Ok guys, School me on crow hunting. Here in Alabama it’s open season with no bag limit. I have a Fox Pro game call and ordered 9 crow decoys. The Mojo decoys seem to be out of stock but I’ll keep checking.

I’m totally new to this but think it would be a lot of fun.
How many decoys are needed? Best ways and weather to do it? Etc

Also, been reading conflicting reviews. Do you shoot the first crow or not? What if you have more than 1 fly in & over at first?

Shot size and choke for 12ga?


Teach me your ways!

Matt

Here ya go...again.

http://crowbusters.com/cgi-bin/index.asp

We would place 12 crow deeks in one tree and an owl decoy in another.
You have to build a tight blind, much tighter (better) than a duck blind or you will get busted, repeatedly.
Even with a tight blind they will sometimes "look down the chimney" and bust you.
Find a long pole or stick and get that owl up high.
Get the crow deeks up as well.....don't fall !

Death Cry of a Crow was a favorite on a e-caller.

!2ga 28" - 30"
MOD or FULL choke

Trap or skeet loads (7-1/2 or 8 shot)
Hot 1 oz crow loads if we were handloading (1400 fps)

If there's two shooters take turns.....one guy is "up" and the other is back-up once the shooting starts.
The guy who is "up" calls the shot.....stay down until you can at least get a double.....let 'em come in on top of you.
They flare out quick once they see you.

Never hunt the roost or the feeding area....find the flyways and set up there.

We dont over think it, just do it when we are bored, I keep a ecall in the truck. No decoys although I have made some sillouettes just for fun. Basically we get in some somewhat open pines, open enough to shoot in and tuck in. They see well so dont move much if you can help it. You'll get a few shots in before you need to move to another area if you wanna stay at it. They are fairly smart. You'll also call in a lot of hawks, so be careful not to shoot one. I usually keep an improved or light modified in my shotgun and will use whatever bird or target loads I have at my disposal. It's fun, my kids love it.

electronic Crow call/ Walkman type with loudspeaker and tape of crow calls works well.. I personally like 2 1/8oz #6 1250 ft per second or so. full choke

camouflage up good crows can see as good as turkeys.. don't shoot till you actually see their feet.. if you want one it's out there on the ground squawking and flopping around and leave it there it will help attract others. when the actual dies down I would move at least a half a mile probably a mile from your first calling area. they are smart and catch on fast

The number one rule of crow hunting is don't ever let them see you. If one does he will sound the alarm and that spot will be a bust. Gunshots don't have the same effect. You don't want to "jump" out at them like duck hunters do, instead do your best to always remain hidden. You can shoot a long time at one spot that way. Camo head to toe.

I look for a spot with lots of overhead cover and plenty of nearby ground brush to hide in. I usually shoot from my knees to have more room to swing the barrel. Set up the decoys nearby in a clearing. Some crows will land in the trees above you, shoot them too for extra decoys. Take a dead crow and fling it up in the air, any that see it will come right in.

If possible set decoys around you. Find a way to keep mostly hidden while shoooting. Keep calling no matter what louder the better. Leave any dead birds or better yet cripples visible. A hawk or owl decoy enhances your chances.

I sure know they are very defensive, as in protecting a wounded mobster within their mob/murder. I was squirrel hunting some years ago when a bunch of crows started gathering in the pines and yapping. Maybe 15 of them, flying from tree to tree and wouldn't shut-up, scaring the squirrels into hiding. So I decided to pop one to run 'em off.
Well, that idea didn't work out as I expected. The mobster I shot was flopping and squawking on the ground and as I went to retrieve it, several of the other mobsters started divebombing at me. No Problem, I whacked 5 more before they figured they were losing the battle.
You can't use live decoys, and that was certainly not my intention, it was self-preservation. Anyway, they get all riled up and po'd if you hurt one of their murder mobsters and sometimes attempt to attack you. After that incident, I started crow hunting off and on over the years. In those days I had my ICOtec GC500, using the Raccoon Pup Distress recording. It has a Crow Distress call too, but the raccoon pup worked the best at calling them in. I don't do much crow hunting anymore. I'm sure they may act different up north, but these ones down here will mostly fly tree to tree squawking while you're shooting (so long as there is a dead bird on the ground) they'll hang around longer, much longer with a wounded mobster. Not much fun/challenge like that. Anyway, dove season is going on about the same time and they taste a lot better than crow.

