
2014-present.. moved to Broussard LA. Same Gourd Rack but added a 6 room house (modified from a 12 room)
2020: after a long drought of nothing, 4 pairs and 4 nests, 23 eggs total.
6 fledges.
2021: 9 pair, 47 eggs
36 hatchlings
30 fledged
2022: about 12 pairs.. many eggs, all fledged.. only had one hatchling die.. probably because of our schnauzer. :(
2023: 16 pairs. So far about 60 chicks with about a dozen eggs to go.
2024: 13 pair. About 60 eggs
2025: 14 pairs .. 69 eggs.
I've seen this before, this guy does not play around with them. I think I will invest in a better scope for next winter. So far this year, I have them pretty much under control. A house full of Martins doesn't hurt either. 
2021
T14
10 Pair
49 Fledged
T14
10 Pair
49 Fledged
This guy is awesome. I love his videos. 31 or 32 Sparrows in a row. what a sniper. lol.
I wish he would have shown us all those hits. what a great air rifle and set up he has too.
I wish he would have shown us all those hits. what a great air rifle and set up he has too.
2008~(1st yr) 4 pairs, 11 to 12 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
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dsonyay
- Posts: 1677
- Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:10 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Broussard
- Martin Colony History: 2010-2014 located in Slidell LA. Gourd rack with 16 gourds. Max of 2 pairs during this short period in Slidell. Plenty of fledglings.
2014-present.. moved to Broussard LA. Same Gourd Rack but added a 6 room house (modified from a 12 room)
2020: after a long drought of nothing, 4 pairs and 4 nests, 23 eggs total.
6 fledges.
2021: 9 pair, 47 eggs
36 hatchlings
30 fledged
2022: about 12 pairs.. many eggs, all fledged.. only had one hatchling die.. probably because of our schnauzer. :(
2023: 16 pairs. So far about 60 chicks with about a dozen eggs to go.
2024: 13 pair. About 60 eggs
2025: 14 pairs .. 69 eggs.
He's a big fan of the Marauders too. He's had both the .22 and .25 cal. He got rid of his .22 Marauder due to it not shooting some particular pellets as accurate as he'd like. His .25 cal Marauder is running well. He's got some spectacular video of squirrel shots with both .22 and .25 cals.
Anyway, what I hoped to show was how effective a good air rifle can be. Note that many of his shots on the House Sparrow video are very long shots. His scope is zoomed in so much it appears the birds are 20 feet away, when they are 50 to 70 yards away.
You don't need to spend the kind of money he does to take out HS in your backyard. A good pump up style rife like a Benjamin can easily do the job. The scope makes a huge difference, as well as PRACTICE.
I shoot my Gamo at a target which replicates shooting at house sparrows at about 20 yards. I also shoot at an old PM decoy I've painted brown. [I just can't get myself to shoot at an actual decoy that looks like a PM
]
And I shoot about 2 to 3 times a week for practice. I love to target shoot and hunt, so it's like any other hobby.
I'm not happy with springers any longer for pest control. I find myself in too many different shooting positions to accomodate the type of hold necessary on a springer rifle. So, I'll be moving back to a PCP or Pump-Pellet gun for pests. don't get me wrong.. I love springers, but I'm a bit happier with pump style air guns for hunting.
Did anyone notice how that starling attacked the dead starling he set up as a decoy?
Anyway, what I hoped to show was how effective a good air rifle can be. Note that many of his shots on the House Sparrow video are very long shots. His scope is zoomed in so much it appears the birds are 20 feet away, when they are 50 to 70 yards away.
You don't need to spend the kind of money he does to take out HS in your backyard. A good pump up style rife like a Benjamin can easily do the job. The scope makes a huge difference, as well as PRACTICE.
I shoot my Gamo at a target which replicates shooting at house sparrows at about 20 yards. I also shoot at an old PM decoy I've painted brown. [I just can't get myself to shoot at an actual decoy that looks like a PM
And I shoot about 2 to 3 times a week for practice. I love to target shoot and hunt, so it's like any other hobby.
I'm not happy with springers any longer for pest control. I find myself in too many different shooting positions to accomodate the type of hold necessary on a springer rifle. So, I'll be moving back to a PCP or Pump-Pellet gun for pests. don't get me wrong.. I love springers, but I'm a bit happier with pump style air guns for hunting.
Did anyone notice how that starling attacked the dead starling he set up as a decoy?
I did notice that attack and he explains how they open their beaks to make them even sharper and more deadly with every stab. These birds are brutal to Martins in close quarters like Sparrows are to Blue Birds.
The haters he references which Im sure he has heard a lot from need to see Blue bird photos after a HOSP attack and martin photos after a Starling attack. There is alway a gourd cam video out of a Starling attack on a Martin. Its awful to watch.
I loved watching those birds take those clean hits and crumble over. I have a Beeman which is very powerful but I have trouble dialing in the scope that came with it. Yeah, scopes make such a big difference in one's ability to really reach out there accurately and mine is not that good.
The haters he references which Im sure he has heard a lot from need to see Blue bird photos after a HOSP attack and martin photos after a Starling attack. There is alway a gourd cam video out of a Starling attack on a Martin. Its awful to watch.
I loved watching those birds take those clean hits and crumble over. I have a Beeman which is very powerful but I have trouble dialing in the scope that came with it. Yeah, scopes make such a big difference in one's ability to really reach out there accurately and mine is not that good.
