Crow Busters Forum

Redditch · Guru

Difference in equipment

Mike27 · Senior Member

Redditch,

If you read back, you will find that lots of busters do invest in equipment other than the shells and the gun. including motion decoys. also, most go out head to toe camo. Only a few can get away without being covered, the ones in extremely rich flyways.

It's not always easy to look something up because topics change and go off coarse real fast.

Mike

Redditch · Guru

Ahha, okay

Old Artilleryman · Guru

I think the equipment you mention is quite effective. But, I don't like hauling so much stuff, so I try to keep it to a minimum. Doesn't work out real well, however.

Redditch · Guru

I used to have my big 4x4 loaded all the time, but have a slightly smaller one now, so haul a small (well 5x5x5 foot) box trailer fully loaded now. Put a shelf in and some big boxes, so can carry everything for crow and pigeon in that, and for duck just load the 4x4 up

NGillespie10 · Senior Member

Weight is my biggest issue. I don't have a way to get my stuff to a blind without walking, so I keep my gear down to what I can carry in one trip. Although for my next outing, I'm going to try setting up the blind the day before and have it ready so that I don't have to carry as much the morning of.

BUZZ · Senior Member

I agree, we have our gear down to what will fit in 2 large back packs, plus we carry a pole to put decoys in trees.

Talking about buying gear, we have bought WAY more than we currently use. We have the 3 bird spinner motion decoy,2 busters, 3 differant types of decoys, probably 4 differant owl decoys....including one I rigged up on a Fox Pro jack in the box....a extended colaspable pole, 2 foxpros, a external speaker, fake gut piles...etc...etc...etc

We only carry what we feel we need for the particular set up......and most of it stays home in the garage..... biggrin

By the way........full camo........face included is a must

8fishermen · Guru

Mike27 wrote:
Redditch,
If you read back, you will find that lots of busters do invest in equipment other than the shells and the gun. including motion decoys. also, most go out head to toe camo. Only a few can get away without being covered, the ones in extremely rich flyways.
It's not always easy to look something up because topics change and go off coarse real fast.
Mike

US???? GET OFF TOPIC???? We would never do that!!! biggrin

jonthepain · Guru

to me, less is more.

Zeddicus · Senior Member

Hi Redditch,
we're in a similar sitjiation as you are in the UK. Because we are hunting the same birds all year most successful hunters got rid of whirlies, flappers etc. The risk of the crows remembering certain features is just too high.
And yet I carry around 30 dekes around + blind + lofting poles etc...

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Zeddicus wrote:
Hi Redditch,
we're in a similar sitjiation as you are in the UK. Because we are hunting the same birds all year most successful hunters got rid of whirlies, flappers etc. The risk of the crows remembering certain features is just too high.
And yet I carry around 30 dekes around + blind + lofting poles etc...

Yeah, you two guys are decidedly high-tech and equipment intensive. But you do get results, even with college-educated crows. smile

Zeddicus · Senior Member

Hi OA,
this season I've mostly hunted uneducated birds (no pun intended), the rest of the season will show if we made too many mistakes. ;)
Reports will follow.
All the best,
Zedd

Redditch · Guru

Once the crops are planted, I get regular days of 170-220 day in day out with my set ups

and that for weeks at a time Even with no crops in, I still get days of 20-30, only when there is more than enough food about, and no tops in, then every bird counts, and its hard work to get them in, so all the equipment helps

-- Edited by Redditch on Tuesday 8th of January 2013 06:11:35 PM

Redditch · Guru

Because I do the crop protection for the farms (that's how you get permission) and have to get rid of as many as possible, and we have millions of them, more than pigeons, but being shot every day they are very wary. So, when the crops go in, I get out and make big bags, but when the top laying seeds a have gone, and before the shoots appear, then I get days maybe when I might only even get 6-9, but that's 6-9 that won't be eating the farmers crops. Most days will be round the 20-30, but soon as those shoots appear, big bags can be made again. Thing is being on the right field, as they have a field they will hit above all others for a few days, then maybe they will change to another field, and trying to find out why is impossible, its as if the field suddenly changes a magnetic pole and attracts them lol. And, if I don't keep at them, then the farmer would give the permission to another shooter, and without permissions, no shooting, and no gun licence either

-- Edited by Redditch on Tuesday 8th of January 2013 07:31:37 PM

Bob · Guru

Redditch,

Question?

If you get regular days of anywhere from 170 to 220 crows in a day then why do you waste your time trying to get 20 to 30 in a day later on?

Bob A.

Bob · Guru

Redditch,

Something I don't understand, if there are no crops ( on 20 to 30 bird days) then why do the farmers still want you out there every day? You would have better days if you mentioned to the farmers that you will kill more if your not out there every day. Can you make a living at what you do? You get paid by the farmer or the state?

I don't do it for a living so I have a lot more leeway in regard to how many times I go out during the season. I (just my opinion) would much rather go out fewer times and kill a good number of them each time out as opposed to killing a few hundred more by picking up 20 to 30 a hunt late in the season. I realize that other people might see it differently. Man, that would make for a very long day by shooting 20 to 30 crows. How do you stop from going bezerk "if you have to be out there every day" that would drive me crazy.

Bob A.

Bob · Guru

Redditch,

Do the farmers in Northern Ireland use those propane cannons to keep the crows off there crops?

I can see that you have no choice, you have to be out there all the time or you loose the spot. That is a very tough hand to be dealt.

