Crow Busters Forum

Big Honkers · Guru

Last MI Crow Hunt 'Til Feb

Low and Slow · Senior Member

those are not the best seasons imo. Oct is the best i feel in Mn, hopefully youll pile them in Feb!

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Yeah, but in MI, we can still shoot em' outside of the regular seasons, if they're "...creating a nuisance or a public health hazard." Like stealing your expensive Carlsberg!

Big Honkers · Guru

L&S,

You're preaching to the choir on the season date thing...we hunt ducks during the migration, why not crows? Dont get me started.

OA,

I would be careful taking aim at crows outside of the season. The Feds have some very specific qualifications and rules behind the nuisance shooting of crows. For example, there is a big difference in their eyes about shooting a problem crow VS actually hunting them. I personally dont care if you shoot crows all year but just be informed before you head out. Good luck!

BH

Old Artilleryman · Guru

(Big Honkers) You're right, as the law (you know this...) speaks to shooting out of season, in accordance with "federal migratory" laws. My question, as I've often wondered about this clause in the MI Hunting Digest, just where do we find out what the off season rules are? The DNR? Do we have to have a specific land owner's permission to shoot at crows? Kidding aside, I'm wondering how this works. I have one farmer who has given me specific written permission to "eradicate vermin" including crows. Does this pass muster off season. PM me if you wish.

-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Wednesday 26th of September 2012 04:40:18 PM

Critter · Veteran Member

We are headed out this weekend for our last shoot til Feb. Found one last spot that is too good to wait til winter. Be chasing deer, ducks and geese in the meantime.

nhcrowshooter · Guru

I think you will find that when shooting crows out of season under a nuisance (depradation permit) the use of calls and decoys is prohibited, the idea is you are luring them to the area rather than finding them there as a nuisance. Also if it is a federal depradation permit vs. state the use of non-toxic shot is required for crows. We discussed this some time back on here when the rules came out:

http://crowbusters.activeboard.com/t41276111/oh-my-god-it-has-happened/

-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Wednesday 26th of September 2012 01:12:43 PM

BigBlackBirds · Senior Member

critter send some of those birds my way. i think they have all decided to hide from me for the last week of season!

Low and Slow · Senior Member

nhcrowshooter wrote:
I think you will find that when shooting crows out of season under a nuisance (depradation permit) the use of calls and decoys is prohibited, the idea is you are luring them to the area rather than finding them there as a nuisance. Also if it is a federal depradation permit vs. state the use of non-toxic shot is required for crows. We discussed this some time back on here when the rules came out:
http://crowbusters.activeboard.com/t41276111/oh-my-god-it-has-happened/

Here in MN the regs state,
" Crows may be taken any time of the year when they are doing damage or ABOUT to do damage"
I asked a DNR officer about this reg and what his feelings/ interpretation of it was and he stated,
"I don't think I ever saw a crow that wasn't up to no good"
hopefully they all feel the same way, but I'm sure some would be a little more, "by the book"
if I'm going to do some after- season killing, I would have written permission from landowner stating that I am there to take care of nuisance crows on his property.

-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Wednesday 26th of September 2012 01:12:43 PM

Big Honkers · Guru

OA,

The link NHCS does provide some good details. Under the federal law it seems like a fella cant do a whole lot more than walk out with a gun and shoot at them to scare them off. Nothing more. No decoys, no ecaller, no hunting.

Now, the gray area presents itself when folks run into "good" CO's like the one L&S mentioned. Some COs know a lot about migratory law and some know very little. Some COs will not give two craps about crows and others will see an out of season crow shooting as a good reason to write a ticket.

Most of the COs in my area would be pretty good about it BUT there is ONE guy that I know would give me grief so I just hunt when the regs say I can. There has been multiple times where I could have had a pretty darn good shoot outside of the season dates in Oct or Nov but I bailed on the idea. Crow hunting is just too loud of an endeavor and attracting attention to yourself can be likely in some areas.

If you just stick to a quick hit run-n-gun style you'd probably be fine. I just much prefer to set up in one location for the morning so I dont bother with "tempting fate."

BH

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Big Honkers: All kidding aside re. malevolent crows...I would not knowingly bust a law. e.g., I had a deer in my crosshairs at 0655 last Sat about a mile S. of the Allegan/VB border and did not take the <50 yard shot, since it was not legal to fire until 7:14 or so. Not worth it. (For you non-MI folks, we had a two-day antlerless deer season last Sat. and Sun.).

Your link was quite helpful and answered many questions. One BFO (blinding flash of the obvious) during reading was that over-regulation exists everywhere. No surprise since it's the feds. I've never seen a CO around here, but I'm new at this. The DNR is quite strapped for personnel and gas money, so I'm not surprised. Another matter to continue studying. Thanks for the info. We've still got three more days. Let's go get em'!

BigBlackBirds · Senior Member

Old Artilleryman
You are correct that the CO's are spread thin and have been for some time. Not sure exactly where you hang out but that general border area which you speka of is actually pretty well patrolled by CO's. And I assume the retired CO still lives between Bloomingdale/Bangor so I'm sure the current gang of fish cops still hang out at his place or at least that was the case as recently as 4-5 years ago.

Old Artilleryman · Guru

BH: Once again, didn't know that.

Indeed, we are closely situatuated to one another. Let's have a Carlsberg together some day!

BigBlackBirds · Senior Member

Old Artilleryman

I grew up within 15 miles or so of BH. Parents still live there. I lived in Vanburen county until a few years ago. know both of those counties rather well.

So did you kill a deer last weekend?

Critter · Veteran Member

BBB,
We weren't hunting our usual haunts so we would have had to send them a long ways. Didn't turn out as well as we had hoped but wasn't a complete loss. I had a total meltdown at one point when I had a couple birds picked out to kill then the whole sky turned black to my right. I lost it like a kid in a candy shop and missed both birds I intended to kill. Had another malfunction during a feeding set up that resulted from my swing being rudly interupted by a branch and me removing the birds tail feathers instead of dumping him cleanly.

BigBlackBirds · Senior Member

Sounds like you got to have some fun. I had to work from 8AM-11AM today so didn't get a chance to go out. I'm planning one last trip in the morning but dont have big hopes. Starting to think about deer and ducks instead.

Old Artilleryman · Guru

BBB:

Re deer: See (my answer) two postings up for the full extent of anterless two-day season......

Short answer = nope.