Crow Busters Forum

Duce · Veteran Member

Share Your Stories Here.

Bob · Guru

Hello Duce,

This past season I had two of the best crow hunts of my life.

In the first big shoot I shot 568 crows from roughly 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The bulk of them were shot between 7:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. I shot a flyway that afternoon and shot an additional 143 birds which brought the total for the day to 711 crows. I used 895 12 gauge trap loads.

Two days later I shot 834 crows in one spot never had to move for an afternoon shoot. I fired 1,150 12 gauge trap loads (46 boxes of ammo) in that spot. I had to go to the pickup and get more ammo that day. I had a little over 500 down by 11:00 a.m. and when things started to slack off I made a run for the truck. I drove the pickup right to the blind and unloaded two more flats of ammo (500 rounds) and had that all shot up by 5:00 p.m. that day.

I had a shoot like that back in December of 1982 where Boyd Robeson & I shot 859 crows in one spot all day long. We both used 20 gauge model 12 Winchesters with a 7/8th ounce load of # 9 shot. 95 % of the birds that day were killed under 30 yards.

These types of shoots are very rare indeed, I've been hunting crows seriously since 1968 and you couldn't count on one hand the shoots over seven or eight hundred.

Bob A.

Yote59 · Veteran Member

Bob...that's nuts. How were you able to get that many...that close? I would of loved to been there.

Elkhunter · Senior Member

Nov 16, 1997. A cousin and I set up in a pecan orchard in central Alabama. The orchard was about 40 acres in size. We set out 2 dozen deeks and built us a blind all before daylight. Sat back and drank some hot coffee and waited on the fun. The weather was overcast and fairly calm. We shot from first light until 2:30 that afternoon on a fairly constant flow of birds. Just did the feed calls and took our time. When it was all over we had shot 500 12 guage shells and we picked up 177 crows. The local pig farmer was pleased with the free feed.

Second best hunt was 104 birds on Oct 25, 1997. We killed 104 and had to quit at about 9:30 that morning. Same type setup different pecan orchard. Once again overcast with a little wind. But, that all changed about 9:30 that morning. A friend came down the road and told us there were tornadoes expected and we started breaking up the hunt pronto. All heck broke loose by 10:00 and the place was being torn apart. So glad our friend came by and gave us a heads up. It got ugly.

If it hadn't, I believe we could have killed 250 that day easy. They were coming in like crazy and it was the first time we had ever hunted that location. Virgin birds are fun.

Bob · Guru

Yote,

I was in a very good feeding area where birds were comimg in at spaced intervals for hours on end. They were coming in anywhere from 1 to 5 at a time. Not many lived to tell the tale!

Bob A.

Mark · Guru

I don't have any huge numbers like Bob and some of you other guys, but what I do have is a lot of great memories where one of my shooting partners said or did something that just made me laugh.. I think of those sayings all the time.

One memorable hunt is when I took my nephews on their first crow shoot just after Christmas in SC..It was so cold and the boys (age 8 and 10) were about to freeze to death.. They were doing everything to stay warm and I kept telling them to get still and shut up.. Well as you know with kids, one of them got tickled about something and the other started laughing and before you know it I was so mad I couldn't take it and I ended the shoot.. I told my mom what happened and she said you'll look back on that shoot one day and all you'll remember about it was the laughter coming from those boys and you'll forget about being mad. Well turns out she's right.. I wish they were still young and laughing the way they did..They are now 18 and 20..

Duce · Veteran Member

Wow, good stories, I cant imagine being on one of those hunts with Bob and Elk Hunter.. absolutely insane. last October I was at deer hunting camp for early antlerless (wasn't deer hunting. There for the small game, only kids aloud to go early antlerless in MN) and I was waiting for my buddy to get back from taking his young cousin and while waiting by the fire I watched 30 crows within shooting distance fly above me. It wasn't my property and 5 or 6 people were still sleeping so I wasn't gonna start dumping rounds but I could have defiantly shot a few. A month later in the same spot we watched.. I think we counted 89-93 birds flying high in the sky. Was up there for deer and crow was already over so I didn't have my call on me. Then in town I maybe seen 100-150 in a tree, cawing and swooping, one of the coolest things I've seen in my life.

