Crow Busters Forum

NHCOONER · Member

Best Decoy set up

SHANEDOG · Guru

Hi NH
I just scatter them a bit,I may shift the spread a little depending on the wind. Next time you see some crows in a field,make a note of how they interact,then set up similar.With geese and say pigeons,spread can make or break you,crows dont seem to be that fussy,its far more important to have a great blind. smile

Hey, do you run coon with dogs??What kind?? I used to have Plotts. Do you hunt yotes??

-- Edited by SHANEDOG on Thursday 17th of March 2011 11:45:03 PM

Wingsetter · Senior Member

Have to agree with SD , I just kind of spresd them out also trying to guide them the best I can to the blind.. The picture I attached is a set from last Sunday..

crow commander · Senior Member

heres our setup. we just spread 5 or 6 of them out too. we usually sit a hour or 2 though. dont run & gun. i want them 15 yds. apart but my partner puts them 5 yds apart. lol so it depends on whose stuck putting them out. lol we also like putting 1 or 2 in the tree limbs. & have u tried the crow motion decoy that works real well. yeah we hunt from the buddy deerstand in the middle too. lol this may b a 1st in crow hunting history but we like it.

Splash One · Senior Member

NHCOONER wrote:

Im relativly new to the sport 4 yrs under my belt and never used dekes untill last year but im not sure how exactly to set them i just scater them.. and help would be great thanx

Honestly I don't think there is one "best set up". There are so many situations as to where, why, how, and if you place decoys.

Here is a decoy spread I used while hunting with my father. There is no sound in this video.. doesn't really need it. If you go full screen and up the resolution to 1080P you get a better perspective of distance.

I have lots of video footage of spreads I've used.. one of these days I will post them on my site and give a how and why segment.

-- Edited by Splash One on Friday 18th of March 2011 03:24:21 AM

nhcrowshooter · Guru

The best decoy setup is a large number of dead crows falling around you in a random pattern. A few stuck in the tree branches all the better.

Splash One · Senior Member

nhcrowshooter wrote:

The best decoy setup is a large number of dead crows falling around you in a random pattern. A few stuck in the tree branches all the better.

yeah but crows can tell if their bretheren have been shot by #6 shot and they flare.

7.5 leaves a much nicer dead decoy.

nhcrowshooter · Guru

Splash One wrote:

yeah but crows can tell if their bretheren have been shot by #6 shot and they flare.
7.5 leaves a much nicer dead decoy.

Often that can be the case as using #6 produces far more stone dead on the ground crows, their motionless bodies are suspect to incoming crows. Whereas the crows shot with 7 1/2 leave a high number of walking wounded in front you and are essentially live decoys biggrin

Splash One · Senior Member

nhcrowshooter wrote:

Splash One wrote:

yeah but crows can tell if their bretheren have been shot by #6 shot and they flare.
7.5 leaves a much nicer dead decoy.
Often that can be the case as using #6 produces far more stone dead on the ground crows, their motionless bodies are suspect to incoming crows. Whereas the crows shot with 7 1/2 leave a high number of walking wounded in front you and are essentially live decoys

LMAO

NHCOONER · Member

Thanx Guys i went out this morning and took 8 not a bad day considering the 40mph gusts..

SHANEDOG yeah i run coon and bear I Run Blueticks. Mainly all Smokey River Bred i have 4 dogs in the kennel now and im breaading again in june.

NHCrow · Veteran Member

8 birds is not a bad day. I am just guessing but are you hunting New Hampshire? If so you did well.

NHCOONER · Member

Yeap NH for sure we had alot of high flyers today we saw close to 50 birds. 3 times a pair came in quiet from either side of us and they were low enough to shoot didnt hear them coming didnt see them coming till they were ontop of us. does anyone use an owl decoy and has it worked as well as everyone says?

10gacrowshooter · Senior Member

NHCOONER wrote:

Yeap NH for sure we had alot of high flyers today we saw close to 50 birds. 3 times a pair came in quiet from either side of us and they were low enough to shoot didnt hear them coming didnt see them coming till they were ontop of us. does anyone use an owl decoy and has it worked as well as everyone says?

yes alot of high flyers yesterday too, went to the 10 ga with 1 1/4 oz 5's killed 14 for24 the 2 close ones were 35 yds but the rest were 45 to 65 yds. 1st time i have seen so many crow fly over but not come down, so i went up after them. this is why we shoot the big stuff , not all crows are going to come in and i want to shoot not watch. i know if i was a good hunter i would have got them close, lol but like i said 1st time i have seen this. looks like it wasn't just me it happen to. 10 ga.

Hizzoner · Senior Member

Welcome aboard NHcooner,I bear hunt every year in the Kahtadin area in Maine,I will be up there this year again,God willing! smile

SHANEDOG · Guru

Hey Hizz
I got a bear up in Baxter state park in 1980 hunting out of a tent camp,what a blast!
My guide was from Millinocket,great outfitter,I was just an 18 year old kid back then. smile

NHCOONER · Member

Well i went out today again and the crows just did not wana fly... they were in the pines all day only a few broke free we took 3 it was light winds and chilly thought it was the mix for a great day i guess not!!

motiondecoy · Guru

The great horny owl decoy works very well , the peregrine falcon and the red tailed hawk decoy does too, the only decoys i have used. Why the peregrine? That white belly show sup a long ways away. Now get this; the peregrine is the deadliest day time crow enemy only they hung the cities so crows don't see them much but do recognize them as enemies.

I have used the red tailed hawk mojo decoy and it works very very well. Just heavy so I only lug that out and sometimes a buster 2...which is a pretty damned good investment at that!

Flocknocker · Member

My favorite decoy spread is when I leave them in the garage....and Im not jokin' !!! the key is and will always be Location , Location , Location !!
I challenge you to try this. In the midst of a great shoot, take all of your decoys away and see if anything changes. It wont. Youll still be whackin away.
I do break out "Hootie" every once in a while. The flappin' owl sometimes gets those young dumb ones in close. But the novelty wears off quick and he will only see the light of day in the right situation.