I've got a couple of questions, does the noise from the shotgun blast interfere with other incoming crows? Sometimes, depends on how close, how many shots are taken and if they saw the shooter. Also depends if the birds have been hunted and how much. Seeing the shooters or glare from the barrels is more likely to turn them than a shotgun blast. Generally if an incomer is 80 yards out or more and you shoot and drop one in the docoys they thing the dead fall is a bird diving in and they come in even more committed. This is if they don't see the shooters or movement from the blind.
And do you think they learn to be more skeptical coming in afterwards because of the noise from being shot at from previous hunts? Yes but it's not just the noise, it's the same calling, the decoys, the blind location and because they saw hunters.
Those who use the metro system barrels, do you use them to reduce the noise from scaring the crows,or to lesson the noise from people who live in the general area where you hunt? Besides reducing the recoil.
Do you guys pick up as many of the wads that you shoot? Sometimes.
And do you pick up the dead crows? Always.
and it you do pick the crows up what do you do with them? Take pictures, throw them in a pile out of site of other crows and where people are least likely to stumble into them, and far enough from the blind so we don't have to live with the stink later.
I'm sure any local trapper would take them for baiting their traps.
Do you think taking a 17HMR would be beneficial to shoot the occasional crow who lands in a tree out of shotgun range? No. How do you know where the bullet is going if you miss?
Besides being able to shoot at a few squirrels or other target anmals that might present themselves. I am there to hunt crows, nothing else, I don't want any extra weight to carry.
How far away do you park your car or truck from your blind? As close as practical no closer than 300 yards usually.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Tuesday 8th of January 2013 12:03:12 AM
I've got a couple of questions, does the noise from the shotgun blast interfere with other incoming crows? And do you think they learn to be more skeptical coming in afterwards because of the noise from being shot at from previous hunts?
Those who use the metro system barrels, do you use them to reduce the noise from scaring the crows,or to lesson the noise from people who live in the general area where you hunt? Besides reducing the recoil.
Do you guys pick up as many of the wads that you shoot? And do you pick up the dead crows? and it you do pick the crows up what do you do with them? I'm sure any local trapper would take them for baiting their traps.
Do you think taking a 17HMR would be beneficial to shoot the occasional crow who lands in a tree out of shotgun range? Besides being able to shoot at a few squirrels or other target anmals that might present themselves.
How far away do you park your car or truck from your blind? Pat
__________________
Walk lightly, Carry a Big Stick & NEVER WALK AWAY!!!
I've got a couple of questions, does the noise from the shotgun blast interfere with other incoming crows? Sometimes, depends on how close, how many shots are taken and if they saw the shooter. Also depends if the birds have been hunted and how much. Seeing the shooters or glare from the barrels is more likely to turn them than a shotgun blast. Generally if an incomer is 80 yards out or more and you shoot and drop one in the docoys they thing the dead fall is a bird diving in and they come in even more committed. This is if they don't see the shooters or movement from the blind.
And do you think they learn to be more skeptical coming in afterwards because of the noise from being shot at from previous hunts? Yes but it's not just the noise, it's the same calling, the decoys, the blind location and because they saw hunters.
Those who use the metro system barrels, do you use them to reduce the noise from scaring the crows,or to lesson the noise from people who live in the general area where you hunt? Besides reducing the recoil.
Do you guys pick up as many of the wads that you shoot? Sometimes.
And do you pick up the dead crows? Always.
and it you do pick the crows up what do you do with them? Take pictures, throw them in a pile out of site of other crows and where people are least likely to stumble into them, and far enough from the blind so we don't have to live with the stink later.
I'm sure any local trapper would take them for baiting their traps.
Do you think taking a 17HMR would be beneficial to shoot the occasional crow who lands in a tree out of shotgun range? No. How do you know where the bullet is going if you miss?
Besides being able to shoot at a few squirrels or other target anmals that might present themselves. I am there to hunt crows, nothing else, I don't want any extra weight to carry.
How far away do you park your car or truck from your blind? As close as practical no closer than 300 yards usually.
x2
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Tuesday 8th of January 2013 12:03:12 AM
We use the Metro barrel extensions primarily to not deter other crows in the area from visiting our stand. The lower volume is also a benefit by not annoying nieghbors, but that is only a secondary consideration.
