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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,612 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 10,612 Likes: 1 |
Make sure crows are legal to shoot in your state. For years I just assumed it was O.K./legal. This year I discovered it is illegal to kill crows in the state of Montana. Go figure. Crows are protected by the feds because of a migratory bird treaty with Mexico. Most states have a season, but it's always open to deal with depravating birds.
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,814 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,814 Likes: 1 |
I hate them dirty sob's. If I can wing one, I keep some kevlar string in my bag and tie it to one foot and stake it out with an owl on a stump close by, you will burn a barrel up trying to kill all the incomers. You just gotta be fast to catch that winged bird and now that I am 50, it is getting harder to do.
NRA Endowed Patron Life Benefactor GOA Life Member TSRA Life Member NSCA Life Member
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866 |
I have heard of that before but never done it. It seems I have a hard time winging one. It's always stone dead or crippled to the point of flopping and kicking, which gets them going pretty good.
Eating fried chicken and watermelon since 1972.
You tell me how I ought to be, yet you don't even know your own sexuality,, the philosopher,,, you know so much about nothing at all. Chuck Schuldiner
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,249
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,249 |
We've had good luck with owl decoys here in the Piedmont over the years but we use them in combination with static decoys, a Mojo or two and old school electronic calls (Johnny Scott Crow Reveille!!) so all I can say is the owl doesn't run them off. I really like that hooker owl idea. It may be BS but I'm in. I'll be drilling one this weekend.
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866 |
I tried something new a couple of weeks ago with a new buddy that I met at new job. He is a really good outdoorsman that likes many of the things I do and in just one day we both learned several things from each other.
We hunted my spots and set up geographicaly the way I do but used his spread of decoys. It worked like a charm and we were bating 1000 till the crows started getting leary and wouldn't get close and we did just a little sky busting before we saw they were onto our set up and weren't going to work anymore.
He has this owl on a tall pole. It has a clip right below the the owl that he puts this crow decoy that flapps one wing. It looks like the owl has the crow. They do not like it, at all! We smoked them and had an absolute blast doing it. We only found a few of them but most of them landed in the thorns and we couldn't get them. Not a bad way to go out on the last day of the season. Most fun activity indeed.
Eating fried chicken and watermelon since 1972.
You tell me how I ought to be, yet you don't even know your own sexuality,, the philosopher,,, you know so much about nothing at all. Chuck Schuldiner
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 8,573
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 8,573 |
I really miss crow hunting. Unfortunately, the seasons are all wrong. I hunted them after other seasons were closed. Now they have the season in the deer, small game, and duck season. They also require non-toxic shot now.
In the past, January to May were the most productive months and if I didn't kill at least a hundred each trip I felt it was a bad day. I usually hunted alone but sometimes had one friend along.
Last edited by websterparish47; 03/14/16.
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866
Campfire Tracker
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OP
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866 |
100 a day is really good around here. You can call them in every day in a few seconds but getting set up right in the hill country with tall trees is the hard part. It's hard to get them low enuff for a good shot even with a improved modified or full choke. Last year I used a xtra full and probably killed more crows than ever. I usually use a imp. Mod. But this year I may back off to a standard full choke.
I have a farm in some bottom lands that I can hunt now and it's almost all fields and a few fence rows to hide in. I'm hoping it will work out well. The farmer also hates pigeons cause they $hit on everything he puts in his barns so I'm gonna help him out with that too.
God I love wingshooting!!!
Eating fried chicken and watermelon since 1972.
You tell me how I ought to be, yet you don't even know your own sexuality,, the philosopher,,, you know so much about nothing at all. Chuck Schuldiner
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 8,573
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 8,573 |
When I first started I had a johnny stewart cassette player powered by twelve D cell batteries. I didn't like the carry handle and drilled it and put a carry strap on it. When I sent it back to them for a rebuild they must have liked the strap idea 'cause they started putting a carry strap on theirs.
When they went to the caller with rechargeable batteries they put a much smaller speaker on them. Fortunately the slot to hold the speaker was the same size as the old speaker. That old speaker put sound out much farther than the smaller speakers.
I don't recall having a problem getting the crows down into the tall pines here. If you can direct the speaker toward the ground once they start coming in, they may come in lower.
Once there was a small hill(100 feet) in the delta(flat land for miles around). I climbed to the top of the hill and called. Only time I've ever had to shot DOWN at incoming crows.
Lord, I miss those days.
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,866
Campfire Tracker
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OP
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Joined: Sep 2013
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It's grand ain't it! I may be weird but I'm starting to like it more than anything else. I hate those dirty bastids and all of them should be punished with death by shotgun.
Eating fried chicken and watermelon since 1972.
You tell me how I ought to be, yet you don't even know your own sexuality,, the philosopher,,, you know so much about nothing at all. Chuck Schuldiner
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 24,764 Likes: 30
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 24,764 Likes: 30 |
I have used a 22-250 varmint rifle on them in open fields especially right after hay was cut -some shotgunning -rimfire and a pellet rifle. I'm not the best shotgun shooter and prefer shooting them with my suppressed CZ 22lr from around 30-50 yards. Set up near a lone tree preferably a dead one -I place the owl decoy above two crow decoys even if I have to tie the owl to a limb. Turn the crow decoys back to the owl -I think it makes the crows think 'look out behind you'. A third crow decoy placed wherever . My best is only six but it's a lot of fun w/a suppressed rifle using sub sonic hollow points .
My cousin Deb's pawinlaw is an old crow hunter -he told me his favorite way of shooting them is to place a few old #1 leg hold traps on fence posts . Place decoy/caller 25-30 feet out from fence -the crows will land on top of fence post and step in the little trap -then be hanging flopping trying to fly and drive the other crows nuts -says it's irresistible to them. Of coarse live decoys is illegal now days.
When I kill a hog at my lease I know they avoid the feeder for a bit so I use that time to whack the local crows . We have crows and ravens down here -the ravens can't seem to "crow" very loud and are smaller in size. I set up and wait them out fully camoed -my feeder back then was a 6.5 gallon corn thrower hanging off of a 12' treated 4x4 --the landing pad-- . I get buck fever when I see the black shadow flash by on the ground knowing frick or frack is getting ready to get shot.
I enjoy that type of hunting or predator calling as much as I enjoy shooting a big buck or hog -especially when my freezer is full.
PRESIDENT TRUMP 2024/2028 !!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Bristoe The people wringing their hands over Trump's rhetoric don't know what time it is in America.
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Joined: Oct 2011
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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I used the Owl and Crow decoys once. Had an old Zebco 202 reel and a cheaper rod. Lead sinker on the line tossed over a high limb. Tied the owl( had a spot on top of its head with a hole in it), to the line and cranked it up until it touched a limb, cut the line and tied it to a bush. Did the same with the crow decoys. When I turned the caller on, they came in like crazy.
Don't remember how many I got there but decided the set up was too time consuming. After that just found good cover and good cammo. After that just used the decoys with the dying crow tape at Halloween to scare the kids.
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