Shooting a Magpie

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kevguy

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Here is my hunting story for today:

Today I was out for a walk in the woods with my .22 LR looking for a grouse to shoot. I came across a magpie about 25 yards away standing on an old tree stump. I loaded my .22 and took aim with the scope. I took the shot and it hit. The bird then fell to the ground and flopped around. When I walked up to the bird I noticed the bullet hit the bird in the beak! It basically blew the beak right off it's face. I didn't take a picture of this with my iPhone because I very quickly wanted to end the bird's misery so I stomped it to death rather than put another round into it.
 
Well.. let me see.. You didn't eat the bird.. It wasn't for pest control..

So basically you just shot it, cause you could... That's not hunting..
 
kevguy said:
Here is my hunting story for today:

Today I was out for a walk in the woods with my .22 LR looking for a grouse to shoot. I came across a magpie about 25 yards away standing on an old tree stump. I loaded my .22 and took aim with the scope. I took the shot and it hit. The bird then fell to the ground and flopped around. When I walked up to the bird I noticed the bullet hit the bird in the beak! It basically blew the beak right off it's face. I didn't take a picture of this with my iPhone because I very quickly wanted to end the bird's misery so I stomped it to death rather than put another round into it.
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Yeah, there's a lot to be proud of. So much so that you probably couldn't wait to get home and brag about it on the Internet. :rolleyes:

And if you can't hit a magpie with a scoped .22 at 25 yards any better than that you can't shoot worth s**t.
 
First off I'm not a fan of your story, if that was my story I don't think I'd be bragging about it on the internet. That being said there is nothing wrong with shooting magpies. They are pests and there is a reason that they are open season year round in Alberta.
 
I have no particular love for Magpies, and when I was a kid, I was under standing orders to whack any that I could. Them, crows, and starlings, were the birds I was given 'free-fire' permission on.

They play holy heck with the songbirds (eat the eggs, young) , as well as being tough on some of the fruit crops.

That said, if you are out hunting, why bother. Shooting anything that moves, just because you can, isn't exacly hunting, is it?

The Magpies do actually fill a fairly important part of the ecology as 'clean-up crew' and are darn handy indicators that there is a carcass laying in the bush (like when a shot goes wrong, and you cannot find it. Happens!) along with the crows and ravens. They can be cheap entertainment to watch when parked on stand, too, and will usually be the first sign that there is a coyote around.

You probably got one of this years young, too dumb to bugger off at first sign of a gun.

Yep. Work on the marksmanship, too.

Cheers
Trev
 
Basically what it comes down to is your motivation behind shooting the magpie. If you did it for the hell of it; it's not what we try to practice in Canada. Try to use the rule of "If you shoot it, you eat it." If you are not comfortable with eating the animal you are shooting at, don't shoot it. It deserves respect just like any animal out there.

If you did it for pest control; you might not want to brag about it on here. There have been animals that I have shot because of pest control or overpopulation that I don't share with anybody. But sometimes it has to be done. I'm typically not proud that I did it. It didn't bring me any joy, other than I was happy they met a quick and painless death and I didn't make them suffer.
 
Magpies are pests and folks out here shoot all they can, they can be vary and sometimes the best way is to use a shotgun and get them in flight. They won't sit long enough for you to get a shot at them and I think they know the danger of a gun!! So kudos to you for getting one but, I'd have left out the part about shooting it in the beak.
 
I'm not even sure if it is legal? But since I was a kid I always wanted to raise a young crow or magpie as a pet. Bloody smart birds! They will kill every song bird in a nest though for sure. The magpies would torment my dogs to no end in the back yard for their food as well.
They would get them to chase them while the others hit the food. Priceless to watch!!!
 
billdick said:
Kill all you can. The guys that are picking on you must not know what a magpie is. They probably shoot crows and gophers for sport and don't eat them.
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I know what a magpie is. I know why people would shoot them.

I know what a slob hunter is too.

What I don't know is why the OP thought that this episode was worth bragging about.
 
Anyone who has seen Magpies pick the eyes out of a sick calf/lamb while it is still alive would have no problem shooting them as pests.
 
I have no problem with shooting groundhogs, crows, or in this case magpie's which seems to be a pest bird in the region that the OP lives in, but I don't think I could post on what a poor shot I took and the method I used to dispatch the animal.
 
stuckon308 said:
Basically what it comes down to is your motivation behind shooting the magpie. If you did it for the hell of it; it's not what we try to practice in Canada. Try to use the rule of "If you shoot it, you eat it." If you are not comfortable with eating the animal you are shooting at, don't shoot it. It deserves respect just like any animal out there.

If you did it for pest control; you might not want to brag about it on here. There have been animals that I have shot because of pest control or overpopulation that I don't share with anybody. But sometimes it has to be done. I'm typically not proud that I did it. It didn't bring me any joy, other than I was happy they met a quick and painless death and I didn't make them suffer.
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I agree 100%. Well said!!!
 
stuckon308 said:
Basically what it comes down to is your motivation behind shooting the magpie. If you did it for the hell of it; it's not what we try to practice in Canada. Try to use the rule of "If you shoot it, you eat it." If you are not comfortable with eating the animal you are shooting at, don't shoot it. It deserves respect just like any animal out there.

If you did it for pest control; you might not want to brag about it on here. There have been animals that I have shot because of pest control or overpopulation that I don't share with anybody. But sometimes it has to be done. I'm typically not proud that I did it. It didn't bring me any joy, other than I was happy they met a quick and painless death and I didn't make them suffer.
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X2 and 3 also..he sounds like he needs less puter time and way more range time.That original post just gave the anti's more ammo against us. Posting on the net about stomping on it is just..stupid....or any other choice terms which I am sure will be added in time...
 
ckc123 said:
Well.. let me see.. You didn't eat the bird.. It wasn't for pest control..

So basically you just shot it, cause you could... That's not hunting..
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I shot it for pest control if you must know. There is no law against shooting these. You can shoot them year round here in Alberta. Likewise for crows.
 
ali68 said:
I have no problem with shooting groundhogs, crows, or in this case magpie's which seems to be a pest bird in the region that the OP lives in, but I don't think I could post on what a poor shot I took and the method I used to dispatch the animal.
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You people all ##### and complain about what a "poor shot" I took. You wern't there and don't know all the facts.

As one of the previous posters said, they don't stay still long and I know that. When I took aim it was very quick while I was standing up and breathing hard thus the crosshairs were floating all around the place on the target. I was surprised I hit it. Many of you act like every shot you take is perfect and never misses or wounds an animal. Do you all think you are expect marksmen or something?

Furthermore, I stomped it to death because I didn't see the need for blasting off another round. I was stood over the bird with the gun unloaded and the magazine removed and this small bird was right at my feet. It was no different than stomping a bug to death.
 
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