Hey all, I'm new to the forum and last year was my first year hunting crows. Being new I started with 2 cheap hand calls from the local stores, they worked alright but were definitely lacking! In search for some better calls I stumbled upon "crowbusters" what a big help this site and forum have been!! After doing a little reading I thought id give the JLM with bob a. CD a try, wow! What a difference a quality call and some good instructions will make! Unfortunately season was over by the time I got the call. So now I'm gearing up for summer season that starts in july and decided to pick up two more calls to add more verity to my arsenal. I ordered the mallardtone and gibson shortmag and can't wait to try em out. But enough rambling and to the point. If you could have 3-4 calls what would they be and why?
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"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived" -Patton
I think the Gibson shortmag was an excellent choice that's what I have and really like it, I also think your gonna get a lot of answers of jack mincey calls they are suppose to be top notch but I have never used one.
Both very good calls, the Gibson is slightly more to my liking (a bit lower, a bit more raspy). Both great for getting them in when you don't even hear or see them! Let 'em rip!!
My sweettalkers: Sucker Punch call (raspy, easy to handle, my go to call) Haydels tripple tone (tuned to my liking, it sounds like a very old crow with an attitude)
Both great for luring them in on the last hundred yards...
Magpie in distress: SAMs MID: When all else fails!
I use all five of them for variation. I can fake hole conversations with those...
I don't usually use a hand call. I have the old style Johnny Stewart tape player w/remote speaker, and I use one of his tapes called"Death Cry of a Crow". I've involuntarily listened to it over hundred of times. I didn't know I could call crows until one day that I was squirrel hunting with my brother on Mt. Roosevelt. We heard a "murder" of crows close by, and I had an Olt hand crow call in my hunting coat. I began to use it to imitate the tape I had heard over, and over, and over, and the crows began to swarm us. I couldn't call and shoot too, and my brother got so surprised and flustered, he only killed one. Now I've found I can call them in town or anywhere. I can testify that the Olt call works, but I've not had the opportunity to try others. Keep it simple.
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"When you have shot one bird flying, you have shot all bird's flying. ...the sensation is the same, and the last one is as good as the first." E. Hemingway "Fathers and Sons"
I started out with 3 old hand calls my dad had for turkey hunting. They did ok, but then I bought the Jack Mincey call and Bob's CD and the first morning within my first 2 calls we shot 3 including one that landed on a limb 5 yards in front of us. The only problem was that it took a little getting used to the taste of the cedar mouth piece. Overall I think it is a great call