We do take along various rimfire and centerfire rifles for those longer range opportunities such as sentry crows, when the angle is safe and downrange is clear. Safety is always the first consideration. I like the .17M2 for those shots as that 17 grain bullet does not carry much energy very far. The .17HMR is good, too, in this respect. In the last year or so, we started using suppressors on these guns and that also helps to not scare away our primary crow targets. If a coyote, raccoon, bobcat, beaver, oppossum, skunk, hog or any other "high value" target appears, it will likely draw fire from the Texas Crow Patrol.
As far as picking up crows, we always follow our landowners direction. We do pickup our shell hulls but not the wads.
When the leaves are on the trees, we just hide the truck a 100 yards or so away, tucked under a tree. When the leaves drop, we hide it farther away, usually by a piece of farm equipment or a building.
Highlander, IMO wind or lack of has a lot to do with crows being spooked by shotgun reports. At times when crows happen to be coming in quartering into the wind, I have seen crows within couple hundred yards continue in seemingly unaware of previous shots.
Also I have found sub gauges to have less effect on incomers when compared to the boom of a 12 and heavier loads. I shoot hundreds every season with a 16 gauge 1 oz @ 1165fps field loads. Apparently though, when measured, the reports from the sub gauges are almost identical to those of 12's but I have found contrary.
As for picking up dead crows, I only remove those that are in plain sight as I don't like to advertize. Often they get "absorbed" by the crops, grass, shrubs and bush. On private land I often to clean up dead and bush them at a remote place. Same with large numbers of spent casings but I have never gone as far as picking up wads.
Hope this helps.
Ted
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Bob Do you think having the extra long metro barrel moving around out weights having astandard lenght barrel? Also what type of action guns are most of you useing Pump"s or Semi - auto's. The big thing I see everyone is saying is not to be detected by the crows. I bought a Winchester Super X 3 - 12 gauge with the waterfowl package. I will be picking up a 12 gauge pump that will except the winchester choke tubes. If I can't get one in a waterfowl package I'll paint it camo for waterfowl & crow hunting.
This is a goose we shot a couple of years ago that landed about twenty feet up in a tree.
We beleive the Metro barrel's sound reduction is outwieghed by the longer barrel's handling drawbacks. Mine is camo'd in MO Duck Blind to match my Browning Maxus. Matt uses a camo'd semi-auto Maxus, too. Lone Star continues with his pumping technology, with his black BPS. With semi-auto's, there is less motion on the ground to alert the crows.
We (Texas Matt actually) found the Federal "Metro Field" load (1 and 1/8 ounces of 7 1/2's at 900FPS) will function our Maxus's and still deliver very low reports. In the pumps this load is great, too. Pumps also work well with the Winchester Featherlight AA load - 26gms of 8's at 980FPS. Regular target and hunting loads will be too noisy in your Metro barreled shotgun.
I noticed you are near my old stomping grounds of Peter Puget's Sound. I grew up in the south Puget Sound on McNeil Island, where my dad was an officer at the Federal Pen.
Highlander if you are considering a metro barrel, hush puppy etc. be sure to check with your state wildlife agency first. Where I live, New Hampshire, such barrels fall under the state laws for silencers/silencing devices and are illegal to hunt with. Other states may prohibit them as well so you would be wise to check first.
Good point... Here in the Republic of Texas, they are legal and now (since early 2012) we can even hunt game with our suppressors. We can night hunt, too, for varmints/predators. We are blessed and are thankful for our state every day.
Pete I'll have to check to see if they are legal in New York, I'm sure they would be OK here in Washington State. Silencers were legal to own here for a few years, They just opened them up for personal use, target shooting, hunting and all other uses. The cost involved here in Washington State is at $400 for the paperwork and then the cost of the silencer and machine work to install it. Thank's for the heads up, I never thought about it. I have to see if the 410/45 handguns are legal in New York as well. I have a Bond Cowboy Defender and I'm picking up a 14" 410/45 barrel for my T/C Contender. I'll call there tomorrow and find out. Pat
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Walk lightly, Carry a Big Stick & NEVER WALK AWAY!!!