Hey Bob, If you don't mind me asking, what do you think is the best crow hunting state in your experiences?

I hear ya Mark, taking kids out can be frustrating.. arguing about pointless things, not paying attention and just being goofballs. Missed a lot of grouse last season because of these kids.. But like your mom said looking back you just remember the good times.

-- Edited by Duce on Friday 5th of August 2011 12:00:46 AM

8fishermen · Guru

Just started hunting crows last season so most of my stories are from then.

On my birthday I took the day off and killed 74. it was not the largest we had but one of my favorite hunts with my 8 yo son. He killed 3. On another hunt with him he killed 10 while run and gunning. We were in big timber and the birds were comming in under the canopy to get to the call. He made some great shots that day.

There were two very special birds. One was number 1000 for the season. I worked my butt off for that bird. The most special bird of the season came on the last day of the season. It was the last bird that was killed and it was my 12 yo daughters first ever wing kill. We hunted all season before she finally killed one. I was one proud papa!

This did not happen on a crow hunt but is one of my favorite all time hunting memories. I remember as a kid being out shooting my bow one day. I was wandering around our farm looking for trouble when I heard a murder of crows. I eased up on them to the see what all the commotion was about. The field they were in was covered in sage grass. I slipped through the tall grass and crawled up on a terrace so I could see what was going on. About 50 yards in front of me was the source of the mayhem. It was two large long beards locked in a battle of epic proportion. There were 30+ hens and jakes in a circle around them making all the noise they could. The crows were screaming and cawing and dive bombing the crowd on the ground. The gobblers would circle around each other and then explode into the air and clash with their spurs. They were leaping about 10' in the air before they would make contact. It looked like an old school yard fight. It was almost comical. All the feathers flying and cackling and cawing. Thirty plus pairs of eyes in the air and another 30 plus pairs on the ground and NONE of them ever spotted me till that 3rd arrow sailed in. biggrin

BTW I was not a very good shot with a bow as all 60 plus escaped without harm.

Duce · Veteran Member

Greg that is one of the best hunting stories I've ever heard. When turkeys get at it is really something to watch. Last spring I shot a Tom and as soon as he dumped two of his friends jump on him and start pecking at him and clawing, really cool.. to bad I didn't have another tag or two though.

1,000 birds for one season, that is defiantly on my bucket list.

chip · Guru

My favorite hunt of my life kinda goes like this

Dylan's First Buck

He started at age six, Red Ryder in hand.

Dreaming of the day he would be in the stand.

He stalked grasshoppers, sparrows, and frogs at night.

Honing his skills to make the shot just right.

For his first two seasons age seven and eight,

He learned patience and cunning, to kill his first buck he could not wait.

For birthday number nine he got his first gun.

"Thanks dad" he said as he shed little tears.

I was ready to give him my knowledge of thirty five years.

Opening day came it was cold and wet.

I was awakened an hour early by him saying "Is it time yet"?

We crossed the two corn fields and the CRP.

Then we climbed up the ladder just Dylan and me.

He loaded his Remington and said "Dad I can't wait".

I said son just hold on daylight will soon break.

Suddenly two does came in and I said "Hey thats great luck"!

Dylan never moved just said "Dad I'm waitin on a buck"!

At 8:40 am we saw one with a rack, Dylan took nervous aim with my hand on his back.

Dylan's hands were shaking and so were his knees.

I said son "just relax, take aim and squeeze"

He would't come closer so I gave him a grunt.

Toward us he came like a picture perfect hunt.

At the crack of the gun down the buck went.

A forty-yard neck shot by a slug Dylan sent.

