I know this is a sensative topic so go easy on me. Small shot such as 71/2 and 8 shot is all you need to kill crows. The reason why people don't believe it is because most shells in those shot sizes are inferior loads. Try Rem nitros ,AA Win,or any good load and you'll be impressed with results and glad about reduces in recoil and cost.
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whatever i'm doing i'm thinking about crow hunting
...and because they most likely have not yet shot a lot of crows. Shoot 30 or 40 crows within an hour or so with simple trap loads and you'll be sold. There is a reason all of the big time crow shooters endorse fine shot. Popowski favored skeet loads and spoke highly #9 shot.
Ted
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Life's tough... It's even tougher if you're stupid. John Wayne
This subject takes me back many many years. Mind you this is only my opinion and my experiences. Back in the early 80's...probably 80 81 82 ,we hunted the all famous Ft.Cobb crow roost. Were talking millions of crows..probably at this time the winter roost count was 10 million..give or take a few million. And for 2 or 3 years we hunted it hard. With this many crows you would think it wouldn't have been too hard to kill a hundred a piece a day.WRONG! These crows were hunted so hard that they had to be some of the smartest birds on the face of the earth. You can ask Bob, but I think this was some of the last few years that the Mega roost existed down here. We were all workin boys so we only got to hunt on the weekends, so we didn't get to hunt in the park much. On certain weekdays you could hunt in the state park which adjoined the black jack trees that they roosted in, there was a big difference. Ft. Cobb was about an hours drive from my house. Me and my friends were the only ones we knew personally that still hunted these crows at this time.We saw very few other hunters that were actually hunting crows. Most people had given up years before this because the crows were so educated and wary. At first light you could see em coming over the lake and a gainin altitude. We usually started hunting a couple miles north of the lake and would end up a dozen or more miles north. You had to be there to believe it, but the crows would come north from the lake in basically a straight line, and the line might be 50 to several hundred yards wide. And were talking a line that seemed to have no end. Sounds unbelievable that that many crows could live in one area and could survive. The big draw to this winter roost area was the peanut fields. Lots and lots of peanut fields. Most of our hunts were run and gun and try to stay in the middle of the line. You would not run into any farmer that wouldn't give you permission to hunt them, they Hated them. They caused all kinds of problems. We would hunt the line for several hours going out, then run back by the lake before dark and wack at em coming back. Calls and callers were about worthless, and that's where I learned to call with my voice, this worked decent and alto better than anything else until I would go horse..LOL. Especially if you could find a few crows that had broke away from the line. You would think with that many crows all going the same direction that there had to be a honey hole field that they were all going to.If there was I never found it. It seemed that after so many miles they just slowly disperse in every direction. Yip you would find a field with 200 300 in it but they might not sit there long before they bunny hopped on off. We did have some decent field shoots but the run and gun was our favorite. Our favorite thing to do was to drive north and get under the line and wait for a few to get low enough and straight overhead and let em have it. Everyone would usually only get one volley off and the line would shift east or west a 1/4 or 1/2 mile. After you shot you could watch the black line do a wave action south of you for a mile or better. In other words when you shot, the crows overhead would flare one way or the other and the crows coming behind them would do the same. We called it doing the wave, and sometimes they waved for as far as you could see. Sometimes we split up by a 1/4 mile or so and wait for the line to center back up over us and sometimes you jumped in the pickup and headed north to get back under them. You did NOT go crow hunting on days that the wind did not blow. If you did you would be stranded looking at crows flying in the stratosphere, were talking dots! This is where shot size comes into effect. We shot many many factory loads of 7 1/2 . Best shells we could afford were 3 3/4 1 1/4 and most of these were 7 1/2's .The 40 yard shots were few and far between. If you got a shot under 50 yards and didn't kill him you were gunna get a razzing the rest of the day. But the best shells by far that we shot were our reloads of copper 5's. I don't