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Old Artilleryman


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Crow Therapy: The cure for cabin fever.
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Finally, enough snow melted to get to one of my usual spots just outside of town. Just about any snow will cause my rear-wheel drive truck to become stuck, so there have been simply no places to park off-road, all year (I’m told). As the local in-town crows have been driving me nuts with their arrogance, I jumped at the opportunity to get out and do a little Crow Therapy.

A fine morning, just above freezing and cloudy with a little bit of wind—too much to use silhouettes in the little tree. I hid within a group of 20 foot pines, not using a blind. Set my hotstick sentinel at the top of a small tree, off to my right about 40 yards with eight decoys spread to my front, across the road from me, surrounding another small tree in where I had placed my Spitfire and the owl decoy.

Bandits came in pretty steady in ones and twos and I managed to knock down six pretty quickly. Three of those were walkers. I really wanted to get to the magic and “perfect” number of seven. Things had quieted down, so I attempted to use Murphy’s Law to my favor by intentionally putting the Model 12 on the seat (but real close) and take a couple of pictures. Sure enough, two more came in low and slow. I was able to grab the old gun quickly enough to nail one--it came down in a spectacular spiral, as if it had a rotor.

So, seven dead bandits. To me, a successful day. Can’t tell if the owl decoy contributed much. But, it didn't spook them.  I used a full array of calls, mixing them up as needed. Sadly, two of my trusty 3-D plywood decoys sustained some battle damage, as they got between me and one of the walkers. But they’re tough. A bit of putty and paint and they’ll be good as new.

EDIT: I just got to thinking: Do you spose' that in the last photo, with that interesting line of pellets, that one of them might have gone right through the decoy's eyehole? Sorry, I was waxing philosophical over a beer......

-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Saturday 15th of March 2014 02:57:15 PM



-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Saturday 15th of March 2014 07:10:53 PM

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Big Honkers


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Craig,

Nice report and good to see that you are out and about.

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Rook-ie


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OA -

Thanks for the report. Not a lot of activity on this Forum lately. My season is still open until the end of March. Got out this morning, too. Didn't do too well, but they were pressured birds. I did get this one, and I've never used high-brass #6s. It was a marked difference from my cheap #7 1/2s. I might have to use them some more! I know there has been much debate about shot size, but I've never tested it out for myself.

Video posted at this link:
www.youtube.com/watch

Jerry


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Old Artilleryman


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Rook-ie wrote:

OA -

Thanks for the report. Not a lot of activity on this Forum lately. My season is still open until the end of March. Got out this morning, too. Didn't do too well, but they were pressured birds. I did get this one, and I've never used high-brass #6s. It was a marked difference from my cheap #7 1/2s. I might have to use them some more! I know there has been much debate about shot size, but I've never tested it out for myself.

Video posted at this link:
www.youtube.com/watch

Jerry

I'm using whatever Wal-Mart sells. Typically Winchester Universal and Federal Target Loads, both with 7 1/2s. I was pleasently surprised this morning as the birds I previously found there are well-educated. Guess some of them forgot their lessons.

As Big Honkers pointed out in his post not long ago, most everybody up this way (MI) has been snowed in, making it darn difficult to get anywhere to hunt.



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Rook-ie


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All I have ever used is Wal-Mart cheap 7 1/2s, and I get a lot of hoppers. That bird folded, but I can't afford too many boxes at $10. I've had a lot of snow in Upstate NY, too, but the cold has kept me inside more than the snow. Good to hear you got out!

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Old Artilleryman


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Rook-ie wrote:

All I have ever used is Wal-Mart cheap 7 1/2s, and I get a lot of hoppers. That bird folded, but I can't afford too many boxes at $10. I've had a lot of snow in Upstate NY, too, but the cold has kept me inside more than the snow. Good to hear you got out!

 <u>Everyone please note:</u> My home-made decoys continued to work, even after being peppered at close range with 7 1/2 shot. They did not hop. They did not walk. They kept their posts and continued to do their duty.biggrin



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M12Shooter


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Good to see you have found a good cure for cabin fever Craig. Great commentary and pics as well. Must have been nice to blow the dust out of the M12 tube as wellbiggrin

 

Ted



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Old Artilleryman


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Rook-ie wrote:

OA -

Thanks for the report. Not a lot of activity on this Forum lately. My season is still open until the end of March. Got out this morning, too. Didn't do too well, but they were pressured birds. I did get this one, and I've never used high-brass #6s. It was a marked difference from my cheap #7 1/2s. I might have to use them some more! I know there has been much debate about shot size, but I've never tested it out for myself.

Video posted at this link:
www.youtube.com/watch

Jerry

 Nice. I've got to get a camera someday. I'm looking around now, as turkey season isn't far off.



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nhcrowshooter


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Rook-ie wrote:

OA -

Thanks for the report. Not a lot of activity on this Forum lately. My season is still open until the end of March. Got out this morning, too. Didn't do too well, but they were pressured birds. I did get this one, and I've never used high-brass #6s. It was a marked difference from my cheap #7 1/2s. I might have to use them some more! I know there has been much debate about shot size, but I've never tested it out for myself.

Video posted at this link:
www.youtube.com/watch

Jerry

Jerry, good to hear from someone who has tried something different and reported the results.  The high brass #6 shells are both expensive and are a heavier load than needed (1330 fps and 1 1/4 ounce in 12 ga)  If you reload you'd find that substituting #6 shot in your favorite target load for clay pigeons is the way to go (1 1/8 ounce at 1145 to 1200 fps in 12ga).  They punch them out of the sky much better than the smaller shot sizes and no doubt about it from those who have tried them like yourself.   Good luck going forward.



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Rook-ie


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OA - Here is my camera. $250 with all the attachments. I like it so far. Never got to video a deer last Fall, but looking forward to turkey season in May.

http://spypoint.com/EN/products/video-cameras/XCEL-HD.php

NHCS - Thanks!

Jerry



-- Edited by Rook-ie on Monday 17th of March 2014 12:19:59 PM

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Old Artilleryman


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Rook-ie wrote:

OA - Here is my camera. $250 with all the attachments. I like it so far. Never got to video a deer last Fall, but looking forward to turkey season in May.

http://spypoint.com/EN/products/video-cameras/XCEL-HD.php

NHCS - Thanks!

Jerry



-- Edited by Rook-ie on Monday 17th of March 2014 12:19:59 PM

 Kind of a dumb question (never used video); is that with the camera mounted on the barrel or on your head?

If you had it on the gun barrel/receiver, please show a photo of the entire rig. I checked out the camera on the Web. Looks real good and won't break the bank.

Thanks!



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Rook-ie


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That is mounted on a headband. It also came with mounts for a scope, a bow, handlebars, or a tripod, and a waterproof camo cover. It is 170 degree wide angle. There is no zoom, but it is high def.

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Huntinfool


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Congrats on getting out and getting some birds down!

Rookie I'm looking hard at that camera!

 

~CBHF~



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NGillespie10


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Good work on downing some crows! Guess your decoys are much more durable than the store bought kind

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Rook-ie


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Spypoint Xcel camera



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Old Artilleryman


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Rook-ie wrote:

Spypoint Xcel camera

 Man! That's scary looking!

biggrin



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Huntinfool


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Old Artilleryman wrote:
Rook-ie wrote:

Spypoint Xcel camera

 Man! That's scary looking!

biggrin

 And a crows worst nightmare!!

 

~CBHF~



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Mainehunt


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Good photos. Thanks for putting them on here.

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