Crow Busters Forum

Gadget Bob · Guru

The TCP Splits Up - Photo's and Commentary

NGillespie10 · Senior Member

Great report and pictures!

8fishermen · Guru

That cat in the middle of the of the dead bird grid is looking a little nervous!

Great pics and hunt.

8fishermen · Guru

Do the grackles decoy or are they targets of opportunity?

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hey NG10,

Thanks for your feedback..

Hi Greg,

Those grackles were flying around us all morning. I think they were interested in our decoys. We laid off of them when crows were inbound, but dropped some during lulls.

Regards,

hooks2bset · Senior Member

Awesome

TexasMatt · Senior Member

Mainehunt wrote:
TexasMatt wrote:
No Bob, I made the unwise decision to shoot coyotes instead of crows. I'll be kicking myself for that for months.
What bullet/powder combination do you use in your .223?

Kev

In this particular rifle, I use a relatively cheap load, 55 gr Midsouth Varmint Nightmare bullet, over 26 grains of varget. The bullets can be bought for about 8 cents a piece, and are plenty accurate for coyote work.

I upgrade to 55 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips over 26.5 gr of Varget when shooting prairie dogs. (I also switch to a more accurate rifle.)

-- Edited by TexasMatt on Monday 13th of February 2012 06:18:57 PM

Mainehunt · Guru

The cat could have made the total count to be 127 and being all black would have blended right in one of those rows...............

Great photos!

Kev

gearly65 · Senior Member

Very nice hunt guys!!

Lone Star Phil · Senior Member

Kev:

The barn cat appeared when the shooting stopped. She was persistent, hauling off two grackles we tossed her and still wanted to inspect the crows. She didn't mind us a bit.

Might have been a different ending had we 129 crows and needing something large and black to finish out the last row!

Bob · Guru

Very nice photos, good and sharp. Keep up the good work Gadget Bob, was Matt with you?

Bob A.

TexasMatt · Senior Member

No Bob, I made the unwise decision to shoot coyotes instead of crows. I'll be kicking myself for that for months.

Mainehunt · Guru

TexasMatt wrote:
No Bob, I made the unwise decision to shoot coyotes instead of crows. I'll be kicking myself for that for months.

What bullet/powder combination do you use in your .223?

Kev

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hi Kev,

T-Matt will chime in with his loads. I think he uses Varget.

I use the 55 grain Hornady VMAX and Benchmark powder, currently. It is very accurate in my RRA Coyote Carbine and Les Baer Super Varmint. Got some new CFE223 on order from Powder Valley and plan to pair this with the new Hornady 53 grain VMAX. The better BC on this new bullet should result in flatter trajectories for really long shots. Interested in seeing if that new powder actually cuts copper fouling, too.

Regards,

Mainehunt · Guru

Cool, I'll have to try Varget.

My favorite load for my Bushmaster has been a 50 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip over 24 grains of IMR 3031. Extremely accurate. Produces a 3 shot group at 100 yards that you can cover with a dime.

Kev

Skip · Guru

126 KIA's... in a few hours of action calls for battlefield promotions for all combatants of the TCP! Well managed Sir Gadget & Lone Star Phil and excellent reporting and photography to boot. Glad your unit was able to return to action after a month or so of R&R or perhaps medical leave! I bet Texas Matt will need medications...to help him get over missing this massacre!

I was started when I first saw the photo of all the dead crows and grackles...at is appeared to be one gun... with 12 feet of barrel... then I looked more closely and saw your two "Metros" barrel to barrel. Whew, that was a relief as I thought for a few seconds you had reached new "vistas" on barrel length. Also, l feared the cat might appear as #127 in a later photo but that was not to be. A compasionate leader is a respected leader.

Anytime a crow hunter breaks the century mark on one hunt, is a milestone..a hunt to remember as we all know how tough that is. Use of the Judas crow.. was the key...I am sure. Bob, how close is 126 to your record high for any one day? I bet it is in your top 5!

Thank you for sharing... it was a very good posting. Now, get back to planning your next offensive...

Skip

shaddart · Guru

Gadget; great pics & entertaining post. It's just to bad you guys don't have any fun !

M12Shooter · Guru

Great Post Gadget Bob. I always enjoy your varmint hunting adventures as they appear to be quite like a highly organized campaign. Thanks for sharing.
Ted

SHANEDOG · Guru

Sorry, I vultered in thinking there was an opening in the ranks for a transplanted Yankee!! biggrin

Great,Great post G.B.!! Tell Matt and Phil great job on them varmints!!

-- Edited by SHANEDOG on Wednesday 15th of February 2012 01:03:26 AM

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hi Skip,

Yes, this was in our top 5. And from only one stand with Phil and I being done before Noon. We wish Matt was with us, because the number of KIA would have been significantly higher with his deadly precision added to our battery.

Hi Shaddart,

The TCP is all about fun afield and that always occurs, even when the targets are parse. We have a great team and enjoy fine camaraderie!

Hi Ted,

Our degree of organization is somewhat questionable, but we do take a lot of equipment on most missions. I wish I would have brought my Volquartsen .17M2 on this day, to deal with those sentry crows that setup 80-90 years out.