remember the recipe but remember we used SR 4756 powder, loading 12 gauge 2 3/4 inch shells into magnum shot cups. The shot cups had almost no base wad to them. And these little 2 3/4 shells would rock your world, especially on straight overhead shots. I started reloading some lead shells again here recently but only loaded a few 5's mostly 7's. But here again we were shooting crows so high that the average hunter would just laugh at ya for trying. ( until ole blacky would come a tumblin down) We all shot the same kind of guns ..all browning A5's with modified choke. When in doubt go modified. The copper 4's and 5's were our favorite for lots of birds...ducks geese ..turkeys. But back when we were young we shot lots and lots of shells, and we knew our guns very well. The old brownings just like copper shot ( especially buffered copper shot) and patterned great. Today were still big into goose and crane hunting,and steel shot sucks. My favorite goose and crane load is the federal 3 1/2 1500 fps 1 1/2 ounce T's. They suck on ducks but will put a whooping on the cranes and geese. But then again not every gun will pattern the T's worth a flip. We shoot a lot of steel BB's too, but there is no comparison between the two on long or high shots in our opinion. On BB's and long shots on geese and cranes you will hear maybe 20 pellets hit the bird every time...maybe get him but lots of times only get a few feathers, but hit him with a few T's and he'll come a tumblin down, folded like a cheap lawn chair. In a 3 1/2 inch 1 1/2 ounce steel load there are around 80 pellets, that's about like shooting 80 22's at one time. That's about as good as I'm gunna get without shooting heavyshot, which is unbelievable but too pricey for me. (P.S. this is the longest page I have ever typed in my life and I got a blister comin up on the end of my typin finger) In my opinion it's to each his own , we shoot lots of smaller shot, but if I have a gun that patterns well with the larger shot, that's my choice. The shots that I remember from all my hunts are the long ones, where everyone else quits shooting and you step up and roll him at an unbelievable distance. Call me unethical, I call it fun,but if there really is a such thing as ethical hunting we wouldn't be hunting with a gun or bow. Whew......Night Doc
I know this is a sensative topic so go easy on me. Small shot such as 71/2 and 8 shot is all you need to kill crows. The reason why people don't believe it is because most shells in those shot sizes are inferior loads. Try Rem nitros ,AA Win,or any good load and you'll be impressed with results and glad about reduces in recoil and cost.
Been doing it for 35+ years. Have shot with 10, 12, 16 and 20ga. Have used lots of factory shells and reloads starting with "Canucks". Have shot them with 7/8 ounce to 1 5/8 ounce loads. Have used 4's through 9's. Shot a ton of them with good trap loads and good reloads for trap, 1 1/8 ounce 7.5's, 3 dram loads. I get more flying crips and walking wounded with 7.5 and smaller. Six's hit 'em hard at all ranges. I don't get to cherry pick my shots in these parts, not enough crows. Crow working the dekes and closes to within 25 yards great, crow crossing at 50 yards and not interested still going to shoot. I want a gun that will kill at 10 yards to 60 yards. Bigger is better in both and gun and shot. Full choke and 6's has worked better for me and my hunting situations. Small shot and small bores will work. Big bores and bigger shot work even better. Most fellas shoot 7.5's and 8's because that is what is available to them at a reasonable price as they don't reload. I reload, I pattern guns. I know what works best for me from a lot of experience. I shoot all year long on clays, thousands of shells to be the best wingshot I am capable of. But it seems I just really don't know what it is good for me yet. Oh well keep trying
PS. FWIW good quaility shells shooting 6 shot are harder to find than AA's or STS 7.5''s.. Shooters who don't reload have choice of cheapo Remmy Game Loads and their Winchester clones or super hot Super-X and their Remington competitor which are quite expensive. Unless you reload high quality #6 shells with payloads and velocity appropriate for crows you won't have a chance to see what a step up in perfornance they give.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Saturday 11th of September 2010 04:47:06 PM
This is the whole thing when it come to hunting. We all have our own style and many deal with unique situations. Discussion pertaining to wingshooting is always interesting
Ted
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Life's tough... It's even tougher if you're stupid. John Wayne
I shoot and kill crows all the time from 10 feet to 55 yards with Remington STS nitros. And yes they are #8's or 7.5's through a MODIFIED CHOKE. As I've said in every post if it works, do it and if not change it .
