Author Topic: Bee season is a bust (Read 1519 times)

Shorty · « **on:** July 01, 2004, 02:13:59 PM »

Maybe it's because of the rainiest June in Va. history, 10" in that month. The Single Six is lying, unloaded, next to the box of shot shells while the carpenter bees fail to appear.

papajohn428 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 04, 2004, 05:54:17 AM »

Sorry to hear that, fellow BeeBlaster. I have long used a bolt-action 22 rifle to hunt the feral buzzers. Wasps are my favorite, started on them when I was a skinny kid with a pump-up pellet rifle. Have used a shotgun on occasion, but there's little challenge in that. Helped a friend wipe out a Hornet's nest with a pair of scoped 22-250's, that was FUN. :twisted: Safe, too, we were a good 150 yards away in a blind. Poor buggers never knew what hit them. Got stung by all of 'em a lot as a kid, now I take revenge as sport!

Hang in there, Shorty, they'll show up eventually. Put out a little bait!

PJ the Assasinator

Bang · « **Reply #2 on:** July 04, 2004, 06:42:16 AM »

Wow other poeple do this too?!? I also use my Single Six. Only problem is it's hard to mount their little heads. :wink:

Bang

Shorty · « **Reply #3 on:** July 04, 2004, 11:38:19 AM »

Guys,
'Guess I should be glad. At least they aren't drilling holes in my house!

ABaker · « **Reply #4 on:** July 05, 2004, 06:37:42 AM »

My Dad and I shoot at dragon flies. They are always flying around our pond. We sit on the porch and watch them. We have one of those Diana high powered pellet guns with a scope on it. At 45 yards if you can hit an insect then you can hit practically anything. It is about the cheapest fun you can have with gun.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #5 on:** August 09, 2004, 04:55:01 PM »

OK...I got a really interesting question for most of you. Do you just shoot carpenter bees just for fun and management or what? I thought u guys were nuts...then I saw a few more posts and thought otherwise. Please explain if you all will. I'm very curious now.

michbob · « **Reply #6 on:** August 10, 2004, 02:20:37 PM »

And another question: just how far north do the bloody thing live? I've had more "bumblebees" inside my house this year than ever before. There's nothing quite like waking up on a sleepy Saturday morning to a buzzing noise and seeing a big honking bee three inches from your nose.

I think people hunt them in self-defence!

Michbob

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #7 on:** August 10, 2004, 04:48:01 PM »

That's hilarious to hear about that. I don't think I would be laughing to find and encounter such as yours but now I have a new reason to buy a single-six: SELF DEFENSE AGAINST THE EVIL AND MERCILESS BEE!! :twisted:

Bang · « **Reply #8 on:** August 11, 2004, 06:04:01 PM »

Snakes are fun too. I use my Six and my MKII. And slugs are great fun. It's amazing how far you can bank shot a slimmy slug! :eek:

Bang

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #9 on:** August 12, 2004, 04:19:58 PM »

I have to confess. I'm a big bee hunter too! LOL!

I love shooting carpenter bees with a good 22 rifle or revolver loaded up with bird shot. It's kinda like shooting birds "on the wing", but just on a smaller, closer scale. I've been doing it for years, and actually, I can't even remember how I got started, but I look forward to it every year.

I'll sneak around old out buildings, and shoot at'em as they're flying by me. Some times I've went through 100 rounds or more of my favorite ammo(Winchester crimped shotshells) in a Single-Six within an hour or so.

It's definately a blast!!!

Shorty · « **Reply #10 on:** August 14, 2004, 11:31:28 AM »

In the interest of game conservation, I must inform those who are not avid bee hunters. The carpenter bee has a smooth, shiny butt, and is the one that is both destructive and fair game. The bumblebees that have fuzzy butts are harmless, and are to be over-looked. Kinda like duck hunting, eh? :wink:
And, I still haven't gotten any. 'Gotta be this super wet summer. :roll:

bgjohn · « **Reply #11 on:** August 14, 2004, 12:17:53 PM »

I get it. Shoot the ones with the shiny butts. But I still wonder about the guys shooting dragonflys that eat mosquitos. I guess they'd rather have lots of mosquitos.
JM

Keith L · « **Reply #12 on:** August 14, 2004, 06:25:27 PM »

Quote from: bgjohn

I get it. Shoot the ones with the shiny butts. But I still wonder about the guys shooting dragonflys that eat mosquitos. I guess they'd rather have lots of mosquitos.
JM

If you have a 17HMR you can shoot the mosquitos! But not on the wing.

daddywpb · « **Reply #13 on:** August 15, 2004, 01:02:39 AM »

What's the posession limit on bees?

Isn't it illegal to 'bait' them?

Bang? Is that the knife you use to field dress 'em?

How many tenderloins does it take to make a meal?

So many questions..........

Bigdog · « **Reply #14 on:** August 15, 2004, 01:46:37 AM »

Hi, my name is Bigdog, and I too am a Bee Hunter. Glad to be here at Bee Hunters Anonymous . . .

My weapon of choice is a little chrome Tanfoglio Italian repro of a "cowboy revolver". Looks like a kids cap pistol from my mis-spent youth. Actually, it's the grandaddy of the Heritage Arms Roughrider - the cylinders almost interchange.

