Out again this morning solo after the crows. Clear, little wind, and a good frost. Crows were somewhat tardy this morning as I didn't get my first shot until well after sunrise. Finished around 10 AM with 21 good crows and a magpie. All crows shot with my favorite 16 gauge M12 Winchester, 1 ounce of 8 shot out of a modified barrel.
Pics below of some of the kill, my blind amoung the sunflower and a strange critter caught eating acorns and chased up a tree. Also being such a pleasant aftenoon, I decided to go for a short walk along a bush trail to enjoy the fall colours. Put up a couple ruffed grouse, busted one which was the biggest, plumpest ruffie I have ever shot. Found the modified a bit too restricting for this type of work.
Ted
-- Edited by M12Shooter on Friday 28th of September 2012 01:36:01 AM
M12: Fine pictures and commentary. You sure had a superday in every respect and what freedom, at least for now, to be able to do the things you did.
Your blind: does it have a cover? Otherwise, how do you keep overhead crows ( that are too high to shoot) from seeing you..flairing, etc? Lastly, a bag that included crows, magpie, grouse and potentially a bear (I think )... I call that "mixed" for sure.
Sunflower seeds: are they edible right off the plant or do they have to be dried, cured, etc?
No cover on my blind Skip. Opening at the top is just large enough to get my shoulders through, frame gets wider to the bottom and the whole production is simply wrapped in burlap to break ones profile. Also I like a blind tall enough, about chin high for me is perfect so I can stand upright. Being in some "arthritic" stoop all morning is not fun and counter productive to good wing shooting I feel.
Fall crows are not too smart up here but yes on "bluebird" days they can float above and see me in the blind if I move. Thats why I often have two shotguns in the blind. One is open choked for all the "normal" shots. Other is usually one of my trap guns, choked full for those few high overhead or high floater shots. Trap loads of 7 1/2 shot get this job done if I do my part. 50 plus yard shots very doable with this combination.
Sunflower is strictly for oil seed production. Farmers usually will combine them around mid October. Crows love sunflower up here. Neat to watch a huge flock decend onto a field. They each land on a plant and pick the seeds out. Flocks move up into the wind hopping from plant to plant like a black wave. Not such a pleasant sight if your a sunflower producer. I get calls at home from a few farmers once crows start to gather as they are now.
Ted
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Life's tough... It's even tougher if you're stupid. John Wayne
Just how I like them "low and slow"
Have to start reloading again.