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whatever i'm doing i'm thinking about crow hunting
I shoot and kill crows all the time from 10 feet to 55 yards with Remington STS nitros. And yes they are #8's or 7.5's through a MODIFIED CHOKE. As I've said in every post if it works, do it and if not change it .
Well the 10 bore and 6 shot is working for me, but then again I am compensating
Ah, the debate goes on! What size shot works best? It depends on who you ask.
Most American made shotguns pattern 7 1/2's better than any other shot size. Why? Perhaps the trap shooting in the USA.
Who you ask? Now a fella can have a great deal of experience shooting both skeet, trap, five stand or sporting clays, and he might be a hot rock at any or all of these shooting sports. When you are talkin crow huntin, thats a whole differen't ball game! I would put my money on the crow hunters who have killed the most crows to draw my information from, such as Bert Popowski (90,000 crows in 45 years) Dick Mermon, Tony Hoover, Dick Kilbane (over 100,000 crows killed in 31 years) Jim Lundquist (80,000 crows in almost 40 years) all the above choose to shoot 7 1/2's or 8's on crows, good advise stands the test of time!
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
Ah, the debate goes on! What size shot works best? It depends on who you ask.
Most American made shotguns pattern 7 1/2's better than any other shot size. Why? Perhaps the trap shooting in the USA.
Who you ask? Now a fella can have a great deal of experience shooting both skeet, trap, five stand or sporting clays, and he might be a hot rock at any or all of these shooting sports. When you are talkin crow huntin, thats a whole differen't ball game! I would put my money on the crow hunters who have killed the most crows to draw my information from, such as Bert Popowski (90,000 crows in 45 years) Dick Mermon, Tony Hoover, Dick Kilbane (over 100,000 crows killed in 31 years) Jim Lundquist (80,000 crows in almost 40 years) all the above choose to shoot 7 1/2's or 8's on crows, good advise stands the test of time!
Jim Lundquist shot both, Dick Kilbane shot (and still does) just factory loads, Boyd Robeson shot just handloads, he shot 70,000 plus crows from 1962 to 1994. I don't know about Bert Popowski or Tony Hoover. I handloaded for 40 years before I started shooting factory loads on crows. The main reason was that you didn't get the savings you once enjoyed years ago on reloading shotgun ammo. My time was worth more than saving a dollar per box so I decided to mainly shoot 12 gauge because the ammo is cheap and you can buy it anywhere.
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
I wuz ahmuzed at da uzeless crow callerz-yooze betcha! Evely buddy haz dem and da croze knoze it and day dontze werk tooze well no moes. Me? I radder carry mo shells, not yoozeless moozic!
Everly buddy dinkz oh croze callz? Yeah cool! I got it licked now! But reality iz a hole nudder ding altogeddar.
Dat too hunnert dollas cood have ben bettah spent unnah buncha shells not wazted on dem lectronikz cro kallz wiff don't werk no moes. Maybeez yooze beetz dem udder onze afor anyone eltz getz dare fust bus ladder ownz yooze wazted yo timez...wut ah jokez!
Folks always "over hunt" crow rich areas to eventually drive them out or make them impossible to shoot many...some fellas I saw must have thought they were scarecrows as this was the more effective way of their styles a./k.a. wanna' be's...no shooting or rarely so but lots of flaring while they were still 300 yards out....or they bypassed the area wwaayyy out there calling their warning calls until eventually there was no reason to go there anymore.....all that with a month to go too! To be fair by this time all the fields didn't hold enough feed by this time anyhow and it didn't matter who did what except to escape their nagging wives?