These are good observations. Crows are smart birds and quick learners. What these members suggest are good practices. We used to set up quite the like, conceal at the edge of hardwoods surrounding a field of thinly spaced pines from 10' to 20' tall. We'd pull over one of the taller pines and place an owl decoy in the top branches, set static decoys in other trees and a couple of mojos on the ground. "Crow reveille" was our preferred call, but an "owl v crow" call worked well. I use #4s. Birds around Pageland, SC are big and tough. Resist shooting the "scout". The scout will circle the field multiple times and if he doesn't see motion he will leave and bring the "murder" back shortly.

Crows are smart and have excellent eye sight. Use good camo and don't move until time to shoot. Scout in advance and also find your shooting spot and make sure you do not have many obstructions to shoot. Get a decoy up in a tree. The more you shoot the more decoys you have. We have had some great shoots on crows. Best day so far was 96 birds

some pretty good tips. hiding is crucial. don;t over think the decoys in fact we always have the best look with a tied down cripple. always kill the scout (first lone crow that comes)

First, some States list Crows as a "Migratory" bird, which suggest "Federal"; however, I have never known anyone being cited for killing Crows, but if your last name is Trump, might better look out. Now, a lot of good info has been posted above, so I won't repeat. I will add that Crows have roosting areas and if you can locate a roost and be there just before sundown and catch the crows coming in you will have the time of your life. Good luck.

Suppressed .22 with subsonic ammo. Zero at 100 yards. Set up you fox pro and owl decoy at around 75 yards away. Cut some black trash bags in to pieces and scatter on ground or use crow decoys. When the first one shows up try to just wound him and get him on the ground squawking. Pretty soon you will have a class 5 bird war going and can sometimes drop 10 or more. As others said they have excellent eyesight and are smart.

Farmyard haystacks. Ecaller. Crow decoys. A stool and a shotgun.

Agree with others on the Ecaller. I tried a cheap one with crow fight sounds. Before I knew it the place turned into a scene from Hitchcocks " The Birds"

The bird sites on line have crow call files on line for birders, I just copied them and made my own call files for my caller. Found that the crow-owel fight with the dying crow brings them in a big hurry. You shoot until they quit coming, then move several miles away. Setup and start again, find the flyways if you can. Watch them in the evening going to roost, then setup on that path. It can be 2-3 months before they return to any shoot spot so you should have about a half dozen to rotate too. I usually use a 20 ga 391 Beretta with #8 shot and an IC choke. I drop five or so real quick, slows a bit, usually get a dozen before they stop coming in.
I wear full cammo, pants, shirt, gloves face mask and a hat that all matches the ground cover. I have three sets for different seasons.

If you want to see something, put the calls on a CD and park your car or truck on a wooded back road under the trees, roll the windows down and play the crow -owl fight in your truck, loud. When I first made the CD I tested it just like that....took about 3 minutes for them to get there.

If I catch them hanging around the wood duck boxes or nests I wear them out.

FYI - I just recently picked up a copy of the Florida Hunting Regulations for 2023-2024. On Page 26 it list the Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations/Seasons & Bag Limits. For Crows it lists 2 seasons: Aug. 12- Oct. 29(Sat.& Sun. Only). Nov.11-Feb. 18. No bag limit.
There is an * that states the shooting hours and states that no license or permit is required.

I usually put a black sock somewhere around my Owl decoy. It makes them think the Owl has one of their buddy’s.
Take care!
Rick

If you don't have an e caller you can use a box turkey call. Shake it to imitate a gobbler all the while blowing on the crow call. Me and a buddy have done it to bring them in after we both somehow missed the scout. I have done it a few times since when I just couldn't get much interest with just the mouth blown crow call. It works wonders.

Hide well. Don't shoot the first one. Wait till the scout brings back friends. Try not to miss when you start shooting. Once you have a few down especially a couple of cripples they will come in angry with no fear. Some days they respond well. Some days they don't never figured that out.