Any best ideas for shooting out of standing corn? I have done it before, I just don't like it. Sometimes tough to get the bead on them with all the stalks in the way and if you break them down the birds pick you out.
If the corn is 6 feet tall or taller you only get one good shot, after that the rest fade off and you have to shoot through the corn stalks. I don't think the farmer would be to happy with breaking the stalks down where his headers on his combine couldn't get to the stalks broken down.
Instead I would find a different location in that immediate area in which to ambush them. Hedgerows & fence lines make good ambush points.
Bob A.
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Bob, I always try to be on the X comes from my waterfowl hunts, the birds are on a very particular location in this field and have been there all week, what's the chances of bringing them over to a different edge? (hedgerow etc) I know where they really want to be, and if they were ducks I would never be off the x , crows not so sure.
Bob, even after chasing these birds for the last 7 years seriously, I still find myself learning. We hunted the standing corn today and managed to bring down 38, but that was not what it could have been, I should have taken your advice last night and just set up close to where they were feeding(about 75 yards) in a nearby hedge. I WILL NEVER make that mistake again, shooting in the corn is just so much harder then from a blind, plus they see you just about every time, which makes the shots harder. They were feeding in the standing cron and had ben about 150 using this field.
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I still do not have all the details such as there approach to this area? Have you had time to observe what directions these birds come from to feed? Do they arrive at spaced intervals just a few at a time (2 to 12 birds) or is it one big flock that gets there all at once?
Many times on morning hunts I will position my blind far enough away from where they are feeding (300 to 400 yards) so as to "not run them out of there from the report of my shotgun" in this way you have a drawing card! When I said I'm happy with 2% of the crows in the area that might be 15 to 20 thousand crows, so 2% of that number is a pretty good shoot by any standard. I will watch an area at a peak time when they are going to feed, I might give up a hunt that day but I also learn a lot about what directions will yield the most crows! Now every area is different in regard to numbers of birds to work with so in your case I would get close like you did within 75 to 100 yards from where they were feeding because you want to be close enough to call all (150 crows) of them (hopefully a few at a time) that work that area.
If you ever have a chance to hunt much larger numbers you will soon see that you don't want to be on X marks the spot like in hunting waterfowl! The reason is because if you blow them off of the x spot they will simply move a mile or two and then you are done because everything in the country is going to go to them. This is why you watch ahead of time so (if possible) you can pick a good spot down wind from them providing you have plenty of birds that come from that direction. Now orchard shooting is much different, here you can setup on x because they are going to arrive no matter what unless there are other orchards in the area that they can feed in if they suspect trouble.
Here is a photo where I was setup several hundred yards down wind of many thousands feeding. We had shooting for over 3 1/2 hours in this spot. Our birds were against the wind and the mobs could not hear the shooting!
Congrats on a fine shoot. I know the feeling of "what could have been" after a hunt. I dont like it! lol.
Bob gives good advise if you are hunting a large number of crows in the thousands but not many folks get the opportunity to hunt such numbers in their local area. When hunting more "normal" sized bird populations I just set up to burn them once and maybe hunt them again a few weeks later if they stay in the area. You mentioned being on the X in terms of waterfowling....one of the best things I like about hunting crows is that you do not have to be on the X to have a good shoot. Generally speaking, if the birds can hear you from the X you'll still get plenty of shooting. Wind direction can play a big factor in how far away they can hear you. In the scenario you mentioned, setting up 100 yards off the X to be in a preferred blind would have been a great option.
Hunting standing corn can be a blessing or a curse. Shorter corn is great. Super tall corn can present some problems as you mentioned. Depending on your relationship with the farmer, you might want to ask if you can bend some of the tassels over above the ear. Dont crack them off, just bend them over as they will brush you in better. Most times that is probably something you will not want to ask a farmer so shooting thru tall stalks is as good as its going to get. One thing I do to combat that is sitting in the front row with a natural blind in front of me. I cut super tall ditch grass and weave it thru the stalks to create a natural blind. It takes quite a bit of grass but at least you are sitting in the front row to minimize "corn blindness."
Keep us posted on your future hunts. I have enjoyed your reports.
If you look very close that field is solid black with crows!
In this situation where they are using a spot like this I will give up a morning to see if I can get more than one shoot out of the birds going to this mob on the ground. Drew Moore & I (a past member 10 years ago) were hunting a spot like this, three days before, I shot over 500 by myself with a 20 gauge. Drew joined me on the second hunt and we shot several hundred more in the very same spot I hunted in 3 days prior. Drew & I were approx. 400 to 500 yards down wind from this mob of birds. Drew wrote a very nice article about that hunt we shared together, it's called "Ole Time Crow Hunting in the 21st. Century" it's in the Advanced Articles section on the home page.
Here are two photos of the same flyway shoot taken 40 miles from my house. This was just one of four big flyways leading to the Stafford county roost in the early 1980"s. You can see two crows already folded up and Boyd is working on the third one in this photo.
Bob, thanks for the advice, there may have been only about 150 birds in the area, they are all local birds, we don't see much of a migration till mid oct from Canada,then our numbers go up. Most birds arrived from the same direction, being a school teacher does not allow a lot of scouting early in the morning any distance away easy. One thing that I have not tried to apply is wind direction, how much does it effect the birds and how do you use it to your advantage. I knew that your 2% was WAY different then mine. BUT I still do much better then the few other crow hunters in the area.
Wind direction is critical, it makes there approach much more predictable. You always want to have the birds down wind from your blind.
I like to hunt in a 10-15 or 10-20 mph breeze because it muffles the shooting so the birds up wind don't hear it; if they do they can pull up and move on you. In your neck of the woods where you don't have thousands to work with it still applies that's why it's important to know what direction the bulk of them are coming from.
For example say the birds are feeding on the northwest part of the field and the birds are coming into this field from the SW,S, and SE then you would want some sort of north wind be it N, NW or NE. If they have never been shot before then you can get away with just about anything. By that I mean little to no wind.
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
We set up behind the second row of corn wih a net in front of us. Decoys a bit out and Seninels on high sticks. The sentinels should be 10 meters to your left and behind you, this way you can have them coming over you. The decoys in front and ever so slightly left.
Bob, I have not quite yet figured it out, but there is something special about a friendship when hunting is involved, I don't think there is another sport that makes that great of a bond between friends, Speaking of friends and hunting, I get to marry my best friend this coming oct. AND she loves to hunt!! on our very first crow hunt together we put 101 birds on the ground( just her and I) her favorite is pheasant and deer though
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I just got off the phone with one of my old crow hunting partners. Jim Lundquist is now 89 years old and has been married for 69 years! Jim & I hunted crows for 30 years together, he was a great partner, he quit 13 years ago but still hunted ducks up until last season before his legs gave out. I have some wonderful memories hunting with old Jim. He used a 16 gauge Remington 870 Wing Master bored Improved Cylender for 25 of the 30 years I hunted with him.
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
HI Bob, yep, if anything happens ever to Nicole, I would not or could not do it again, no one could ever compare to her in my eyes, sorry you lost yours early. As far as teaching, I am a high school technology teacher, I teach 3D modeling, CNC machining, and Principles of engineering. I really like my job and have been at it for 13 years, but if a I ever get to do something else and keep my ny pension, ill shift gears, time for a change for me, education is not the same as it was when I began. Rich
Those CNC operators make good money in manufacturing.
I just stopped off and picked up a flat of 20 gauge shells to donate to the Boy Scouts tomorrow. Just for skeet loads they get $ 7.00 a box now for Gun Club Loads. Just this spring it was $ 6.00 per box! My two dogs better keep digging in the backyard and hope they hit oil.
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
