A good story for Independence Day weekend

[Angel Eyes]

Army veteran uses his 10/22 to rescue a bald eagle:

http://www.ktvb.com/news/army-veteran-rescues-an-eagle-in-incredible-way/262226145

Eagle is recovering.

[Hawkmoon]

Must be a brownout -- my monitor went all fuzzy there for a bit.

[Ben]

On a side note, I think it's pretty cool that he lives in a place where Fish and Game praised him for this instead of fining him.

[HeroHog]

I like how he cleared branches first so he had a clear shot at his main objective. I'm assuming/hoping that there was a LOT of empty land beyond his line of fire, .22 or not.

[cordex]

On a side note, I think it's pretty cool that he lives in a place where Fish and Game praised him for this instead of fining him.

No kidding.

We have had a bald eagle perching on the neighbor's house in the mornings for the past few weeks. It likes to pull bass out of the pond behind us.

[RocketMan]

All well and good, and I hate to rain on this parade, but where did the rounds that missed land after being fired at such a high angle?  What was down range?  He fired a lot of shots over an hour and a half, and not all of them were stopped by the tree branch.

[Ron]

All well and good, and I hate to rain on this parade, but where did the rounds that missed land after being fired at such a high angle?  What was down range?  He fired a lot of shots over an hour and a half, and not all of them were stopped by the tree branch.

The way the article is written I take it all that was taken into consideration.

Before pulling the trigger, Jason Galvin cleared his idea with Phil Mohs, a conservation officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

"He told me he was a veteran in the service and he wouldn’t do it if he couldn’t do it safely," said Mohs, who gave Galvin the go-ahead to start shooting, already having concluded the eagle would die in the tree if left alone.

[RocketMan]

The way the article is written I take it all that was taken into consideration.

I got the sense that they meant he wouldn't accidentally shoot someone standing nearby.

[Hawkmoon]

Gravel road. Veteran's home described as a "cabin." My guess is that it's a very rural location and that the vet and the conservation officer probably did assess what might be downrange before deciding to go ahead.

[Andiron]

Because I'm somewhat lazy and my math is rusty,  what would the formula be for predicting  the impact of rnds that didn't hit the branch?  Angle of shot and velocity of rnd?

[zxcvbob]

How high was the branch?  They probably could have used a pole saw, and the DNR folks probably had one.  They might not've had enough extensions; might have to borrow some from the local power company.  Mine will reach about 40 feet, but it's getting pretty hard to manage that long.

Even easier would be to use a rope saw.  Those don't really have a height limit, you just need a bow and arrow to get it up that high (please don't skewer the eagle)

Shot at a high angle, how much energy would be left in a 40 grain .22 bullet when it hit the ground, a half a mile or so away?  They're not the most aerodynamic things.  First thing I thought when I read the story was "what's his backstop?"

He used what he had, and the story had a happy ending.  I suppose we shouldn't over-analyze it too much.  (where did he get that much .22 ammo?)

[Hawkmoon]

How high was the branch?

75 feet.

The fire department didn't have anything tall enough to reach it.

[230RN]

I don't find it unusual for someone with a .22 semi in their vehicle to have 150 rd of ammunition with them.  Or even a brick.

I've often thought about the realistic danger of high-angle shots with a .22 since I used to do a lot of squirrel hunting up in the mountains.  I guess it depends on population density downrange and the extreme range ballistics of a .22.

Ain't doing the calculations, though.

Glad the eagle's on the way to recovery, last I heard.

Terry

[LadySmith]

Galvin said.  “Fourth of July, you know, that’s our bird. I can’t let it sit there.” 

I salute you, Mr. Galvin.

[41magsnub]

All well and good, and I hate to rain on this parade, but where did the rounds that missed land after being fired at such a high angle?  What was down range?  He fired a lot of shots over an hour and a half, and not all of them were stopped by the tree branch.

It must suck going through life being that cynical.

[230RN]

Reminds me of that shot to cut the telephone wire with a Mosin-Nagant rifle in "Enemy at the Gates."

[RocketMan]

It must suck going through life being that cynical.

I'll have you know my middle name is "Cynical".    

Never the less, I was taught angled shots are a no no.  At 45 degrees or less they maintain enough velocity to kill at a long distance.
Higher angle shots, maybe you can get away with those, but still not the best idea.
Even out in wide open farm country, you really don't know who might be downrange.

[41magsnub]

I'll have you know my middle name is "Cynical".    

Never the less, I was taught angled shots are a no no.  At 45 degrees or less they maintain enough velocity to kill at a long distance.
Higher angle shots, maybe you can get away with those, but still not the best idea.
Even out in wide open farm country, you really don't know who might be downrange.

True, but as a person who does not have a topographical map of the area in front of me to say they were wrong, I'll give the game warden and vet the benefit of the doubt that they thought this through.

[zxcvbob]

Also, it was just a .22 LR, and he was shooting a lot more than 45 degrees -- but less than 90.

Probably not a lot of energy left when they hit the ground.  I have a rough idea how to calculate the terminal ballistics, don't know how to account for the air resistance.  And not motivated enough to figure it out.  (shooting a rifle into the air still makes me cringe a little)