you can tell when .22LR is hard to find

[mtnman]

 

how do you introduce yourself to these birds? and how do you get them to hunt for you(i assume)?

The toughest part is finding the required time to properly care for the birds, and get them out hunting as often as they need (I get out 3-5 times per week, for several hours each session, for about 6 months of the year, in addition to working a full time job, a part time job, and being married with two active high school kids in band, sports, and scouts). 

The second toughest part is acquiring the required state and federal permits, and successfully going through a 2 year (minimum) apprenticeship.

After that, it's just a lot of learning.  And then I go out and catch a bird, train it to allow me to accompany it on hunts, and get out in the woods and fields with it.

[Tr1gg22]

When I was 12 we had a lake house on the Texas side of Lake Texhoma. One afternoon my older brother and I were coming into the cove from fishing. A racoon was swimming across the middle of the cove. I was driving the boat and my older brother said pull over next to the Racoon. My brother was 22 at the time he was a big guy 6' 4" and king of the world he thought. He reached down and grabbed the racoon by the tail and brought it into the boat. Within 10 seconds the Racoon was Captain of the boat and my brother and I were swimming in the cove.  I've never gotten anywhere near  a raccon since. I won't go near any wild animal after that episode.

[Rich46yo]

Raccoons, rabbits, and squirrels have much higher population densities in the cities around here than can be found "out in the country".

Destructive "pests" have a short shelf life in the country where folks live in reality and not a Disney cartoon. Yotes, coons, skunks, possums, feral cats, even feral dogs, get shot on sight because they are very destructive to wild life. I for one have a policy, if it can eat a duck or pheasant egg it gets blowed up. I wont harm a mouser or house cat around a barn but a feral cat is high on my hit list. Of them all the worst is the coons. They are very destructive.