Crow Busters Forum

Rook-ie · Senior Member

Crows Aren't Comin' Back!

Oklahoma Crow Buster · Veteran Member

After I shoot at or kill a crow, even after waiting 30 minutes to 45 minutes, they aren't coming back! I won't even hear 'em cawing anymore 'till the next day or so. Could you guys tell me how to get the crows to come back? Thank you for reading! smile

Oklahoma Crow Buster · Veteran Member

I'd say you're hooked!

Yeah, hunting is my love and passion. I also hunt deer, turkey, dove, squirrel, coyote, and raccoon, but I do the most crow hunting.
Thanks for the response!

motiondecoy · Guru

If you let the crow come in without calling then you turn on your caller(after shooting)-you should be surprised. I have done exactly that early in the season and my partner and i busted all four crows that particular flight...hint//take out the lead bird first!

Bob · Guru

OCB,

Crows are the forth smartest birds on the planet, if you get them to give you a pass and you down some they are far to smart to commit mass suicide. You just have to pick up and move to another area to get on some different birds. You have to have a good sized territory to hunt in to shoot any amount of them. Don't over shoot your territory or they will quit responding to your e-caller!

Crowslayerking · Veteran Member

After shooting the first group you'll have to move to another area and not go back for sometime!

M12Shooter · Guru

Keep moving! Run and gun them.

Ted

Lone Star Phil · Senior Member

OCB:

Under a unique set of circumstances, the Texas Crow Patrol has enjoyed a return of actively engaged crow flight survivors. Garland and I were embedded in the thick brush and fallen limb of a large oak tree on the edge of an orchard in our play clothes and sporting our metro guns. In about an hour, we managed to knock down about 20 or 30 on flights we lured in with one of Gadget Bob's fine Fox Pro callers using just one call ("Owl Crow Fight"?). We couldn't get them all and we both noticed that most of the survivors flew off to a tree line about half a mile away to perch and watch the unfolding drama. We avoided unnecessary movement throughout that term.

I finally figured out how to change the call and we went to "Dying Crow" and then watched as the crows in the tree line began to lift off and come back to the kill zone in a steady stream. We ended that morning with 45, I think. Now, how much of the behavior of the later flights of crows was attributable to the noise attenuated metro tubes is anyone's guess but I'm certain that it had a lot to do with our success.

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Lone Star Phil wrote:
OCB:
Under a unique set of circumstances, the Texas Crow Patrol has enjoyed a return of actively engaged crow flight survivors. Garland and I were embedded in the thick brush and fallen limb of a large oak tree on the edge of an orchard in our play clothes and sporting our metro guns. In about an hour, we managed to knock down about 20 or 30 on flights we lured in with one of Gadget Bob's fine Fox Pro callers using just one call ("Owl Crow Fight"?). We couldn't get them all and we both noticed that most of the survivors flew off to a tree line about half a mile away to perch and watch the unfolding drama. We avoided unnecessary movement throughout that term.
I finally figured out how to change the call and we went to "Dying Crow" and then watched as the crows in the tree line began to lift off and come back to the kill zone in a steady stream. We ended that morning with 45, I think. Now, how much of the behavior of the later flights of crows was attributable to the noise attenuated metro tubes is anyone's guess but I'm certain that it had a lot to do with our success.

From the fearsome look of the Metro barrels, methinks you could have nailed them a half-mile distant, where they sat.

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hey Craig,

The Metro-barreled shotguns aren't effective at the longer ranges. That is where the suppressed .22-250 is employed.