Dylan looked up at me and screamed, "I got him Dad"!

I said "Thats a perfect shot son, not to bad".

We hugged and we cried those tears of joy.

We will never forget that first buck, just me and my boy.

Duce · Veteran Member

Wow that was really good Chip, brought me back to when me and my dad hunted together and shot my first buck.

Bob · Guru

Chip,

Very nice photo of the two of you.

Bob A.

doccerny · Veteran Member

chip wrote:
My favorite hunt of my life kinda goes like this
                        Dylan's First Buck
   He started at age six, Red Ryder in hand.
   Dreaming of the day he would be in the stand.
   He stalked grasshoppers, sparrows, and frogs at night.
   Honing his skills to make the shot just right.
   For his first two seasons age seven and eight,
   He learned patience and cunning, to kill his first buck he could not wait.
    For birthday number nine he got his first gun.
    "Thanks dad" he said as he shed little tears.
     I was ready to give him my knowledge of thirty five years.
     Opening day came it was cold and wet.
     I was awakened an hour early by him saying "Is it time yet"?
     We crossed the two corn fields and the CRP.
      Then we climbed up the ladder just Dylan and me.
      He loaded his Remington and said "Dad I can't wait".
      I said son just hold on daylight will soon break.
       Suddenly two does came in and I said "Hey thats great luck"!
       Dylan never moved just said "Dad I'm waitin on a buck"!
       At 8:40 am we saw one with a rack, Dylan took nervous aim with my hand on his back.
       Dylan's hands were shaking and so were his knees.
       I said son "just relax, take aim and squeeze"
        He would't come closer so I gave him a grunt.
       Toward us he came like a picture perfect hunt.
       At the crack of the gun down the buck went.
       A forty-yard neck shot by a slug Dylan sent.
       Dylan looked up at me and screamed, "I got him Dad"!
       I said "Thats a perfect shot son, not to bad".
        We hugged and we cried those tears of joy.
        We will never forget that first buck, just me and my boy.
        That was a great story poem....I almost cried

chip · Guru

Thanx Doc Just look how little he was, Now he is sweet 16 and driving me to our favorite haunts The last pic is when he got his first shotgun. Remington 1100 20 guage youth LT model. Best purchase I ever made. First dove,first pheasant, first deer, first squirell, first everthing with that gun wink

-- Edited by chip on Saturday 6th of August 2011 03:51:08 AM

doccerny · Veteran Member

chip wrote:
Thanx Doc Just look how little he was, Now he is sweet 16 and driving me to our favorite haunts The last pic is when he got his first shotgun. Remington 1100 20 guage youth LT model. Best purchase I ever made. First dove,first pheasant, first deer, first squirell, first everthing with that gun
Those are some great pics Chip. I don't have any boys of my own, but get to take my buddies boys hunting and fishing. Nothing can compare to how excited they get on their first of anything. And that must be nice having a built in personal chauffeur!

-- Edited by chip on Saturday 6th of August 2011 03:51:08 AM

Bob · Guru

Chip,

The first photo is a very nice one of Dylan. The second photo of the two of you together is also very good.

Bob A.

M12Shooter · Guru

Nice pics Chip. They grow up way too fast don't they.

Ted

Bob · Guru

Hello Yote,

I took this photo from inside the blind with the 46 empty boxes of 12 gauge trap loads the day I shot 834 crows from one location. This was the best shoot of my life on crows!

Lone Star Phil · Senior Member

Bob:

Man! At an ounce a shell, that's almost 72 pounds of lead! Simply outstanding!

Phil

Bob · Guru

Hi Phil,

At say $ 5.73 a box x 46 boxes = $ 263.58 for that one shoot, but worth every damn penny. Everytime I go food shopping at Walmart I pick up a 4 pack of trap loads. By the time hunting season rolls around I have a pretty good stach of ammo.

So, how are you guys holding up with the heat this summer? It's beed dreadfull here in Kansas.

