FLYMPH FORUM

I have used RWS acorn bb caps on occasion……. I don’t know if they still make them any more but they are accurate and silent….. I have a little itty-bitty pre 64 model 70 Bolt action, and The same gun in a 22 hornet. Both are tack drivers and perfect for gathering fur and feathers the old-fashioned way.

I used know a luthier who built a wooden frame by his paling area which was below the view of neighbors. The bottom of the frame was. Hardware cloth wired to 220v

He’d get stale bread from a local outlet, use it as bait, an when the starlings flooded his “feeder”, he’d flip the switch. He reported that his largest bag was over 200.

Of course, this was 50 years ago.

Question...I use a ton of starling. A ton by my standards anyway, I'm still on my first skin. It's just a run of the mill, hareline brand skin. Would you suggest getting a "better" skin from someone or ate they all about the same? I've gotten some stuff that's been stunning from cooks hill and other stuff has been pretty much low rent fly shop quality. Some of it has even been plain garbage. Very mixed reviews. Anyway tho....starling.

T12 - I’ve had mixed results with mail order starling skins. I now generally only buy them after picking thru them in person, when I go to a show or visit a shop that carries them (Catskills). I bought several different colors one time, because they were nice skins. Good luck.

Mike62 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 18, 2021 8:37 pm Cookshill is being difficult; does anybody have another source for high quality Starling that they could share with me? Thanks.

What do you mean about Cookshill being "difficult"? I just checked Steve's website and there's no notation that starling skins or wings are in short supply. Did you ask Steve when they might be available?

As a side note, I've tried "several" US sources for starlings and wasn't very happy with them so I went back to Cookshill.

Bob

All you need is some suet,a BB gun and a good skinner. There is NO shortage of starlings
on this side of the pond.

joaniebo wrote: ↑Sun Jun 19, 2022 4:47 pm

Mike62 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 18, 2021 8:37 pm Cookshill is being difficult; does anybody have another source for high quality Starling that they could share with me? Thanks.

What do you mean about Cookshill being "difficult"? I just checked Steve's website and there's no notation that starling skins or wings are in short supply. Did you ask Steve when they might be available?

As a side note, I've tried "several" US sources for starlings and wasn't very happy with them so I went back to Cookshill.

Bob

...and back in October when I checked, they were hard to come by, according to the person who responded. I was told they didn't have a firm timeline on when they would be getting more in. Perhaps I should have used the word 'vague', as opposed to difficult? I've bought materials from them on several occasions and have always been happy with what they sent; I certainly wasn't trashing Cookshill for not having the skins.