I wanted to let you know I sent my pre-war M12 Skeet 20 gauge out to Stu Wright's in Illinois to get the action timed and slicked up. I understand from internet research he is an outstanding gunsmith specializing in Model 12 restorations.

Regards,

Big Honkers · Guru

GB,

As always, fantastic report, pics, and hunt! I would expect no less from such a fine organization as the TCP.

The phrase Iwo Jima-style “Judas” made me laugh right out loud. Well played.

BH

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hi Shane,

The TCP like is bag those yotes for your inspection... We also want you to point your Porshe south and link up with us some day this fall.

Hi Jason,

Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks again for your guidance on the "Hot Stick". Neither Lone Star Phil or I possess your "super human" strength to manhandle that pole solo, but as a team we got it into position. We both believe it was a major factor in our success. It will see a lot of use on coming crow hunts for the TCP and hope you can join us someday for some Texas-style crow hunting!

Take care,

nhcrowshooter · Guru

NHCrow wrote:
Question for Bob and the TCP. Do your Maxus shotguns cycle shells with the metro barrel extension? Also, how is the noise reduction with a semi?

NHCrow if you are considering using a metro barrel extension check with NH F&G before going afield with it. Last info I had the department considered them illegal to hunt with under RSA 207:4

-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Thursday 16th of February 2012 12:44:15 AM

Mainehunt · Guru

I keep staring at these photos because I just LOVE seeing the green grass!

Damn it looks good.

Kev

shaddart · Guru

Yeah Kev, that grass does look good. How much snow you have up there ? We have zero, lots of mud though. Fished the Hudson River today, didn't catch anything (low, low tide) but just to be able to get to the river in Feb is great ! Jerry

NHCrow · Veteran Member

Question for Bob and the TCP. Do your Maxus shotguns cycle shells with the metro barrel extension? Also, how is the noise reduction with a semi?

M12Shooter · Guru

Yes Sir Gadget Bob, even fine old M12's do wear a bit. If they see some moderate service, timing them once every 50 years or so is important biggrin

Be sure to post some finished pics and action photos as well. 7/8 oz of 8 1/2 or 9 shot should murder the crows...no Metro extension thingy needed smile .

Ted

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hi NHCrow,

We are having good luck with the new Federal Top Gun "Sub Sonic" load - 1 and 1/8 ounces of 7.5's at 900FPS in our Maxus's. Texas Matt made this discovery last year and I am in his debt for this game changing combination. You do have to keep them clean and the bolt slide "rails" lightly lubed. On real cold mornings, I do get some failures to feed but a couple of drops of BreakFree CLP generally gets it running again.

Hi Pete,

I gather every states laws are different when it comes to their classification of the "Metro" barrel extension, so you advice is sound.

Hi Ted,

My M12 did not cycle well, so I know it needs the "50 year" service! I have owned others that "worked like a hose" as Lone Star Phil likes to say. Mine already has the "lovely" Cutts on it, so not "Metro" for this old warhorse.

Regards,

Mainehunt · Guru

shaddart wrote:
Yeah Kev, that grass does look good. How much snow you have up there ? We have zero, lots of mud though. Fished the Hudson River today, didn't catch anything (low, low tide) but just to be able to get to the river in Feb is great ! Jerry

Jerry,

At my house I have about 10" on the ground. 20 miles east to the school where I work, there is about 6".

A buddy of mine at my archery club told me Tuesday that when driving back north from Connecticut, he didn't see any snow until he got to Saco, Maine. It's been in the 40's all this week, supposed to rain tomorrow.

Kev

<><

-- Edited by Mainehunt on Thursday 16th of February 2012 11:39:15 AM

Gadget Bob · Guru

Hi guys,

Some of you boys have been asking about the new load we use in our "Metro" guns. It is the Federal Top Gun subsonic shell (TGM12375) and is labeled "Metro Field" on the shell plastic. It was developed by Federal in conjunction with L.P. Brezny the noted magazine article author and inventor of the Metro barrel extension - www.MetroGun.com.

Here is a photo on those shells and boxes from this Sunday shoot:

Note they have "high" brass and are loaded at 900FPS with 1 and 1/8 ounces of 7 1/2's. We beleive they are much more lethal and offer longer range than the Winchester Featherlite AA's we previously used. Those AA shells would NOT function our Maxus's either.

Regards,

-- Edited by Gadget Bob on Thursday 23rd of February 2012 06:24:29 PM

M12Shooter · Guru

Yes, a mess of spent shell casings sure puts a smile on crow shooters face fast. Interesting as I got a super smokin deal on Federal hi-brass field loads this fall. Not the sub-sonic variety as you mention here gadget Bob, but 1 1/8 ounce of # 7 1/2 shot at 1265 fps (H123). Filled up a good chunk of the corner of my gun room with these and can't wait to try them on crows this spring!

Still shooting crows around all that old farm equipment as I can see there from the photos Gadget Bob. Nothing in agricultural country makes a better blind IMO as well.

Ted

Crow Busters Forum

Follow the Texas Crow Patrol on Facebook

Follow the Texas Crow Patrol on Facebook