Some folks think those holes in our range rafters are from vandals shooting. Wrong. I became a devoted Carpenter Bee Hunter when I was shooting rifles and using my spotting scope. I kept noticing a podery stuff falling upon the scope (and me too!). Taking a sniff of it - smells very sweet - it's bee crap!! This means war . . . :twisted:
I figure if they can crap on me, I can shoot the crap out of them!

They can be challenging - some learn to dodge pretty well. Mini skeet that zig and zag! Great fun. :-)

Just wear your eye protection - those pellets can bounce off the old dry wood! :wink:

Shorty · « **Reply #15 on:** August 15, 2004, 11:55:55 AM »

Bigdog,
Those No 12 shot shells can tear up aluminum rain gutters and plastic corrugated roofing, and those suckers seem to know that. Trust me, I know! :roll:
When I bought my last box of shells at a gun store, I told the clerk what they were for. He said that, yeah, we have a half-wit who goes out to the shed to do that too. 'Really made me feel good!

hillbill · « **Reply #16 on:** September 20, 2004, 12:08:49 AM »

i used to hunt them with a tennis racket but am thinking of goin strictly archery to keep it sportin :-D

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #17 on:** September 20, 2004, 02:33:45 AM »

Guess ur gonna have to put those shocker tips on ur arrows, eh Bill? Might be able to take one or two out that way.

:-D

Drilling Man · « **Reply #18 on:** October 02, 2004, 09:52:31 AM »

Yup, i never kill dragon flies!! I have them all around my ponds, and like was already mentioned, they are big time mosquito eaters!!! I see guys killing bats too, but once again, they "eat" what i don't want around!!!

Drilling Man

Bama76 · « **Reply #19 on:** October 22, 2004, 01:17:41 PM »

Why in the he** haven't I ever thought of this!! I have been itchin' to try varmint hunting (coyote,crow, etc) but not insect varmints. I feel like a fool who missed out on all the fun. Do any of the available 22LR shot loads cycle in a Browning Camper? Or will I just HAVE to buy a little stainless steel revolver to do this dangerous work? Seriously, I want to know! 22 magnum convertible for big bugs.......hmmm :grin: :twisted:

Mike

Shorty · « **Reply #20 on:** October 23, 2004, 12:24:13 PM »

Bama76,
I don't think any self-loader will cycle .22 shot shells. They're all blow-back, and there just isn't enough pressure to work them. You can still use a self-loader, but you'll have to clear each round manually.

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #21 on:** October 24, 2004, 04:44:59 AM »

Quote from: Bama76

Why in the he** haven't I ever thought of this!! I have been itchin' to try varmint hunting (coyote,crow, etc) but not insect varmints. I feel like a fool who missed out on all the fun. Do any of the available 22LR shot loads cycle in a Browning Camper? Or will I just HAVE to buy a little stainless steel revolver to do this dangerous work? Seriously, I want to know! 22 magnum convertible for big bugs.......hmmm :grin: :twisted:

Mike

Some semi-auto's will cycle the CCI shot shells OK. I've had a few that would.

I don't care much for the CCIs myself though. They always seem to spread out to quick, and limit my effective range by a few feet. I'm figuring it might be the spin that the rifling puts on the shot cup? Most of the CCIs I've tried leave a more or less doughnut shaped pattern.

I use the Winchester crimped shot shells for my serious Bee work. They also will knock down field mice, starlings, and assorted other tiny varmints at pretty decent ranges.

I'm currently on the hunt for a Savage Smooth bore 22 rifle. They're still made, but I'm having a hard time locating one. My intention is to have the barrel heated, and a slight choke rolled into it. I'm figuring on trying to hopefully get a 15-20 yard mouse gun out of it.

PS: If you're intersted in "calling" Bees, maybe to get a leg up (practice) on calling those furry varmints. You can have some success using a comb, and a piece of paper. Just be carefull! If you get a big "boar Bee" all fired up looking for a mate, you may not get him, before he gets you!

papajohn428 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 24, 2004, 07:13:11 AM »

It's comforting to know I'm not the only one who likes "Small Game Hunting". I got started on this in my teens, shooting wasps in the garage. But you had to be careful, lots of breakables there! I used a pellet gun for years, often with less-than-stellar results. I remember once I took a shot at a BIG old wasp from about ten feet, problem was I forgot the pellet. Made him mad though, and he chased me all over that garage until I finally made it out the door and dove over a fence. I heard him zoom over my head as he lost track of me and kept zigzagging around the yard looking for me. Then I look up and my Mom is in the kitchen window, laughing her socks off at me. I can laugh about it now, but it was pretty embarassing for a couple weeks.

I have only rarely used shotshells, I prefer 22 hollow points at about 20-30 yards. I have a bolt-action Remington with a nice scope, and I will pour out a puddle of orange soda on a railroad tie, where there's a good backstop behind it. Then I'll sit by my living room window and wait for the little buggers to appear. It may not be sporting, but it sure is fun when you take their little heads off!

Papajohn the Apian Assassin