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Believe it or not, grackles are a protected migratory bird, so no killing them. That is why the all these NAMBY cities just try to scare them to go poop on someone else.

Ya are correct about federal protection on the things. Heck, crows are too. They even have a hunting season on crows tho in Oklahoma!

Methinks there's some fine print in the regs to the effect that they can be shot if "depredating or about to depredate" or some such verbiage. One of the Game Wardens was quoted with "Every grackel I ever saw fit that category!"

You are correct Graybeard, but I always thought of the exemption for depredation as if the birds are eating/harming one's crops, etc., not pooping on a sidewalk. I know they are frustrating. I have been hit by them before too.

Yesterday morning, being Valentine's Days and all, I'd spent the big bucks at convenience store to pick up The Wife an "extra large, extra dark chocolate" Hershey's bar as a little surprise. I had the dog (German Shorthair - spoiled rotten house dog) with me at the time and did not want her getting into the candy bar while I was in and out of the truck at various places, so I placed it in the little gap between the bed of truck and tool box, figuring the real cold weather would keep it hard.

One of those various places I stopped around 1:30 was Golden Corrall. And ya remember what I said in the earlier post a few days back about the grackels loving the spilled corn in back of truck? Well, betcha can't guess what at least one of 'em found for Valentine's Day! Brain fart!

Doh!

Pillaging one's wife's V-day gift is definitely depredation, and the offender should be punished accordingly:)

Greybeard wrote:...an "extra large, extra dark chocolate" Hershey's bar...

Well, betcha can't guess what at least one of 'em found for Valentine's Day! Brain fart!

Confection depredation!

I work for an automobile dealership in the Metroplex. We have our problems with these annoying critters ourselves.

We've tried firecrackers, we've tried tying metallic ribbons in the trees, we've tried just about everything to keep them from messing up our new and used inventory. (It cost's bundles to wash hundreds of cars daily!)

We have found one thing that works! And it works, let me tell you these critters will stay away from our area whilst they go visit the competition across the freeway

We purchased, and I don't know where, a loudspeaker that has the call of the screech owl, and it simply plays over and over at the pre-determined time that these missy critters seem to appear.

Upon hearing the screech of their natural enemy they vamboose
and we're not infested with them any longer

kw5kw wrote:We purchased, and I don't know where, a loudspeaker that has the call of the screech owl, and it simply plays over and over at the pre-determined time that these missy critters seem to appear.

"Brilliant, they've amplified modulation via the concavity of an electro-acoustic transducer. I mean, that is some clever GOYVIN!"


Edited to add: Just kidding! Sounds like a good way to get rid of the problem.

The best grackle cannon would of course be one in which actually was
loaded with them.....

AG-EE wrote:You are correct Graybeard, but I always thought of the exemption for depredation as if the birds are eating/harming one's crops, etc., not pooping on a sidewalk. I know they are frustrating. I have been hit by them before too.

You are correct, here are the guidelines per the 2005-2006 TPW outdoor annual:

• Unprotected Birds:

o The only birds not protected by any state or federal law are European starlings, English sparrows, feral rock doves (common pigeon - Columba livia) and Eurasian collared-doves; these species may be killed at any time, their nests or eggs destroyed, and their feathers may be possessed.

o Yellow-headed, red-winged, rusty, or Brewer's blackbirds and all grackles, cowbirds (does not include cattle egret), crows, or magpies may be controlled without a federal or state depredation permit when found committing or about to commit depredations on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard or other nuisance.

I'm thinking of a 12 gauge Gatling gun loaded with No. 7-1/2 shot.

ElGato wrote:Just tell a Cajun how good they are in Gumbo and to keep it a secret.

They eat more dog food than my Border Collies.

That was my suggested solution to Kudzu - let the word out among those most likely to participate in such things, that Kudzu gives a wonderful non-addictive high with no after effects, and watch the landscape get stripped of it.

flintknapper wrote:

AG-EE wrote:You are correct Graybeard, but I always thought of the exemption for depredation as if the birds are eating/harming one's crops, etc., not pooping on a sidewalk. I know they are frustrating. I have been hit by them before too.

You are correct, here are the guidelines per the 2005-2006 TPW outdoor annual:

• Unprotected Birds:

o The only birds not protected by any state or federal law are European starlings, English sparrows, feral rock doves (common pigeon - Columba livia) and Eurasian collared-doves; these species may be killed at any time, their nests or eggs destroyed, and their feathers may be possessed.

o Yellow-headed, red-winged, rusty, or Brewer's blackbirds and all grackles, cowbirds (does not include cattle egret), crows, or magpies may be controlled without a federal or state depredation permit when found committing or about to commit depredations on ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in numbers and in a manner that constitutes a health hazard or other nuisance.

And in the words of a game warden friend......"I've never met a grackle that wasn't "depradating" on something.