Why don't the farmers dynamite the roost if it's out in the sticks? Just keep it on a low profile. If they are serious about reducing there numbers that is a good way to go, just hunting them does not even put a dent in there population.

Bob A.

Redditch · Guru

Not allowed to use dynamite here lol (we have enough explosions with the terrorists still commiting 30 attacks a month on average), and some use the cannons, but the crows are wise to the cannons, and soon settle again lol.
Add to that that the area is very densely populated, and they people soon complain if there are loud bangs every 30 minutes or so. They use CDs that reflect, but even these soon have the crows used to them.
Even shooting can be difficult as ever more townies move to the country and complain about the shooting of vermin, as they like to see all animals in their idyllic view of country life, often calling the police to complain, and lying that we are shooting in heir direction etc. so a very difficult job to do, and hence our rifles are almost always fitted with moderators, although our shotguns aren't lol

Bob · Guru

Hi Redditch,

Never been to Ireland even though I'm 1/4 Irish, I'm surprised that the countryside is not more rural. I would think most of the population would be in the larger cities. "But thats what I get for thinking" lol.

Good talking with you.

Bob A.

Redditch · Guru

Bob wrote:
Hi Redditch,

Never been to Ireland even though I'm 1/4 Irish, I'm surprised that the countryside is not more rural. I would think most of the population would be in the larger cities. "But thats what I get for thinking" lol.

Good talking with you.

Bob A.

Lol, it used to be very rural, with people (except farmers) being in small villages, or the larger towns and cities. But now the "new wealthy" have decided they want to have houses in the country, so buy land and then build on it. Pretty soon they start complaining that farmers are making noise before 8am and after 6pm, then they compain that the manure smells and brings flies, and then they complain that the animals are making noises and anelling too, and that's before they start complaining about pest control activities. We have ended up with stupid laws that means ****erels aren't allowed to crow before 8am or after 6pm. Man unsure has to he stored under ground and when spread can only be spread during those hours and must be ploughed in before it smells. ****erels and hens have to be kept in the complete dark except between 8am and 6pm to avoid them making noise. Cows and bullocks have to be kept indoors with air filters and sound proofing, and vermin shooting has to e well away (minimum 300 metres and hidden from view) of roads and houses. And all this so that towns people can live in the countryside and have their idyllic view of the countryside. Its ridiculous, and they should never be given planning permission to build in the countryside or live there is they can't accept what country living is about. But unfortunately, they have a lot of money and very highly paid lawyers, so normally get what they want. Sometimes though the villagers and country folk have enough, and via concerted effort, manage to force them to move away. This usually means ignoring them completely, refusing to serve them at local shops, post offices and garages etc. unfortunately the damage they have already done is never removed

Bob · Guru

Redditch,

Ever think of moving the hell out of Ireland? What you have just described is a living nightmare!

Bob A.

NGillespie10 · Senior Member

^ I kind of agree...

Lone Star Phil · Senior Member

Redditch:

We've experienced the same cultural movements in Texas. The newly rich move out into the country and are then horrified on September 1st, when the sunflower field next to their new subdivision of McMansions (for you Europeans, a characterization of large, gaudy and gauche homes, build by the newly rich, and associated with the commercial spread of the cancer of McDonalds hamburger joints) erupts in gunfire to herald the opening of mourning dove season. The Texas legislature passed a law a few years ago that provides that, yes, hunting can still occur on undeveloped land of some minimum acreage that may even be later included into a municipal boundary as long as it's been hunted prior to enactment and hunters observe some rules (i.e not shooting over homes and yards). Local television newpapers always have a story and the law has been in place for three or four years.

Not much different than the mentally-challenge who build a mansion in the flight path of Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport and then get annoyed by the noise of the jets. They must have thought that the air traffic into and out of an international airport in a growing community would somehow diminish over time, I guess.

The Texas Crow Patrol's adoption of the metro-barrel technology was driven by our shooting crows in some acreage in an unincorporated part of the county near some newly-erected McMansions. In that county, the local sherriff was obligated to send two squad cars on any complaint regarding shooting. (It's always unnerving to see two squad cars approach when you have a gun!) They were professional and polite and noted that we were not breaking the law but they had to investigate. We felt compelled to go "quiet" and, believe it or not, generated at least one other visit from the sherriff deputies after we re-armed with metro guns (and at no small expense). I wasn't there but Gadget Bob was and generously demonstrated the new 'long guns' to the constabulary, who test fired the guns and left grinning. I don't believe we've been accosted since that last visit when hunting that property. You do as much as you can do to accommodate others.

jonthepain · Guru

a customer of mine showed me the new county plan where he lives that includes many controls over us rural residents that were not there before, opening the way for the mcmansions and other bullies, even here in rural north carolina.

i moved out here to get away from that stuff...

Redditch · Guru

Bob wrote:
Redditch,

Ever think of moving the hell out of Ireland? What you have just described is a living nightmare!

Bob A.

Lol, I just moved back here two years ago after travelling the world for 38 years. Athough with all the rain the last two years here, I have been thinking hard about moving again

Redditch · Guru

Yep, but they all eat meat, yet are disgusted when reminded where it comes from. Here, unless its packaged in celophane, drained of blood, and in small portions that don't look like an animal, and have a sell by date, they won't eat it. Believe it or not, my last GF's kids came home from school and asked why I didn't get meat from the supermarket where no animals where harmed, and they had actually had this crap pumped into them by the teachers at the primary school !!!!!!

No wonder the kids nowadays are idiots when they don't even know where their food comes from