TV-14 ...Should we kill to tye for catch and release?

[namekagon]

Besides by-products from game animals killed for sport and food, I say yes of course, as these starlings...foreign devils everyone... will attest.

[Betty Hiner]

What would be the purpose of killing three of those beautiful birds? You eat them? No? You tie a thousand-thousand flies with them? No? God had fun creating them, and for a reason; to eat harmful bugs and invasive seeds. And then you kill them. Doesn't sit right .

[namekagon]

Common Betty do you tye? If so, unless totally synthetic, your tying with material from someone's kill.
Besides...starlings...english sparrows... foreign vermin...yeah carp too! @ Give me a break.

[Betty Hiner]

You betcha I tie. But there's no way I could tie all the feathers from those three birds in my lifetime. And while deer, duck, goose, etc can provide sustinance for many people, I hardly think starling fits that catagory.

[namekagon]

Life is tough I guess for starlings that infrequently invade my yard. @
Actually they ain't bad eating...better than morning dove cause I hate to kill that American little critter.

[Panman]

I believe that namekagon is well set in his ideas on this subject. If a he wanted an opinion the question should have been "would YOU kill", not "should we kill". Here is my two cents worth as there is no right or wrong on this topic.

I believe a person should be able to kill whatever he or she wants to as long as their actions are in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. I am a hunter, fisherman and a fly tyer, but I do not kill any animal strickly for fly tying supplies. The only animals I shoot are eaten by me or others.

Thus, in my opinion both namekagon & Betty are both correct.

Tim Anderson

[Lunker]

I'm not positive but aren't starlings on the protected list?

[namekagon]

Yeah but let it known, I didn't kill em just for flying tying supplies...starling are well known pests...feathers were just a bonus.
There are some birds that ain't palatable...the coot comes to mind....but I ate these starlings! Yeah!@
In response to Lunker......? and I'll leave it at that!@

[Betty Hiner]

AAAAAACCCCCKKKKKKKK! You did not!! Did you? OMG!! Eeewwwwww! Yuuccckkkk!

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I'm not positive but aren't starlings on the protected list?

I doubt it because this introduced European species takes a toll on the softfruit crop such as cherries and apricots. In the 1960s and 1970s there was a bounty on starlings in my region. 5cents apiece as I recall. Local farmers spend lots of money trying to keep them out of the orchards. Flocks of birds in the thousands can decend on a farm and decimate the cherry crop. They have the bad habit of taking only one or two nips out of each fruit before attacking the next one. The overall percentage of the entire cherry crop may only account for and average of 5% damage per farmer . But if it is your 10 acres they decend upon, your personal loss can be as high as 50% or more. They are shot, poisoned, and trapped all to no avail. The cost of their damage is passed on to the consumer. (You & I )

Ps In case anyone thinks I am against starlings let me assure you that I have a nest of them in the eaves of my house and see no reason to disturb them dispite the fact that they use the hood of my truck for a bathroom. I do not hunt anything that small. If they were bigger and taste good , that would be different.

I never worked at a vineyard but I understand they can do a lot of damage to those crops as well.

They are the most populous bird in our neighbourhood and sooner or later I will come across a carcass and free guilt free feathers.