Steller's Jay [Archive]

rollingrock

04-02-2007, 01:30 PM

Fisher-Dude

04-02-2007, 01:54 PM

rollingrock

04-02-2007, 01:59 PM

Oh, because they're birds so they shouldn't be penalized for undermining my legal hunting activities as a human would be? :D

moosinaround

04-02-2007, 03:11 PM

Yikes!!! I hope you are being sarcastic.

Gateholio

04-02-2007, 03:14 PM

Are they really considered to be quite intelligent? I never thought that about them, but I am not an ornithologist....

Elkhound

04-02-2007, 03:19 PM

an ornithologist....

:mad:Damn...now I have to use google again:lol:

CanuckShooter

04-02-2007, 03:20 PM

You should learn to be less noticeable...if that stellar jay knows your there then so does your quarry. And with all that natural sound cover you don't have to worry so much about being detected because of your sloppy footwork!! :lol:

Bow Walker

04-02-2007, 03:22 PM

Rollingrock - you're in their territory, take it easy and enjoy the outdoors.

Kirby

04-02-2007, 03:23 PM

They are an intellegent bird... but you still have to consider their brain is the size of pea.

Kirby

Wildman

04-02-2007, 03:35 PM

I didn't get this bird's name until last night. Never liked them. They're so annoying that for several times I have been really close to shoot them with the sp bullets I prepared for the big ones. They will follow me around when I walk in woods and never stop bitching about my existence. :twisted: Overall I hate them. I hate their colors, their creepy crests and their coarse sounds.

I agree with you on that one. The Jays are constantly following me and I believe that they are purposely trying to reveal my position. They are BC's provincial bird. I have tried shooting at them with my .22 but they seem to jump over my bullet and laugh at me.

rollingrock

04-02-2007, 03:36 PM

Yikes!!! I hope you are being sarcastic.
Do I sound that serious?;)

You should learn to be less noticeable...if that stellar jay knows your there then so does your quarry. And with all that natural sound cover you don't have to worry so much about being detected because of your sloppy footwork!! :lol:
A lot times when I even walked on a logging road they'd come after me and chase me for a long distance. You know squirels are annoying too, but after you sit down for a while they'd leave you alone. Those birds are my nightmare.:mad:

Rollingrock - you're in their territory, take it easy and enjoy the outdoors.
Don't know why...I love almost all the wildlives I see out there including crows, I just don't like these jays. :-(

They are an intellegent bird... but you still have to consider their brain is the size of pea.

Kirby

I think crows are the smartest birds I've ever seen. And they're entertaining too.

Will

04-02-2007, 03:40 PM

http://www.slingshotsusa.com/images/2020.jpg

rollingrock

04-02-2007, 03:41 PM

I agree with you on that one. The Jays are constantly following me and I believe that they are purposely trying to reveal my position. They are BC's provincial bird. I have tried shooting at them with my .22 but they seem to jump over my bullet and laugh at me.

You kidding me!? I thought crows are! :D

Fisher-Dude

04-02-2007, 03:42 PM

Are they really considered to be quite intelligent? I never thought that about them, but I am not an ornithologist....

Yes. They mimic the calls of other birds, especially hawks, to scare other birds from food sources and from their territories. They also use "whisper calls" around their nesting sites so as not to draw attention to their young. They have complex social structures and heirarchies, and the intelligence to adapt to any food/environmental conditions.

All of the corvidae family of birds, such as ravens, magpies, and jays are highly intelligent. Ravens can be taught to talk. They also have learned things like dropping walnuts on asphalt to crack them open.

http://www.naturepark.com/stellars.htm

Rainwater

04-02-2007, 03:48 PM

Shooting BC's treasured and voted as the BIRD OF BC, blasphemy.

ruger#1

04-02-2007, 03:50 PM

Are they good eating.

Gateholio

04-02-2007, 03:58 PM

Are they good eating.

I always though they tasted a bit too much like spotted owl for my taste bufds...

ruger#1

04-02-2007, 04:02 PM

I was only asking because, i was thinking of making something for supper, And there are two of them at my bird feeder . MMMMM Jay stew.

