[steve-in-kville]

A neighbor farmer has this huge problem with crows. They poke holes in his ag-bags and wrapped round bales, thus spoiling the silage or hay or whatever is wrapped. He had asked if I could eliminate a few. Now, these bags are about 60+ yards from any buildings and I got the thought of sniping the crows with a .22 from inside the barn or something. (crows are pretty wary and smart, so I gotta hide somewhere)

My questions are: Are there any crow decoys avaiable? I checked Cabela's and I didn't see any.

Do most crow hunters use decoys with a caller? I have a CD caller, I just need to get the "crow fight" CD for it.

Any other ideas?

steve

 

[Wolf]

The big thing about crows is they will see through just about anything you do. They are very good at figuring things out, so you have to vary your strategies to try to keep them fooled.

Some folks use black rags on the brush for decoys. Just about anything on an electronic caller will stir them up once, anyway.

Have you checked out www.crowbusters.com ?

 

[steve-in-kville]

Wolf - you're extremely right about crows. They're sharp birds. I few years ago we had a crow problem behind our shop. I kept a scoped .22 rifle handy near the back door. When I saw crows were feeding in the meadow, I would stick the barrel out the window and they were gone in a flash. Yet a could walk out the back door with say, a broom, and the critters would just watch me. They knew the difference between the rifle and the broom.

Anyway, maybe the caller will do the trick. I'll check out your link. Thanks.



steve

 

[3240]

Steve,
I would advise a wounded crow tape for rifle shooting. They are more apt to come in and land to give you a shot. The crow/owl or crow/hawk fight is best for shotgunning, in my experience. Also, I have found that crows like to land in a dead tree, so if there is one handy, put your caller under it. You should have a pile of fresh, new "decoys" in no time! Good shooting, L.

 

[990]

My Strategy is to take 1 Owl decoy and plant it in the ground, then take a Crow decoy and lay it directly under the Owl on it's side. Then the caller my friend and I use is about the size of a large Square shaped flashlight and the remote to it can be used up to 100 yards away (or so they say). So you take it and set it so that the speaker is facing directly up in the air. Then I pick a spot in the brush and have a comfy seat.

Then wait a mintue and then turn on the "crow in distress" call and play it really loud and hard. I have also used a mouth call in conjunction with it.

If you have no crow decoy then simply take an old metal clothes hanger and bend it into a crow silouhette and then cover it in either a black sock, tape, or cloth and stick it in the ground.


If you will be in an elavated postion and will be shooting on the ground then use a rifle. But if you are on the ground and shooting in the air then use a shotgun with the tightest choke you can get.


AND NEVER UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU SHOOT IN THE AIR WITH A RIFLE!!!!!!!



good luck!


-Todd-

 

[steve-in-kville]

Thanks, guys.

Lookin' to get me a crow CD for the caller.


steve

 

[4909]

I hunt crows in Sth Australia and use Decoys made of plywood, although ive bought some #D silouettes recently. A scotch predator caller that works on foxs just happens to have the strange effect of calling crows too. Crows are smart and it takes skill to snipe em in large numbers.
You need to have multiple hides to basicly confuse them as to what is happening to them. The farm I hunt on contains 12 permanent and maintained hides and I've investeded in camouflage that coveres every speck of skin that could shine and give me away.

Dont stay in one hide for too long as they'll start to work out that the area they frequent is too hot to land.

Place your decoys in a feeding patern, use a little bait like wheat in amongst the decoys to even further fool them.

I most of the time find them feeding on carrion,
and it's a pleasure to blow em away with my mates.17/250 wildcat.

If your any good at hitting avids in the air, take a shottie as backup. No4-No2 make very good crow medicine too.

If it's legal to use a silencer like in Sth Australia use one.
This South Australian I hunt with has his .22 equipped with one and he'll hit 3 crows before they work out their bretheren have been shot.

I read an aticle where 5 crows were hit with one shot from a .308. They were lined up behind the one he was shooting at and to his suprise he had hit five.
Now thats good clean and efficient shooting.

good luck and happy snipeing.

 

[Fumbler]

I'd like to see the cloud of feathers on that one

 

[4909]

I'd like to see the cloud of feathers on that one

Hech yeah, I love showing that article to every body. The photos show the first three just about ripped in half, and the over two have look like they were struck by ligtening. Now I know why Sako makes a Varminter in .308.

Naaassssty, Boooom, splaaaaaht.

Three words that come to mind when the .17/250 hits a crow at only 25 metres with a 28 grain hollow point.

I've seen heads litteraly go up in cloud of red mist.

The results on rabbits, I'll leave that to your imagination.