Winter is starting to get to me already...cabin fever. After watching a few videos on YouTube, I think I could really get into crow hunting. Have to find another reason for my Beretta A400 Xtreme besides geese and ducks.
Couple of questions...
1. What are the best crow decoys to buy? I saw a kind where the decoy sits on a stake and swivels in the wind.
2. If purchasing an owl decoy, I naturally assume one should use an owl species that is present in the area one hunts. Being in central New York, I was thinking a Great Horned Owl. Is another species more effective?
3. What is a good mouth call that is easy to learn on? I picked up a Primus Old Crow call. I actually had a few crows investigate my pathetic attempts outside my home the other day.
Steve, it sounds like you're thinking of a more involved spread than many of us use. For decoys (I know nothing of owl decoy use) one needs to be along a flight path used by various groups (murders) of crows. If you only have a limited area with birds that stay local, once you shoot at em they are done for several days. Unless you move and call again. Here, that's called "run and gun". Takes a bit of scouting and gaining permission to hunt from several various property owners. For me these quick hit and run tactics need to be at a minimum, 5 miles apart, or you're just attempting to work the same birds you shot at 15 minutes earlier. DON"T WORK!
The involved sets with decoys on flight paths used by multiple groups is very interesting to me, because I've only ever tried it a couple times. Once with GREAT results, mostly with poor/mediocre response after the first shoot-em-up.
Hey STP... welcome to the forum -- I am in CNY also. There are many views on decoys and spreads. You can search topics on this forum, but generally, I use a combination of full-bodied Flambeau decoys that I have fully flocked myself, and a few foam clip-on ones, along with some modified ones that move in a breeze and some motion decoys. Honestly, if you have 6-10 for starters, you are probably good. Guys seems to like the Boondockers because they look good, are flocked, and nest for easy carrying. You do want to try get some up in trees as high as possible.
One key is a good hide and full camo -- face and hands included, like a turkey hunt. Crows are smart, and they'll bust you if they see you or catch you moving, and they'll be gone and tell their friends besides.
Most guys use a combination of hand calls and electronic predator-type calls with crow sounds. The basic set ups are feeding/friendly and fighting. If you pull out an owl, you are creating a fight scenario, and usually a fight situation is fast and furious but short-lived. If you can find a place away from nighttime roosting areas but close to feeding or between the roost and feeding areas, it's fun to set up before first light and catch them heading out to feed. Many guys have great afternoon hunts, too, but I am more of a morning hunter. Scouting is critical.
You are correct about the owl enemy - the Great Horned Owl is around our parts. I've used it before, but not much -- the crows sure didn't like a dead crow hanging from it's talons! Hahaha!
For hand calls, there are many out there, and much discussion about them on this forum to search past threads. I view the low end calls like the Old Crow more of a turkey locator than real crow call. There are many better ones, and all sound differently. You can see some on the Crow Busters Store. The key in any case, is learning to growl into the call rather than blow air through it. Check out youtube or Bob Arohnson's teaching CDs. There are some language tips to learn, but whatever you do, don't blow a quick series "Caw-Caw-Caw-Caw-Caw-Caw" -- that's "Danger." Listen to some real crows and try to mimic them.
Anyway, read up on the Crow Busters site. There are many beginner and advanced articles -- if you join CB for a small lifetime fee, you can access the advance information.
STP22: Following up on Arkie's reply, do you plan to "run & gun" or try to find flyways? Without knowing the nature and landscape of the areas you plan to hunt.. or can get permission to hunt, giving you good advice on your questions would be tough. BUT.. generally speaking owl decoys are a waste unless you happen to have a real stuffed Great Horned!! IF you run and gun.. decoys of any sort are not needed as you will be IN the woods and incoming birds will not be able to see the decoys.. they would be just more baggage for you to haul around. Others will differ. If you are on a flyway or even a feeding setup... decoys work great.. but no decoy is better than a dead crow or crows spread out in front of your hide...hung from nearby bushes/small trees.
As for mouth calls, I think you will find they are all equally as easy or as hard to master. The key to a good mouth call sound.. is a good caller blowing the call. Just blowing air through a crow call (like you can a duck or goose call) won't produce the sounds you need. No easy way I know of to learn how to blow a crow call.. it takes trial and error but is a skill worth mastering. Either try to mimic the sounds in real time of a crow OR find a crow buddy who knows how to ..and learn from him. There are several fine calls.. check the CrowMart.. but Gibson, Mincey, Mallardtone are all popular devices and all will certainly call crows!
As for ducks and geese, the crow is the "duck" of the 21st century. You will agree once you have success with Mr. Crow...the finest airborne target on the planet..
Very good advice that I will follow! Honestly, I just got the owl idea from YouTube videos. The area I hunt is a lot of farm fields (corn) mixed with hardwoods. I was planning on using a camo cloth blind on the edge of such a field and try to call 'em in....with a few crow decoys (5 or 6) set in the field maybe 15-20 yards away.
I probably will have to do the "run-n-gun" tactic as I haven't really seen a consistent morning flight path...and, I can pretty much assume once the first few shots go off, the murder will move off.
In your experience, how long should you stay away from an area before you hunt it again? How long do you stay at one spot without having them come in?
I guess I will have to answer a lot of my own questions through scouting...something I have to do.
Well, this weekend I will give it a try. I have been stockpiling 6's and 7.5's.
Thanks again for the time you took to answer my questions.
Do some searches on this website and you'll come up with tons of golden info and much (really) wisdom re. our adversaries, the crows. You'll also find some BS, but I don't post all that often.
I also like the You-Tube videos because they show much crow carnage.
Skip: What's a "Flyway?" ()
Welcome,
Craig
__________________
"Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave." -- Andrew Fletcher 1698
)