Rules and regulations (you can't get away from them!)

Although Starlings and House Sparrows are not protected nationwide, specific states and counties have their own book of rules, so its always a good idea to review these first! As I mentioned earlier, Rock Doves (Pigeons) are protected in a few states. If you are allowed to shoot on your property, there are most probably some rules on this too, such as a minimum of an acre of land etc. In my case, we have 3/4 of an acre, but our neighbors have a full acre, and allow our family to use their property, so I'm o.k. on this end. According to a man I talked to from the MO Department of Conservation, you can hunt on public hunting property in MO, but need a hunting license to do so, and must follow specific rules of the property. Also according to him, a license is not required for public land that you have permission to use. Any one can trap these birds on their own, as well as permissioned property, and I'll have photos later on of what traps I use.