Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints crow sniping techniques?

Do any of you that snipe crows care to elaborate on your techniques used?

And also what equipment you prefer?

Thanks

Brett (Mac)

Used to shoot them outta trees with .243 75-grain JHPs and .270 100-grain SPs (handloads)in the '70s and '80s. Gotten so dang populated around here nervous unless there's a thick tree trunk behind the crow.

Mostly just shoot them on the ground in pastures or crop fields these days, .22 Mag to .223 ARs, whatever's handy.

Have dropped a bull crow at 15 long steps in my suburban backyard with an Aguila Super Colibri. Bang-Flop-Caw!

Your .223 and light bullets oughta do fine. Were I starting out right now I'd think hard about a .20-caliber something for a dedicated crow/PD gun.

A .270 does make for a lively explosion of feathers, though...

They're just targets of opportunity.

I'll definitely be using my .223 on them maybe i'll work on baiting them or see if I can find some plowed up fields.

Idk how you got within 15 steps of a crow but kudos. That's impressive.lol. I can barley get the house window open when they're at 40-50yds.

A hot .20 would be a good crow gun I imagine if I were ever to get a dedicated crow rig.

Brett (Mac)

If your area is like mine, as long as you can stay very, very still, they'll show up.

We call them in and blast them with shotguns. I try to carry a .22 WMR in case they hang up out of range. The Fox Pro with the dying crow call seems to work very well.

The .22 Hornet is my favorite rifle to use. Try to take the wing off the first one and get him on the ground walking and squawking. The others will hang around for several followup shots. I have killed as many as 14 from such a set up.

But they do get harder to fool. The are several murders in my area that will not let my truck get within a quarter mile of them. That's when you change it up and drive the wife's car.

Using a Foxpro, I setup 200 yds from the caller, both because camo wasn't needed, and to minimize the report of my 17AH (CZ527...zero'ed at 200yds)
Once I had some dead ones on the ground (and one hung up in the branches...great stuff), switching back and forth from "crow fight" and "injured crow" kept them coming back for more.
In about 40 minutes, I was 24 dead crows for 30 shots...outstanding session.
Load is a 20gr Vmax over 12.6gr of AA1680, exiting the muzzle at 3800pfs...you get to see every hit (or miss) .

I use the old owl decoy along with a caller. I put flat fish hooks on the owls ears . I use a stiff wire to protrude the hooks out about 2". When the crows attack the owl they often get raked by the hooks. Sometimes hung up on the owl. The crows get pretty excited.
Had one new shooter blast owl and crow in his excitement. A few crow decoys on ground help get things started.

I sometimes put white fast food bags out in places I can easy check on for long shots. Probably 200+ yards. A few hamburger tidbits and freedom fries get 'em interested. A dead cat or rabbit or squirrel is a switch up.
Cisco

The only thing I hate about this technique is it doesn't always work. But Mulerider's technique and good ol' fashioned back road cruising is how we always did it in IL.


Travis

I just sit in the garage with the door up. Set up the foxpro and let the kid keep count. They will land in the tree accross the parking lot and get popped before they get low enough to see us sitting there in our camping chairs. I use a 22cal springer air rifle though and keep most of the shots to 50yds or less. I have used about everything I own on crows though.

If I am out shooting them I just set the foxpro up and hide out 50yds away or so with usually a .243 or .224 of different flavors.

nice guys, maybe I should get a fox pro. They seem to be worth the money from what you guys are sayin. I have a electronic caller buy it's not a fox pro, it takes cartridges and has to be used with a remote with a speaker and a wire.

Brett (Mac)

Got a 1,750 sq. foot brick box blind!

He was waddling up on a sexy lookin' blackbird, and I snaked the barrel of my ol' Springfield .22 out the back door, focused on the front sight through the peep and squeezed when it bead settled on the wingbutt.

The sound of a fingersnap and his life's blood was streaming out on the dewy grass.

It made me smile before I went to work that morning. Got a pic on the computer somewhere, but I was pretty fat that year and don't want any comments on my manboobs!

I know a guy that uses a Remington 40X 222 for crows,
and shoots at them almost any distance as long the back
stop is safe. He says he either misses, or its feathers
everywhere when he does hit one.

i tagged one at 600 yards one day when he landed on the target top at the shooting range.

30-06. 180 grain SP at 2800...

POOF!

My biggest caliber used on a crow was a .30-378 Weatherby Threat Response Rifle. Only 120 yards away and the 180 BT worked with finality.

I used a 300 RUM with 150gr sciracco's they worked pretty well also. But so far I have to say that the .257 Weatherby with 87gr SP's has been the most spectacular to date.

sounds like i've got some catching up to do with you guys. after rifle season and all the public land hunters leave i'll see what I can do to keep the population under control.

Brett (Mac)

I use a 22lr and wait till they land in the field.

Or a 12 gauge with #8 shot in it.

I think the best bait for crows is a McDonald's bag and some tinfoil or maybe just me putting my garbage out for pick-up in the evening

Seriously though, I have shot them over cornfields mostly. It's the only time I carry 3 firearms to a stand. 22-250 if they land out in the field, 12 gauge to catch them coming in, and a 22 LR for that occasional sentry that lands in the tree over my head.

Sean