If you go to an area and you hear recorded calls and no shooting and the crows are avoiding the caller you have got to know that area is by and large done for the season period irrespective if crow season was still on...those dummies will go there again and again by now they are what I call memory hunting...few or no crows lusting for that great opening season day now but a memory for that year and time to move on....but to be fair some folks are happy to get any crows at all even if 5 or 6 after the big crow day is but a note for whatever year it was or is..however if you have a crow rich area where you can do the same each time out then naturally this don't apply.
However if you live in an otherwise big crow state where by rights you should be killing 150 as day what ever then you need to spend more time scouting hopefully before the arrivals forget the "Three Stooges" reruns and only getting a handful of crows otherwise you should be doing three stooges youtube videos?
Homework is everything. You cannot know enough or think you know it all regarding crows. The less resources you have the more you need to know. Or if the crows are too spooky then you need to look elsewhere for quality shooting...if you don't mind few crows then that is okay too. That way you don't get your shoulders all bruised up with your ancient double barreled shoulder breakers.
I've used a double in the past and it was woefully inadequate for the numbers I saw where triples were highly likely...the scenario was the third shot I didn't have. Of course if you got singles and doubles coming over this is perfectly adequate.
But any shotgun beats no shotgun at all. But no crows too on the other hand won't magically appear because you got something they never saw before. Or heard before. What you are trying to do at this point in reality is simply pull the lone stragglers-those late birds arriving after the main flights passed through all ready if that is what your story is. Another word that will make you wise too...you figure it out but variety will spice up your crow shooting...I learned the hard way that the same old-same old only serves a s a scare crow-not as an attractant. (But you have got to have uneducated birds here too for the best possible results!)
And you don't want to use heavy shot if you are fairly close to homes too...the light shot won't travel that far but will be adequate. On the other hand if you get foxes to come in or coyotes to check out your spread then the heavier shot is an advantage here. It happens!
But shot size? Apparently what ever serves you best-got thousands of crows? The lighter shot is kinder to your shoulders if nothing else. The heavier loads if you like to shoot them way out there. Or have to or if you are comfortable doing that. But some shotguns of the semiautomatic persuasions and i mean modern ones not those old shoulder cannons trombone guns your Grand daddy left you from the passenger pigeon days that are shoulder breakers if used on multiple crows but the modern gas systems and i am talking semis here not your personally carried permanently attached gas system of course...you can use the heavier loads if you like without much damage to your osteoparosis stricken bones or however you spell that?
If you go to an area and you hear recorded calls and no shooting and the crows are avoiding the caller you have got to know that area is by and large done for the season period irrespective if crow season was still on...those dummies will go there again and again by now they are what I call memory hunting...few or no crows lusting for that great opening season day now but a memory for that year and time to move on....but to be fair some folks are happy to get any crows at all even if 5 or 6 after the big crow day is but a note for whatever year it was or is..however if you have a crow rich area where you can do the same each time out then naturally this don't apply.
However if you live in an otherwise big crow state where by rights you should be killing 150 as day what ever then you need to spend more time scouting hopefully before the arrivals forget the "Three Stooges" reruns and only getting a handful of crows otherwise you should be doing three stooges youtube videos?
Homework is everything. You cannot know enough or think you know it all regarding crows. The less resources you have the more you need to know. Or if the crows are too spooky then you need to look elsewhere for quality shooting...if you don't mind few crows then that is okay too. That way you don't get your shoulders all bruised up with your ancient double barreled shoulder breakers.
I've used a double in the past and it was woefully inadequate for the numbers I saw where triples were highly likely...the scenario was the third shot I didn't have. Of course if you got singles and doubles coming over this is perfectly adequate.
But any shotgun beats no shotgun at all. But no crows too on the other hand won't magically appear because you got something they never saw before. Or heard before. What you are trying to do at this point in reality is simply pull the lone stragglers-those late birds arriving after the main flights passed through all ready if that is what your story is. Another word that will make you wise too...you figure it out but variety will spice up your crow shooting...I learned the hard way that the same old-same old only serves a s a scare crow-not as an attractant. (But you have got to have uneducated birds here too for the best possible results!)