Bob A.

Duce · Veteran Member

This heat was killing me for awhile Bob, more humid than I ever remember. But today it cooled off big time, only 72 degrees out now! Gonna have to try some crow hunting I think.

Pa Hunter · Member

I went crow hunting this morning, got there about 7 o'clock or there about's. I had two box's of shells. (50) I set up the decoys and before I could get the crow in the tree or the recorder going I had 8 birds flocking around. I managed to get off one shot to find out my shotgun was not a pump any more but a single shot. This persisted until it started to act like a pump shotgun again...another surprise when the shell I was trying to put into the gun would not go due to the gun acting right again. A comedy of errors I guess and probably quite a sight of someone trying to load a pump shotgun like it was a single shot. After finally getting the tape player set up and the usual crow in the tree. I get down on my knees and proceed to watch the sky's. I filled in time between shots looking for my spent casings. I managed to get 12 birds by 9 o'clock, not bad but the shell count was 48......and one of these stuck in the chamber not quite all the way in which required me to take the shotgun apart and try to pry the case out of the chamber...it would not budge. There I am with a shotgun in pieces (tape player off) and what shows up but 6 more crows, and the persisted in hanging around while I tried to get the gun back working. After getting it back together I managed to put both hands on the slide and pull back with a large amount of force...the shell came out and I got one shot off as they retreated after laughing their buts off at the novice hunter, looking like a monkey screwing a football. After this I had 9 shots left and managed to get a few more before I noticed a swelling around my face mask that I was using. Seems I was sitting in a patch of Ivy poison and got some on my hands....so when I adjusted the face shield...I got it on my forehead. By the time I got home and washed everything including me...my left eye was almost swelled shut. That was at 10 am and now it is 4:20 and it is still swelled almost shut. Not a good sign. I used soap and lots of water trying to get the oil off my face in time....looks like it did not work. I may have to get a shot to get rid of this crap.

Bob · Guru

James,

Here is a good tip, if you have a shell stuck in your chamber it sure makes it handy to carry a ram rod. All you have to do is get some brass bar stock 1/2 inch in dia. Cut off a piece about 5 inches long. Smooth the sharp edges with a belt sander and you can keep it in your pocket or gear bag. If you have a shell get stuck in the future just drop the 5 inch piece of bar stock straight down the barrel and it will knock the shell loose.

Bob A.

chip · Guru

In case you run into poison Ivy again,,,,Go to your local grocery store and by a bar of Fels-Naptha soap. Keep a couple bars under the sink in the bathroom. It is pure Lye soap. It will cut the uras oil within 6 hours of contact. This is the only soap that works. It is hard to find. I find it at the grocery store in the laundry section. Dont let your kids wash with it,,, unless they are old enough,its pure lye!!!! I am highly allergic and it has kept the stuff off me since I was 12,,, its amazing how it works yawn

Pa Hunter · Member

I'll make one of those puppies for sure Thanks

Pa Hunter · Member

Ah yes remember it well Fells Naptha Mom used to have that stuff at the house....I will have to find some of that stuff again. No wory about the kids..one is 40 and the other is 35 (of course he never acts it so maybe I have to watch him)

Thanks and believe me when I say in two hours time I had a rash showing...

doccerny · Veteran Member

Pa Hunter wrote:
Ah yes remember it well Fells Naptha Mom used to have that stuff at the house....I will have to find some of that stuff again. No wory about the kids..one is 40 and the other is 35 (of course he never acts it so maybe I have to
Thanks and believe me when I say in two hours time I had a rash showing...

