Life Lesson
When I was six or seven I used my Dasy BB rifle to kill a red-headed woodpecker in our back yard and I was so proud. When I showed it to either my Grandfather or my Great Grandfather, I can't remember which and they both lived there at the time, I had my butt spanked. Then I was sit down and it was explained in no uncertain terms that we do not kill things just to be killing. It was a lesson that has stayed with me and I have almost had fights with people on fishing piers who think they need to kill every unwanted pin fish, shark, or crab before throwing it back. But there is one creature that I would have no problem with killing as many as I see; and that is the crow.I hate everything about them and especially that damnable noise that emits from their ugly black beaks. I don't hunt them but it gives me great pleasure to see a Mocking Bird attacking them, driving across the sky, dive bombing them like little P-51's on a German Heinkel He 177.Go Baby Go!!!
0
-
When I was a kid I shot a bunch of song birds with my BB gun. My Dad made me clean them and eat them.
He told me you only kill for food.
The lesson stuck.
Until I got in the Army at least.........[;)]0 -
In the early '60s my family had a pecan farm with about 2000 trees. The crows were eating us out of any profit. My uncle was a demo tech in WWII, and knew how to handle the problem. He got some dynamite, and hung 4-5 sticks in the middle of a roost on the back of our property and waited until 8 PM to light the fuse. Next morning we saw thousands of dead crows laying over a foot deep there. Made for a cool show for us young'uns, and almost stopped the loss of our crop. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Sam06
When I was a kid I shot a bunch of song birds with my BB gun. My Dad made me clean them and eat them.
He told me you only kill for food.
The lesson stuck.
Until I got in the Army at least.........[;)]
my dad was the same I had to clean a redhead woodpecker I had shot in the yard with my BB gun and was in the middle of cooking it when my mom got home and calmly told my dad that she was sure I had learned my lesson. whew! thanks mom!0 -
there was a big crow roost in catalpa trees across the road from one of my irrigated circles..went over every morn and parked the pickup ahd shot a 22 in the air or used the spotlight to keep the morning flight from landing there for breakfast as they flew out to feed...usually about 30-45 minutes to move em by and in the evening when they flew back to the roost they flew over to get to their trees without stopping on my crop(irrigated milo)...then one year they were gone and moved their flight path and roost somewhere else 0 -
quote:Originally posted by grdad45
In the early '60s my family had a pecan farm with about 2000 trees. The crows were eating us out of any profit. My uncle was a demo tech in WWII, and knew how to handle the problem. He got some dynamite, and hung 4-5 sticks in the middle of a roost on the back of our property and waited until 8 PM to light the fuse. Next morning we saw thousands of dead crows laying over a foot deep there. Made for a cool show for us young'uns, and almost stopped the loss of our crop.
Funny, my dad and uncle did that too only they put the dynamite in oat meal containers and filled 'em full of pea gravel.0 -
quote:Originally posted by grdad45
In the early '60s my family had a pecan farm with about 2000 trees. The crows were eating us out of any profit. My uncle was a demo tech in WWII, and knew how to handle the problem. He got some dynamite, and hung 4-5 sticks in the middle of a roost on the back of our property and waited until 8 PM to light the fuse. Next morning we saw thousands of dead crows laying over a foot deep there. Made for a cool show for us young'uns, and almost stopped the loss of our crop.
Funny, my dad and uncle did that too only they put the dynamite in oat meal containers and filled 'em full of pea gravel.0 -
I have far more hatred/disdain for yellow jackets, mosquitoes, and generally any parasite (societal or otherwise). 0 -
I'd give you $10.00 maybe 20.00 each for every damn woodpecker you kill by my house! 0 -
For some reason unbeknownst to me there aren't many crows around here any more. I think the sea gulls killed them off. 0 -
Well ok. Now there?s a reason to kill them. [:)] 0 -
a farmer friend of mine from long ago
while growing up the vultures would set on the fence post sunning them self ( in one of his dads fence rows [:D])
so John got the idea to set a leg hold trap on top of each post
to catch them
sure enough next day he had several vultures + in leg hold traps on top of the fence post
his Dad not to pleased and a little upset made john go out and release each one .
what Dad knew and john did not vultures with throw up if threatened them ( all the nasty rotting food ) as a defense
so john was covered in vulture puke when done releasing them and said it was the most nasty smell ever .. and he never set traps for them again [B)][B)]0 -
Personally I like crows and ravens a good deal. Highly intelligent birds. I have worked with talking crows and trained crows and had a lot of fun watching them out smart keepers and locks. I cannot think of any reason I would kill one unless it was a mercy killing.
Roaches on the other hand...0 -
When I got my first BB gun, a Red Ryder single pump, I was told that you will never shoot at another living thing. I didn't get much as far as shooting instruction besides that but I used to shoot the crap out of that thing.
Fast forward a couple years and I was camping and fishing with my dad, grandfather, great uncle and second cousin. I was the youngest there by over 20 years. First day of the trip we get raided by a bunch of Blue Jays. It became a game among the adults to try to shoot AT the Blue Jays. Of course with the quality rifle and the quantity of the beer consumed, the birds were safe. That is, until the last day. We already broke camp and were eating lunch before heading out and one of the birds came back. This time I took aim at the bird that was sitting just above my grandfather. Imagine my horror as the bird fell right behind my grandfather and I heard all my fathers admonitions about what would happen if I ever shot a living thing. During the 34 minutes it took that bird to drop 20 feet I knew without a doubt that I was about to die myself. During the 27 minutes of silence that was experienced at impact, I knew the weight of the disappointment my father felt over my failure as a human being. Then there was my absolute confusion when the entire group burst into laughter. Four days where no one could hit a thing I finally realized that no one else was firing warning shots.0 -
Trees grew back fast?
LOL
quote:Originally posted by forgemonkey
The community where I was raised held an annual 'Crow Feast' ,,,,,,,,,
Thousands of the birds had a roost, nearby, in which they left in the morning and returned in the evening.
The C of C would wire dynamite in the tops of the trees and detonate when the crows returned for the night.
The next day the whole community would turn out for crow breast and dumplings and whatever the local farmers/ranchers wives would bake for desert,,,,,,,,,,[:p]0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
14 comments