And you don't want to use heavy shot if you are fairly close to homes too...the light shot won't travel that far but will be adequate. On the other hand if you get foxes to come in or coyotes to check out your spread then the heavier shot is an advantage here. It happens!
But shot size? Apparently what ever serves you best-got thousands of crows? The lighter shot is kinder to your shoulders if nothing else. The heavier loads if you like to shoot them way out there. Or have to or if you are comfortable doing that. But some shotguns of the semiautomatic persuasions and i mean modern ones not those old shoulder cannons trombone guns your Grand daddy left you from the passenger pigeon days that are shoulder breakers if used on multiple crows but the modern gas systems and i am talking semis here not your personally carried permanently attached gas system of course...you can use the heavier loads if you like without much damage to your osteoparosis stricken bones or however you spell that?
heavy loads, 1 0z of 6's is lighter than 1 1/8 ths oz of "smaller shot" so no shoulder pounding here. and the old SxS's are killing thousands of crows each season.
Show use some pics of your big N.H. crow kills with your auto so i can see what it looks like.
IT WILL work fine on some corvid species here, magpie and jackdaw, but for our bigger species you need the extra weight to get through their feather patterns. If I go just 5 miles down the road, I can use 6 or even 7 1/2 shot, but where I am, it's right next to the Atlantic Ocean, and they feathers are VERY thick indeed. It's that bad here I use #5 or even #4 shot. Ohh, if I use 7-8-9 shot it will bring them down, BUT, it won't kill them dead straight away, and here that's a big Nono, and could lose me my gun licence The townies would be up in arms instantly, and I would have the police and animal rights organisations in my back, so #4 in 36gr or #5 in 34gr and at least 1/2 choke and it's goodbye mr and Mrs crow
also, we have NO closed season on crow and pigeon here, we are not allowed electronic callers (mouth calls are okay though)
the crows are very smart, they know my wagon and me lol, so if they see me or the wagon they are long gone.
Hence I have to set up in the pitch dark then hide the wagon
wven then, crows tend to be wary, and most will turn away at 30-50 metres, so long shots are often all you can get
-- Edited by Redditch on Sunday 3rd of July 2016 12:59:55 PM
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If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
Hoppers will go a great distance and all their buddies will congregate around them so this is whatever fields you frequent...if it's legal just use a .22 or possibly a high powered pellet rifle if you don't want to use a shot shell ooorr us Bobs' method ?What ever you do don't stomp them...it's very bad PR..people will understand shooting a downed flapper or hopper but the Texas two step on their head? Please don't!
Hoppers will go a great distance and all their buddies will congregate around them so this is whatever fields you frequent...if it's legal just use a .22 or possibly a high powered pellet rifle if you don't want to use a shot shell ooorr us Bobs' method ?What ever you do don't stomp them...it's very bad PR..people will understand shooting a downed flapper or hopper but the Texas two step on their head? Please don't!
with the old SxS's and there great chokes using 6's we don't have too many hoppers.
But "hoppers" are fine!!! Best decoy(s) one can use!!
Skip
Some busy body sees you leaving hoppers here, they phone the police, and next thing you are charged with animal cruelty, get a £500.00 fine, and a two year suspended sentence, guns confiscated, loss of FAC
when ANYONE ever asks why you shoot crows! "Crop protection" should be the ONLY answer.
Case in point, a guy had crows crap on his car after he washed it, he shot, neighbour complained, he answered to plod, "because it annoyed me"
£500.00 fine and two years suspended jail time.
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If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
How many cases have you heard of where hunters have had there firearms confiscated because of crippled crows or pigeons in Ireland? Are the laws like this in the UK and Scotland?
Here in the states any hoppers that get away don't last long between the coyotes, hogs and hawks.
Too much government control period. This isn't the only place that government is way too big but a shining example of the British Aisles ! But less we Americans get too comfortable don't think they won't try something like that here!