Dirty

04-02-2007, 04:22 PM

I have heard them make calls like a hawk. We have a ton of them in my neighbourhood. Even though they are loud and aggrevating I wouldn't think of whacking one. Whether this thread is a joke or not it is still stupid to talk about shooting the provincial bird. This is the type of thing that lurking anti's will use as ammo. I can see it now ....."Hunters killing innocent birds because they ruin their hunt". I think a little more discretion should be used before posting.

Wildman

04-02-2007, 04:31 PM

You kidding me!? I thought crows are! :D

Shooting BC's treasured and voted as the BIRD OF BC, blasphemy.

I didnt make it up..its tue they are BC's provincial bird! Here is the link to prove it. http://www.britishcolumbia.com/government/government/symbols.html
I would have picked maybe the Bald Eagle or King Fisher! Definately not the Stellar Jay. But hey, I didnt make the choice.....sure wish I know who did! Maybe we can start a petition to change the provincial bird to something else?

rollingrock

04-02-2007, 04:41 PM

I didnt make it up..its tue they are BC's provincial bird! Here is the link to prove it. http://www.britishcolumbia.com/government/government/symbols.html
I would have picked maybe the Bald Eagle or King Fisher! Definately not the Stellar Jay. But hey, I didnt make the choice.....sure wish I know who did! Maybe we can start a petition to change the provincial bird to something else?

:lol:Just like GlobalBC getting rid of Jill Kropp. Bad taste and bad decision in the first place.

3kills

04-02-2007, 04:43 PM

steller jays? are they whiskey jacks???
they annoy me too but i think they are kinda fun to watch they are pretty smart to know that if i person is there that there is probably food around...

Bow Walker

04-02-2007, 05:00 PM

Being the provincial bird of BC I bet it is considered illegal to kill one.

Kinda like diggin up a dogwood tree.

Chuck

04-02-2007, 05:05 PM

I've had these jays, squirrels and chickadees scolding me when I was creeping around in the bush too, but I can't say without a doubt that they somehow tipped off my quarry or spoiled my hunt, at least I've never found the evidence to prove it was so.

hunter1947

04-02-2007, 05:09 PM

I have never had a problem with them ,i guess there scared of me ,when i take an ugly look at them ,they scat. :lol: hunter 1947.

VanIsle

04-02-2007, 05:27 PM

I do recall voting for a provincial bird in the late 70's or early 80's.
I don't recall what other choices we were given in the questionaire, or even how I obtained it, but I did vote for the Steller Jay.
As a young boy growing up here in BC we always called them blue jays, and they were a highly sought after prize when us kids were armed with sling shots.:roll:
I remember picking the Steller Jay as our Provincial bird because it truly seemed to be provincial. No matter where you are in our province, you will see these birds, and they always reminded me of being somewhere outdoors. Granted, bald eagles are majestic, but you will see them mostly in coastal areas.
As noted before, they are quite intelligent, and have a huge range of vocalizations. I once lived in a Burnaby neighborhood, where one actually mimicked a car alarm:)
Being busted by one while you are sneaking into your hunting area though, can be bit annoying :-(

Pete

swamper

04-02-2007, 05:44 PM

I personally like the STellar's Jays. The are a beautiful bird that provides a lot of entertainment. As for having a Bald Eagle as our provincial bird, who in their right mind would want a carrion eater to represent our province. And besides, the Americans have already claimed it as their national bird, which won out over the wild turkey. As for the question asked by 3Kills, no they are not Whiskey Jacks. Whiskey Jacks are actually called Grey Jays, and they also provide a lot of entertainment around a hunting camp.

Fisher-Dude

04-02-2007, 05:44 PM

Those who worry about a bird or a squirrel tipping off the game they are stalking must really SUCK as hunters.:roll:

I've watched deer feeding when a squirrel starts chattering. They rarely lift their heads to look, and if they do, they look at the squirrel, not at me.

Chickadees were mentioned above. Nothing I like more when passing the slow hours in a deer stand than watching a group of chickadees, juncos, or nuthatches move in and feed and vocalize.