2008~(1st yr) 4 pairs, 11 to 12 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
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DornCounty
- Posts: 2169
- Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
- Location: Rural SE Kansas
- Martin Colony History: .
.
Trio-Jedi
I've got a man crush on that dude.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
I've come back to watch his videos like 3 times today.. lol.. I love em.
2008~(1st yr) 4 pairs, 11 to 12 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
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Craig Dyer
- Posts: 500
- Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 2:24 pm
- Location: Nevada, TX
- Martin Colony History: Area is rural. Offer 28 compartments...metal housing (Lonestar Goliad) & Supergourds all w/crescent entrance holes. Purple martins are abundant here and eager for quality, well maintained, safe housing. Expect near 100% occupancy this season.
Educational & interesting to watch.
Craig Dyer
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Dolphins Fan
- Posts: 24
- Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 4:03 pm
- Location: New York/Palmyra
This guy is good boy! He got that good through a lot of practice and with an accurate gun and good scope. He knows exactly where the pellet will hit at every range from 20 yards to 100. He also knows how the wind will effect the pellet as well.
Maybe the most important thing about his setup is the scope that has different bars that indicate where to aim at a particular distance. He has a top of the line Hawke scope. With certain Hawke scopes you can go on their website and download a ballistic program that lets you know exactly where to aim at different distances. You can even download the app on your iPhone and the app actually has more information. You can enter your elevation, temperature, wind speed & angle, degree of angle to the target, pellet type, pellet grain. Once you enter the information it will tell you exactly where to aim on your scope.
I can guarantee you he went and downloaded that program to see exactly where to aim. I was going to get a $200 Hawke scope with my Benjamin Marauder but it was just out of my price range with the gun and everything else. I plan on getting that bad boy sometime in the future though!
Maybe the most important thing about his setup is the scope that has different bars that indicate where to aim at a particular distance. He has a top of the line Hawke scope. With certain Hawke scopes you can go on their website and download a ballistic program that lets you know exactly where to aim at different distances. You can even download the app on your iPhone and the app actually has more information. You can enter your elevation, temperature, wind speed & angle, degree of angle to the target, pellet type, pellet grain. Once you enter the information it will tell you exactly where to aim on your scope.
I can guarantee you he went and downloaded that program to see exactly where to aim. I was going to get a $200 Hawke scope with my Benjamin Marauder but it was just out of my price range with the gun and everything else. I plan on getting that bad boy sometime in the future though!
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DebA
- Posts: 1941
- Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 7:43 am
- Location: Pratt County/Kansas
- Martin Colony History: Start 2009 with one pair. Upgraded from S&K houses to two Trendsetter 12's with gourds beneath in 2013. I have experienced job, pet, and parental losses since '13. The Purple Martins lift my spirits and remind me how life continues forward by flying their little selves from Brazil back to my yard. As one forum person once told me, chin up DebA, look at the martins. Danger all around but yet they soar in the sky without a care in the world.
OK guys. I watched them. Me, the whole squeamish on killing thing. When I saw the graphic warning, I thought, well you better look this in the eye because you are out there trying to pick off HOSP for the first time. If I can't watch this I have no business getting excited about my target practice.
I didn't think it was THAT bad actually. I did like his matter of fact delivery of narration. So I guess I am one more step ready and able to emotionally handle that first kill.
The funny part was I watched it when a DishNetwork satellite guy was walking back n forth checking my different TV's after replacing an old faulty receiver. No telling what he thought about that. I was dressed up ready for work and as he walked through my open center room of this old house with my computer, here was this lady watching starlings get slammed. Maybe it helped because this guy was nice, spoke English, argued with Dish financially on two points for me, programmed a kitchen remote to the little TV that the other guy hadn't done when installing it two years ago...maybe my choice of viewing said something to him. Hahaha!
Deb
I didn't think it was THAT bad actually. I did like his matter of fact delivery of narration. So I guess I am one more step ready and able to emotionally handle that first kill.
The funny part was I watched it when a DishNetwork satellite guy was walking back n forth checking my different TV's after replacing an old faulty receiver. No telling what he thought about that. I was dressed up ready for work and as he walked through my open center room of this old house with my computer, here was this lady watching starlings get slammed. Maybe it helped because this guy was nice, spoke English, argued with Dish financially on two points for me, programmed a kitchen remote to the little TV that the other guy hadn't done when installing it two years ago...maybe my choice of viewing said something to him. Hahaha!
Deb
PMCA MEMBER
Pratt County, Kansas
2016 34 PAIR
2015 27 PAIR
2014 23 PAIR
2013 13 PAIR
2012 6 PAIR
2011 4 PAIR
2010 2 PAIR
2009 1 PAIR
Pratt County, Kansas
2016 34 PAIR
2015 27 PAIR
2014 23 PAIR
2013 13 PAIR
2012 6 PAIR
2011 4 PAIR
2010 2 PAIR
2009 1 PAIR
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NancyinEnidOK
- Posts: 158
- Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:06 pm
- Location: Oklahoma/Enid
Nancy
PMCA MEMBER
PMCA MEMBER
~~~~~~bump 
2008~(1st yr) 4 pairs, 11 to 12 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
2009~(2nd yr) 9 pairs, 41 fledged
2010~(3rd year) 11 pairs. 50 fledged
2011~(4th year) 20 pairs, 23 out of 23 gourds Martin occupied, 3 fledged, the rest died in the drought. (1 new Blue Bird, 3 BB fledged.)
2012~ 26 pairs, approx. 100-110 fledged