They've watered down the 1st amendment (freedom of speech? Not in the work place-it's all politically correct!)
Butchered the hell out of the 2nd....eliminated the 4th amendment...butchered the 6th and ignored the tenth outright!
Not sure which amendment explains "Double Jeopardy" but they ignored that too!
Big Government is plowing the civil rights of the constitution under the rug from A-Z!
But "hoppers" are fine!!! Best decoy(s) one can use!!
Skip
Yes they are, and although we have yet to reach the point of fining people for wounded birds as animal cruelty it is technically a violation of the law. You have to remember Crows are caught up in the migratory bird regulations. If you continue to shoot incoming birds with walking wounded in the decoys you are guilty of violating 50 CFR 20.21 (f). You may get away with it and you may not.
But "hoppers" are fine!!! Best decoy(s) one can use!!
Skip
Yes they are, and although we have yet to reach the point of fining people for wounded birds as animal cruelty it is technically a violation of the law. You have to remember Crows are caught up in the migratory bird regulations. If you continue to shoot incoming birds with walking wounded in the decoys you are guilty of violating 50 CFR 20.21 (f). You may get away with it and you may not.
My alternative solution to using another $0.22 12 ga. round to handle a hopper: the M1 Crow Bat. Situationally-dependent of course.
But "hoppers" are fine!!! Best decoy(s) one can use!!
Skip
Very true, but will get you a huge fine and confiscation of your guns, loss of gun licence, and possible prison sentence of someone reports you here in the UK.
hence I use 4-5-6 almost exclusively (36gr #4, 34r #5, or 32gr #6 ) plus we tend to have to shoot between 40-70 metres, so need knock down power at range.
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If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
How many cases have you heard of where hunters have had there firearms confiscated because of crippled crows or pigeons in Ireland? Are the laws like this in the UK and Scotland?
Here in the states any hoppers that get away don't last long between the coyotes, hogs and hawks.
I know the guy who shot this area previously was reported for it. Lost his guns, lost his licence, got a massive fine and a two year suspended sentence after my brother reported him
my brother and I don't speak at all LOL, he's an extreme anti, but also an extreme hypocrite.
he lives off meat pies, supplements his pension by loading cattle into the truck to the slaughter house, but says no one should be allowed to kill animals for any reason.
Maybe the animals in the meat pies he eats committed suicide ?
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If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
Well I am in a scenario where it's shared(crow territory) so that is half my problem. I hope you Dover Doubles don't ever have to experience that hell!
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
Again-the area I go now is shared.....the trouble is they used it more this year I feel after crows than geese their usual fare.
The best areas for what that is worth is always 2 hours away one way./.....
Another item: I'd rather shoot crows than hunt them,i.e.; when I am anywhere in daylight I take note of every crow I see and any small numbers of migrating crows(?)...if you got "thousands" of crows surely you can spare a few? And don't you worry...I am on my way! Thanks again!
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
this past weekend i experimented with low brass 6's and i have to say they did seem to punch a little harder out past 40 yards on those hovering bastards trying to pick me out...
i think it comes down to what you like...because in the end 6-7.5-8's WILLLLLL kill the black menace...
I shoot and kill crows all the time from 10 feet to 55 yards with Remington STS nitros. And yes they are #8's or 7.5's through a MODIFIED CHOKE. As I've said in every post if it works, do it and if not change it 
.
.
Folks always "over hunt" crow rich areas to eventually drive them out or make them impossible to shoot many...some fellas I saw must have thought they were scarecrows as this was the more effective way of their styles a./k.a. wanna' be's...no shooting or rarely so but lots of flaring while they were still 300 yards out....or they bypassed the area wwaayyy out there calling their warning calls until eventually there was no reason to go there anymore.....all that with a month to go too! To be fair by this time all the fields didn't hold enough feed by this time anyhow and it didn't matter who did what except to escape their nagging wives?
