First day of the season for the young, dumb crows in NY State. How the heck do you get the crows at first light to come in? They were in the area -- some public land with not many crops. We let them start talking first for 15 minutes, or so. Then, I hit the e-caller with a few simple calls, and they answer. Then, I change it up with more friendly calls, and some hand-calling, and they seem interested, but won't come in.
We are well hidden, with about 25 full-bodied, nicely-flocked decoys - none in the trees because too many leaves still. There were some cows in the area that saw us setting up before light, but they wandered off. Wonder if the crows picked up on cow pattern difference.
Finally, after an hour or so, start hitting some aggressive fighting calls (crow fight with owl that actually sounds like mourning dove), and in about a 20-minute period we bagged 3 crows. After that, I turned it up to see if other crows that had started flying in the vicinity might come check it out. I turn it back down after reaching out for a minute or so, and then mix it all up with fights, distressed crow, injured cottontail, more friendly. A few more fly by but keep distance.
We moved to another spot. Set up and tried a few friendly then fighting calls. Got their attention, but wouldn't come near.
Do I call too much? Am I just not between food source and roost? Do I have too many types of calls on my e-caller? How and when do you start calling in the early hour? How long do wait after some downed crows to try for the next few? Maybe it's just a sparsely populated area, and three's not bad?
Don't get me wrong, my son and I had a blast, but something is not right, and I'd love to get more action.
Any thoughts? Especially on the first light calling progression.
If they see you setting up it's never good! If trees are too leafy, put ur sentinels on a stick and poke em through the foliage. We use poles for camo nets for this job. I can reach up 45 to 50 ft if I can lean the poles to a branch that's high up.
Can't help you with the calling, our crows march to different tune then yours!
Thanks for your thoughts, Zed. I could have used my 15 foot pole, at least. Today, we had an hour in between severe thunder storms, and I backed off on the calling. I think that was better.
Yesterday, it was cows, not crows, that saw us setting up. The bovine type. I think that they may have spooked and changed their morning routine, and crows are smart enough to pick up on something so subtle.
I usually hunt late season in winter from mid-December to March 31. Places to hunt are limited this time of year because we are all getting ready for whitetail bow season. I can't be out there shooting crows. I'd be un-friended.
"Death Cry of a Crow" is the most productive call I've ever used, if coupled with an owl decoy standing over a crow decoy lying on it's side. After you have killed a few crows, gather up their carcasses during a lull in the shooting, and arrange them in semi-circle close to the front of your owl. The more dead crows in his vicinity, and the more come in to see what's causing the devastation. I've heard single "scout" crows fly up to the sight of the carnage, and utter what I can only describe as a howl of anguish (right before I squeeze a round off that plops them right in the middle of the dead). Eventually, you will find that you won't even need the calls to attract them into range. The masses of dead seem to overwhelm them to the point they forget natural caution. Lord, I wish it weren't 97 some odd degrees and 99.98% humidity outside. I need a good cool day over a freshly harvested corn field.
__________________
"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 have usually thought I should should start at first light with the friendly set up, but it could be fun to start out right away with my owl and Buster II in his grasp, with several decoys posted higher up and overseeing the carnage. Why not just jump right in, especially if I know that I want run and gun some other spots? Thanks for your thoughts!
Hey, you can do whatever you want and whatever works.
Us being german we're forced to be efficient! ;)
Nah, the reason is: We have to try to reduce numbers dramatically. It's not fun & game here! So we're working the more efficient friendly setup as long as possible and then switch to the owl to pick off survivors...
It's pretty much all fun and games for me. Might be different if there were pecan orchards or something. My Primos Alpha Dogg does have some distressed song bird calls on it. Might have to try those sometime. I have riled 'em up with squirrel or cottontail distress calls, but the blue jay or something could be fun. It's just an ongoing experiment.
Your questions raise more questions: Was your camouflage as close to the surrounding flora? Was at least your faces covered? The speaker properly camouflaged? Were your decoys dull and not bright and shiny? Was the sun at your back? Were your shotguns properly camouflaged? Were the decoys off to your side?
Also are you the ONLY ones who hunts that area? Crows learn fast. If they did watch you set up from a distance you can about kiss that idea good bye. playing all the different calls as you did is generally not a good idea at all. there they are having watched you set up and now they know what to watch out for sounds. It sound sot me like someone was there before you-it has all the signs.
Also some areas the crows just will not go to period in any given section of a field. One year i had to get as close as I could to this barn as all the crows were avoiding flying over the field at all. they were coming very close but there was but one area I could go to and just shoot them with no decoys and just shoot them flying over one at a time-it was also raining very lightly too ...and that field had had pheasant hunters and goose hunters and crow shooters so....got to go where the crows are...and they refused to fly over the rest of that field or farm area even though there was a ton of corn all over the place..it had been haunted by the aforementioned hunters over the season and the crows didn't like it at all...
Next time just set up where they are hanging out right underneath those trees or fly way!
Thanks Tom! I know, there are so many factors affecting crow hunting because of their nature. I recently told my son that crow hunting is closer to war than any other hunting.
Our blinds could be brushed in better. With birds being sparse to start with, and our strategy of hitting a spot and moving a couple miles - a semi-run and gun approach makes that a little bit of a challenge. We are in full camo, masks, gloves, guns with camo tape, my e-caller is an Alpha Dogg and is camo and I typically hide it or hang it in a bush. Decoys are all newly flocked perfectly - that was a lot of work.
There are not a lot of crow hunters around me. Goose season did open up, but I don't think they impact me. Unfortunately, the pheasant population in Upstate NY has been decimated over the past 30 years due to farming practices, declining cover, and predation -- hawks, fox, coyotes. The public land we've hunted does not have a lot of ag land, but some nearby. We set up in the dark when we can, so crows did not observe -- I have been busted before. Over-calling is a problem that I'm working on - having downloaded so many commercial and "nature" (research sites) sounds, I have many to choose from, and I do not know the crow language very well.
"Were the decoys off to your side?" Now, that is a good question. Arranging a spread has always been a mystery to me. I tend to place them in front of me and set up in a hedgerow facing to one side or the other.
I think my primary issues are scouting and lining up some places where there are many crows. I am kind of between some notorious crow roosts, but a distance away -- for example, Auburn NY and Cortland have serious numbers. I may need to make friends and drive farther. Better blinds has been a focus of mine. Patience with calling is a work in progress.
Again, thanks for your thoughts!
Jerry Kraus
-- Edited by Rook-ie on Tuesday 10th of September 2013 12:02:48 AM
They haze the crows in Auburn NY, at least they did 5 or 6 years ago. I would call Auburn and ask city hall if they still haze the crows in that city. Birds that have been hazed do not respond to any e-caller, they are pretty spooky after this happens! I've hunted crows with Jerry Byroade (from Maryland) around Auburn in past years. When I was back there we found another good sized roost 40 miles from Auburn around Geneva, NY. The shooting was at a fair amount of crows who left Auburn and moved to Geneva. The spooky ones were from Auburn and the ones that would come in and give you a good shot at them were un touched from Geneva.
I would make a point of calling ahead to see if certain towns in NY State have a crow problem "before you venture out" and invest your time in any certain area.
Bob A.
__________________
To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
Thanks! Yes, Geneva is my hometown and I live 40 minutes from there now. Maybe I'll get in touch with some old friends and go scout it out. I know a couple years ago while my parents were still in the home I grew up in, there were a lot of crows roosting in the neighborhood cemetery keeping them awake at night!