It's surprising how much more enjoyment one can get if they slow down and watch the birds and other little animals...and how much more in tune with your surroundings you get...and consequently, how much better a hunter you become. 'nuff said. ;-)

BearSniper

04-02-2007, 06:26 PM

I suppose Stellars can be a bit annoying, but they're just out doing their job.

I didn't think you could hunt them. I remember when they were designated a Provincial Bird. Half the population hated it, half liked it.:o

tmarschall

04-02-2007, 06:43 PM

If you want to know what bird is really annoying, Annoying isn't the best word to use, but right now I can't think of a better word used to describe a bird that can give you a heart attack. It is the bob-white quail. they are about half the size of your grouse. They roost on the ground in bunches of 8 to 20 birds. Usually under a small bush or in a thick bunch of grass. They literally circle the wagons at night with their tails toward the center of the circle... eyes out looking for predators and ready to take off with a free flight path. Now you might have heard the whoosh of a grouse taking off, a quail will make twice as much racket, and it is more of a whir... or small crack of thunder. Now multiply this by 8 to 20 birds. You are walking to your stand in the wee hours of the morning before daylight... or headed to the top of that ridge, and you walk unknowingly past a small bush loaded with 20 quail. All you can hear are a few crickets and an occasional howl of a coyote off in the distance. Now these quail don't give you the courtesy of flushing when you are 20, 15 or 10 yds away. They wait til you are less than 6 feet away and... WHOOOOOMMMM... all hell breaks loose. Fortunately you brought along a portable heart shocking machine that automatically re-starts your heart if it should ever stop... on occasions like these. Then you return to camp for a clean set of trousers.

The good news is... quail are legel game birds... heheheheeeee... revenge is so sweet!!!

Caveman

04-02-2007, 06:51 PM

steller jays? are they whiskey jacks???
they annoy me too but i think they are kinda fun to watch they are pretty smart to know that if i person is there that there is probably food around...
The "Whiskey Jack", "Canada Jay" or "Gray Jay" are not the same as the "Stellar Jay". The Steller Jay is closer to the Blue Jay and is annoying, somewhat like a squirral can be but the Canada Jay is cool to see and mostly silent, usually in pairs. I don't have a problem with them though.

Stone Sheep Steve

04-02-2007, 07:27 PM

I don't have a problem with any of the jays. I welcome their company in the bush or at home.

However, I DO have a major problem with Flickers!!:mad: There's enough friggin dead pine in the bush to last them a million friggin years!! Why do the friggers have to keep pecking friggin holes in my friggin house??!!!:mad:
I finally had to hang garden mesh off my roof to keep them away. Next time I won't be so "environmentally sensitive":roll: . I wish I had a dog problem so I would have a BB gun around the house:wink: ......................

I'm not even going to mention the daybreak wake up calls on the furnace stove pipe cap!!!!

SSS

Fisher-Dude

04-02-2007, 08:21 PM

I don't have a problem with any of the jays. I welcome their company in the bush or at home.

However, I DO have a major problem with Flickers!!:mad: There's enough friggin dead pine in the bush to last them a million friggin years!! Why do the friggers have to keep pecking friggin holes in my friggin house??!!!:mad:
I finally had to hang garden mesh off my roof to keep them away. Next time I won't be so "environmentally sensitive":roll: . I wish I had a dog problem so I would have a BB gun around the house......................

I'm not even going to mention the daybreak wake up calls on the furnace stove pipe cap!!!!

SSS

And I bet they shit all over your FURD too! :lol:

one-shot-wonder

04-02-2007, 08:33 PM

And I bet they shit all over your FURD too! :lol:

No they peck a hole in the canopy and shat inside the FURD.....:o

Caveman

04-02-2007, 08:45 PM

And I bet they shit all over your FURD too! :lol:

Not likely you can only pile it so high.

LeverActionJunkie

04-02-2007, 10:37 PM

A beautiful bird that is highly intelligent, as are all from the jay family, and you want to blast it because you have invaded its territory? Perhaps you should just stay home in the lower mainland traffic jams if the sounds of nature disturb you so much.