Regards,

chip · Guru

Somthin Just aint quite right about us. We are a strange bunch!!! I just can't put my "Fanger" on it. wink wink wink

motiondecoy · Guru

When I had any crows to shoot the trick in a brand new area was to stay hidden even after laying out the first ones-they would come back. One case i was astonished-all 4 were dropped! two came back. But understand this too-my style of shooting I never get above the blind or expose myself in any way unless I would be chasing a cripple or something like that. Some guys don't mind popping up like goose or duck hunters to shoot-not my style at all. I know out of range more crows could be on their way!

motiondecoy · Guru

I never got crows to come back as part of that particular group I emphasize or else I'd have ran out of ammunition that one day when that big flock came in about 5 years ago or so...my partner and I got 5 from a huge group but in cases like that -frankly-you won't get them to come back...no matter how well hidden you are...well...not that i am personally aware of.

motiondecoy · Guru

Educated crows can be had using a different technique but not as many as if you shot them for the first time they were shot at however. Despite my best efforts crows did bypass me even though I knew they never saw that technique before. But here again the majority of them the day before sure weren't there the following week end either!

motiondecoy · Guru

Generally if they do look over your set up they will be much higher than the last time they were shot at too-those that venture a look who were shot at or saw their buddies fall some time before; say, a week ago and you use the exact same blind which in my case someone else used the Saturday before and now there was hardly any around...

Bob · Guru

Crows that have never been hunted before will give you a second look if they can't tell where the shooting came from. "you can pull anything on them once" that was one of my crow hunting mentors favorite expressions. That was Boyd Robeson, he was a crow hunters crow hunter.

You either have to move (Run & Gun) to many different stands to get at different birds or stay in one spot where you have birds coming into the area at spaced intervals.

Redditch · Guru

If you want them coming back, you need A) to ensure they can't see you, no glint of metal, no white face or hands etx, so get a good hide set up.
B) Call them (takes practice as you have to use mouth callers, electronic callers being forbidden)
C) put out some decoys.

In Europe (well England and ireland is where I am now), we come across this a lot, and that's the only way we get them coming back, outside of very long waits

generally we use anything between 12 and 50 decoys, a whirly (sometimes two) and what works very well, floaters heding towards where you have your killing zone

-- Edited by Redditch on Monday 26th of May 2014 12:56:07 PM

motiondecoy · Guru

I agree.....that is the way to do it.

motiondecoy · Guru

I am puzzled regarding oklahoma...should be some where there where in fall and winter there are tons of crows about where you don't need to worry or wonder why a crow ain't coming back....?!?!
Here if a crow ain't coming back it's because he ain't going no where!
But these days where i am specifically there's no crow shooting worth while anyways. it isn't worth it for me to even get out of bed on a good saturday morning in late september to try and hopefully catch that lone 2,000 foot crow sailing along further south in the hopes of calling it in...but you're in oklahoma which is a very good crow location in the states where you should be able to find some locals massing up somewhere for a good shoot....if I miss a crow here I would be broken hearted as that will be the last crow in this area for the season (joking)...no got to go scouting...they are out there somewhere...

chip · Guru

If I'm shooting a flyway,and 10 birds swoop down fora look and I kill two of them and maybe cripple one I fully expect to never ever get a shot at that other 7 birds. That is just a given around here. Once they have heard your sound and you burn em with it they are done. Bad part is that we all pretty much use the same sounds nation wide. I have seen birds flare the second they hear it. They know whats up. Thats why I usually kill my first couple hundred pretty easy. The young are not real bright yet biggrin That ort to burn ol Corvus corvus!!! LOL!!!! Git Ye some!!! biggrin

Lone Star Phil · Senior Member

If you set up your hide where they want to be (think 'supermarket'), hide very, very well, put out a convincing decoy display (high sentries, motion dekes, motion victims), crank up the volume on some realistic calls, shoot attenuated shotguns that are quieter than your calling equipment, all you really have to think about is keeping your gun loaded.

Bob · Guru

Hey Phil,

When you & GB come to the house this Saturday with Texas Matt I have some film footage that was just transferred from video to DVD format. I will give Gadget Bob a copy that he can take back to Texas and get other copies made for the rest of you! This is film footage that the public has never seen before on crow hunting. We filmed a flyway shoot on the Arkansas River and you can see the crows splashing down like waterfowl!

Old Artilleryman · Guru

WAITING!

49 days until MI crow season opens!

Redditch · Guru

I find when devoting,mif one of the decoys has fallen over, or a shot bird has landed on its back, that will scare them away rapidly. They might give one pass, then will warn all the others to keep away
I always tidy up my pattern and the shot birds at the first opportunity