Sorry about your problems today, but sounds like ya had fun. Did ya get your shotgun to working? Sound like you have a little time to work on it sense ya got the Ivy

-- Edited by doccerny on Sunday 28th of August 2011 12:58:49 AM

chip · Guru

Sounds to me like you may be a little more allergic than your average Jo,,,,,You either got in the ivy early in the morning or are extremely sensative to the uras oil. You may be into poison oak, its a little different, It don't grow this far south. Put the Fels-Naptha in your bag and find a creek if you think you came in contact. Just make sure no tree huggers are around!!! They will claim you are poisoning the water and might kill a spotted minnow wink If you can't find fels naptha,,,, Dawn dish washing detergent will be better than nothing, just a tip from a guy that has had the problem for years. I used to go to grade school looking like the elephant man. I used to drink the anti Ivy liquid. Anybody remember that stuff???? Used to get it from a lineman that live next door. There was 8 small viles that you diluted with water over a 12 day period. The FDA outlawed it in the late 60's. Dam gubment that was some good stuff. I think they thought it would make your kids grow a third tit on thier back or something like that. My boys turned out fine!!!!They banned Chlordane in 1971 My home was treated with it in the late 60's and I don't have so much as a dog pecker gnat in my house biggrin Still got a gallon of it as a matter of fact. Two t-spoons per gallon No bugs smile

Pa Hunter · Member

Yeah I took the 870 apart and it seems my 35 yr old used it last and did not tell me it was single shooting...thats normal as he never tells me anything...just leaves it for me to find...like broken wires on the large speaker connections..never fails. I get to the field and find the extension does not work. Now I make it a habit to check these things BEFORE I leave the house. I did not expect the 870 to go bad......my favorite shotgun. There are others at the house but this was my first purchase way back when and I like to use it...28 in mod barrel....I have full chokes to fit it but....always go for the mod barrel. These barrels are pre choke tube items.

Seems the side case release levers had something up under them and would not allow it to feed a shell into the carrier. But that has been fixed and she is good to go again. So when the eye clears up and I bone up on poison ivy ID....back to the killing fields!!

Thanks for the replys Pa Hunter

Pa Hunter · Member

I have some of that clordane myself..saving it for a non rainy day, thanks for the reminder. Every time I go to a yard sale or Estate sale I look for the stuff as you never know who may have horded it like I did.

I load for everything I own and I own a few...I have an ithica 16 guage pump with a poly choke on it..I have never fired it since I got it...just use the 870. Bought it from a local kid after I asked if it was hot. Finish is brown and I thought the poly chole was not a factory item on the Ithica 37 but have found out different. ( I think) I will dig it out and give it a go next time...set on mod of course!! I just made a 4 gun purchase three weeks ago and a pristeen mod 37 was in the mix..12 guage. That one sits on the shelf for my retirement...present adminstration permitting.

They can have my guns when they pry it from my cold dead hands.

Bob · Guru

Hi PA,

From what you describe you had a cartridge stop problem with your 870. When you go to chuck a shell out of the receiver the cartridge stop does not move enough to let a shell out of the magazine tube for your next shot. About the only thing that ever goes wrong on an 870 is the cartridge stop or a broken action bar. I only had one broken firing pin with an 870 in all the years.

Bob A.

Pa Hunter · Member

Yeah that was it...I cleaned the gun and it seems to work finenow...time will tell. I put 3 in the gun and shucked them all out in a nicely fasion after cleaning.

MAybe you can help me here...it seems the only way I can get access to the posts is by replying to something sent to me. I joined the forum but is there another part of the forum like crow busters that I need to join. When I try to log on it asks me for a member number...I di not receive any e-mails from crowbusters...can you enlighten me on this.

Jim

Bob · Guru

Hello Jim,

If you are a member you should have received an I.D. number and a pass word. This will let you into the Advanced Section of Crow Busters.

If you did not receive one I would contact Gordon Krause the founder of Crow Busters. He is out of town right now but will return within the next week.

Bob A.

Pa Hunter · Member

It seems I tried to send an e-mail to staff at crowmart but they keep getting returned for invalid address. I see now that I have to join crow busters by snail mail and send in 5 bucks to get an e-mail and number....I will do this.

Thanks

jonthepain · Guru

good to have ya, PA