There is more fuel for the anti-hunting movement on this board the past few days than I've ever seen! :mad:

+1 I agree with you fully. My definition of annoying is some Lower Mainland "hunter" tailgaiting you through the bush tossing empty beercans and other crap in your back yard.

And yes it is illegal to shoot any bird not listed in the synopsis or on schedule C.

Canuck2

04-02-2007, 11:04 PM

Global dumped Jill Krop??:cry:

Steller's Jays are just fine with me. But BINGO on the remarks SSS made about flickers. They pick on my house, too, plus one put a big hole in my McKenzie.:shock:

But most of all, I detest magpies. Had them annihilate the tenderloins of an elk I propped open to cool while I went back to camp for help. I know, I know - stupid me for not covering it.

Seeadler

04-03-2007, 07:02 AM

I like Steller's Jay, I always plant sunflowers in the yard to attract them come winter.

The ones that pi$$ me off are blackbirds.

7mmag

04-03-2007, 07:15 AM

swamper

04-03-2007, 07:31 AM

I agree with 7 M. We can't blame all the beer cans and tailgating on the Lotus Landers. I live in the Cariboo and have seen my share of ignorant locals that practice these pastimes.

And I do think we tend to lump everyone that lives from Hope to the ocean as granola crunchers. There are a lot of good folks down there that live there out of necessity and come up our way to escape and enjoy the good life.

So lets quit picking on them and go back to bitching about birds.

Wildman

04-03-2007, 07:58 AM

Those who worry about a bird or a squirrel tipping off the game they are stalking must really SUCK as hunters.:roll:

I'm not saying they tip me off while I'm hunting. I definately don't worry about them giving me away while I'm hunting. In fact they usually dont annoy me while I am hunting. They do however annoy me when they eat all my hot peppers or while I am out working and they constantly follow me along an overgrown, aldered in logging road along the Seymour River while the coho are spawning.
They are a dime a dozen here on northern Vancouver Island, and I'm just saying that I personally don't care for them and I do not think that they are worthy of being our provincial bird.

rollingrock

04-03-2007, 08:36 AM

[quote=LeverActionJunkie]+1 I agree with you fully. My definition of annoying is some Lower Mainland "hunter" tailgaiting you through the bush tossing empty beercans and other crap in your back yard.

I'm so tried of Lowermainlander bashing on this site:mad:

I respect OUR wild lands just as much as you do!!!

Most the beer cans I see in the bush are "Buds" thats more of a yokal drink isn't it?
I only drink Molson :lol:and always bring cans and other garbages back. I'd say most LMers appreciate outdoor life more and respect bush and mountains more as we don't have a lot of time to come out.

And don't forget that a lot of record book bucks were taken by LMers.8)

I'm not saying they tip me off while I'm hunting. I definately don't worry about them giving me away while I'm hunting. In fact they usually dont annoy me while I am hunting. They do however annoy me when they eat all my hot peppers or while I am out working and they constantly follow me along an overgrown, aldered in logging road along the Seymour River while the coho are spawning.
They are a dime a dozen here on northern Vancouver Island, and I'm just saying that I personally don't care for them and I do not think that they are worthy of being our provincial bird.

But I do believe that squirels and Jays tip me off when they spot me moving in bush. When you listen carefully you'd find that they use different vocals to communicate. When they follow me and perceive me as an intruder, the vocal sounds very different. The message will then be passed on to other animals in the bush. Human acutally use bird vocals to locate threats too.

Bow Walker

04-03-2007, 09:07 AM

But I do believe that squirels and Jays tip me off when they spot me moving in bush. When you listen carefully you'd find that they use different vocals to communicate. When they follow me and perceive me as an intruder, the vocal sounds very different. The message will then be passed on to other animals in the bush. Human acutally use bird vocals to locate threats too.
That's the key. Moving. If you're 'setup' and waiting they will move. Usually they don't see you, and if they do - they ignore you.

rollingrock

04-03-2007, 09:18 AM

That's the key. Moving. If you're 'setup' and waiting they will move. Usually they don't see you, and if they do - they ignore you.

