I went on my first crow hunt the other day and had ablast. I think I like it as much as waterfowl. We killed 101 in about 6 hours. The guy I was hunting with had out about 50 decoys and electric caller.
What electric caller would you recommend without breaking the bank?
Where is a good place to buy decoys? Is 50 really necessary?
Also, he mentioned something about hunting an area where your back drop is not real high as crows will not swoop down? Is this true? Can u set up in the edge of amature woods or will the birds stay at tree top level?
i just gained permission to crow hunt an awesome farm and looking to get my gear here soon!
If what you are doing works? If it ain't broke don't fix it idea...you got tons of crows, decoys and an electronic caller but they aren't yours? OKay here's the bottom line-do you plan on competing with this guy? Try it and watch the numbers go down and your once warm friendship become colder than the top of Mt Everest...
Here's a lesson for you..I found what I thought was a new area only to learn someone else was using it: he told me things you just don't say period. Hint: I began getting the crows and he no longer did. But he learned the times I come and now I don't get hardly any...on top of that he and his partner wiped out a small crow roost!! Well drove it out...
Now what you probably don't know is Ohio is a big crow state given the section of this country it is in. If you need a new area then you'll find it. But the numbers of decoys and electronic callers? Every one is using electronic callers. The numbers of crows in your area make it seem they are stupid-wwrroonnnggg....if I need an electronic caller then I better pack it in and relocate to another area altogether...
Another hint: this area used to have a lot of crows-you were guaranteed some kind of shooting but then every body got in it and this farm was largely abandoned by me. Everyone was doing it-every one was there until it became a one crow shoot...didn't matter if you used 50 decoys or one..or an electronic caller...soon as you showed up they all got up as one and split for the season never to return until spring...if I were you newbie I'd find an old copy of Crow Shooting Secrets by Dick Mermon..they go about a hundred bucks these days used but it's education like nothing else can or years of stumbling bumbling mistakes and few crows...and no matter what you use if there's no crows or few crows- no amount of gimmicks will change all that.....I know of people who think masses of crows will suddenly appear out of no where. if they use that one irresistable gimmick...wwrroonngg..you got to have crows first!! And that means any where! I know of guys using mouth blown crow calls and nothing else! He does it because the crows are already there!!
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 3rd of February 2018 07:35:54 PM
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 3rd of February 2018 07:38:27 PM
I think you guys misunderstood me. I would Never go back to this guys spot. I appreciate him showing me the ropes. The farm I got permission to hunt is an hour away from him next to where I live. Tough group here...I'm a waterfowl hunter at heart and know the dos and don't. I plan on inviting him next weekend the my spot.
I went on my first crow hunt the other day and had ablast. I think I like it as much as waterfowl. We killed 101 in about 6 hours. The guy I was hunting with had out about 50 decoys and electric caller.
What electric caller would you recommend without breaking the bank?
Where is a good place to buy decoys? Is 50 really necessary?
Also, he mentioned something about hunting an area where your back drop is not real high as crows will not swoop down? Is this true? Can u set up in the edge of amature woods or will the birds stay at tree top level?
i just gained permission to crow hunt an awesome farm and looking to get my gear here soon!
Thank you for the help!
Lmfm,
I use a FoxPro Firestorm and really like it, but they're discontinued. All Predator Calls sometimes has factory refurbs of several different FoxPro models. Last fall they had refurb Firestorms for less than $200. Broke the bank and upgraded to their Super Snow Crow Pro this season. One reason was the TX1000 remote. Fox Pro has several models that use the TX1000 and it is much better than the Firestorm's remote, especially in cold weather when I don't want to take my gloves off to change calls/volume etc. I use a hand call as well.
You don't have to have fifty decoys. On a feeding setup, if you have a half dozen, get a couple as visible and high as possible with the rest on the ground. As the shoot progresses you'll be adding plenty of decoys. During a lull, I bring the outliers into the spread. Dispatch any hoppers before they get too far away.
Knutson's Decoys and Roger's Sporting Goods are two decoy sources.
I like them to come in on the deck and if you have tall trees as a back drop a lot of them may start to elevate about a hundred yards out to get over the trees behind you. A strong head wind will help keep them down but if they decide they don't want to glide right into the spread they'll go over the trees out of range and cautiously circle back.
I don't think it's that they won't swoop down, it's that the chances of them swooping down decreases greatly if they have a chance to survey the situation from two gunshots high. Tall trees anywhere near can cause problems. Unless they commit from the get go, many like to land in treetops a couple hundred yards out and check things out. The longer they have to look things over the easier it is for them to spot movement or just decide they don't like it. Hard enough to get them down sometimes, tall trees makes an excuse for them to stay up.
You can set up on the edge of a mature woods, but it'll be better if it's possible to shoot the same crows away from them.
That's my experience anyway. Learned the hard way. Use the search feature on this site to read expert advise.
You can call with a mouth blown call, electronic, or your voice with a little practice. Electronic calls are not NEEDED, but I love my Foxpro Hellfire.
I hunted and killed crows for a couple years without one decoy. Once you kill a one, shove a sharpened stick up it's butt and into its throat, then stick the other end in the ground or snow. They look like real crow. ;)
Backdrop? One of my favorite blind locations is on the edge of a hay field and timber. I've killed a few hundred over the years at that location. The crows will drop down to eye level with me at under ten yards while I'm in the edge of the trees.
It's great to hear that you've got plenty of crows down there. I grew up in north/west Ohio near Bowling Green in Wood county. I lived there from 1966-1989. I don't think I saw more than a hundred crows there that whole 23 years.
Great hunt!! Anytime you get into the Century Club, you have done well!
Fifty decoys sounds like a lot. We only use 20 at the most, including sentry decoys in the trees. Skip Woody only uses just one (motion flapper) bird.
Still want 50, but don't want to fork out hundreds? Freeze your kills and use them on the next hunt.
On your question about hunting a tree line I prefer to hunt with my back against trees, especially when the sun is behind the trees. Crows use trees as cover, but will fly over and swoop down if your setup is right. If there is a gap or dip in the height of trees behind you, that is often where the birds will emerge, so put your blind near that spot. VERY tall trees can be a problem, so if I can find adjacent lower trees to move to I'll set the blind there, keeping in mind the orientation relative to the sun (you want to be in the shade, if possible).
Hope this helps. Good hunting.
Demi
-- Edited by Island Shooter on Wednesday 7th of February 2018 09:19:34 PM
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Great hunt!! Anytime you get into the Century Club, you have done well!
Fifty decoys sounds like a lot. We only use 20 at the most, including sentry decoys in the trees. Skip Woody only uses just one (motion flapper) bird.
Still want 50, but don't want to fork out hundreds? Freeze your kills and use them on the next hunt.
On your question about hunting a tree line I prefer to hunt with my back against trees, especially when the sun is behind the trees. Crows use trees as cover, but will fly over and swoop down if your setup is right. If there is a gap or dip in the height of trees behind you, that is often where the birds will emerge, so put your blind near that spot. VERY tall trees can be a problem, so if I can find adjacent lower trees to move to I'll set the blind there, keeping in mind the orientation relative to the sun (you want to be in the shade, if possible).
Hope this helps. Good hunting.
Demi
One day I pulled out a crow buster flapper and that was all I used and got about 18...but that is because there crows in evidence...and basically not a lot but enough to keep one busy! Got to remember this is New England namely New Hampshire so you'd likely shoot at more than I even saw!
-- Edited by Island Shooter on Wednesday 7th of February 2018 09:19:34 PM