I found that squirels are different from Jays. Squirels will leave me alone if I stop and sit down for a while. Jays won't. They won't stop cracking until they see me off far.

BTW, if you take the crest off a Jay, what's the difference between a Jay and a crow except for the color? That's why I don't understand why some people think Jays are beautiful. :lol:

mrdoog

04-03-2007, 10:37 AM

So you think they're the same, only different?

Caveman

04-03-2007, 10:43 AM

[quote=7mmag]

But I do believe that squirels and Jays tip me off when they spot me moving in bush. When you listen carefully you'd find that they use different vocals to communicate. When they follow me and perceive me as an intruder, the vocal sounds very different. The message will then be passed on to other animals in the bush. Human acutally use bird vocals to locate threats too.

The same could be said about that moose trying to carry on with buisness. That squirrel could also be alerting you to something back in the bush as well, so keep your ears open.

Schmaus

04-03-2007, 11:57 AM

What a stupid thread http://www.freewebby.com/beer-food-sick-smilies/pop.gif

I love it http://www.freewebby.com/happy-smilies/not_ripe.gif

Seeadler

04-03-2007, 12:34 PM

Oh, because they're birds so they shouldn't be penalized for undermining my legal hunting activities as a human would be? :D

What about a doe snorting at you? Is that undermining your legal hunting activities?

Mark_S

04-03-2007, 01:46 PM

stellars jays and crows just so happen to be in the same family.

I don't see the point in complaining about it though

wetcoasthunter

04-03-2007, 02:46 PM

Wildman

04-03-2007, 03:14 PM

Hmmm, I wonder whats worse for giving your "position" away, a Jay cackling or a gunshot?

At the time I was doing that I was not hunting, I was working so I was not concerned about my position.

Bow Walker

04-03-2007, 04:29 PM

stellars jays and crows just so happen to be in the same family.

I don't see the point in complaining about it though
You got that right!:sad:

I've got family that there is no sense complaining about to. They ain't changin fer love nor money!:twisted::lol:

Tinney

04-03-2007, 05:37 PM

What's everyone complaining about? They give away the presence of game too...especially squirrels.....you know where the moose are that way ???

boxhitch

04-03-2007, 07:23 PM

What's everyone complaining about?
I think its PPHS (Pre/Post Hunting Syndrome) There appears to be lots of irritation appearing on the site.
Either that, or Hemmies, from sitting at the keybored too long.....

Bow Walker

04-03-2007, 08:00 PM

I think its PPHS (Pre/Post Hunting Syndrome) There appears to be lots of irritation appearing on the site.
Either that, or Hemmies, from sitting at the keybored too long.....
What's the cure? Draino?:shock:

boxhitch

04-03-2007, 09:52 PM

Temporary malady, no doubt. Just hope nobody takes it too seriously. Should sort itself out, after breakup.

mrdoog

04-03-2007, 10:01 PM

Anyone who is being followed by birds is probably excreting too much "Manscent", try double srubbing your pits before heading out.

bcfarmer

04-04-2007, 07:12 AM

I sure hope the snow melts and the bears come out soon.

If nothing else, this thread is a bit of entertainment.

bcf

Wildman

04-04-2007, 07:50 AM

I have to admit I did get a bit worked up over this bird. Im over it!

luckynuts

04-04-2007, 08:53 AM

I remember picking the Steller Jay as our Provincial bird because it truly seemed to be provincial. No matter where you are in our province, you will see these birds, and they always reminded me of being somewhere outdoors. Granted, bald eagles are majestic, but you will see them mostly in coastal areas.
Pete

Hmm have 5 bald eagles on my run one pair building a nest up from B-76. Have seen lots of magppies, ravens, bluejays(the real ones) Bluebirds whiskeyjacks and even crows now but never have I seen a stellar jay up here. Had lots on the island even watched a cooper's hawk chase one right down our path and they both smoked into our front door = stone dead. I was going to get them mounted and left them in a styrofoam cooler outside only to find a coon had eaten the breasts out of them the next morning:mad: They sure can be noise especially when a hawk flies over or a squirrel comes to the feeder cool looking bird but my fav is the magppie:lol:

W.