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Post Info TOPIC: The road to TCP Nirvana is paved with evil intentioned crow carcasses…


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The road to TCP Nirvana is paved with evil intentioned crow carcasses…
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Hey boys,

Yesterday, Texas Matt and I responded to a farmer’s call for crow control with extreme malice.  We sallied forth at 5:30AM for a undisclosed location we had last hunted years ago with mixed results but with an optimistic attitude, as per our standard modus operandi.  One hundred and sixty-nine crow’s later, that positive outlook proved to be warranted.

What happened?

Upon arrival, we heard a few crows in the distance, but with the FoxPro Snow Crow Pro II Plus at full throat, that gap would quickly be closed.  We started without any decoys and bagged the initial bandits at various altitudes from “on the deck” to stratospheric (as Craig would say).  Soon we deployed the “Big Honkers” hot stick with an Edge Flocked Cawlin' Crow Decoy topper and then the crows started routinely shedding altitude for speed resulting in their more frequent grim demise.

T-Matt bringing in the sheaves…

sheaves_zps20dcca78.jpg

Our first stand produced 68 crows harvested over 90 minutes or so and then at Noon we re-deployed a half mile away. We entered what T-Matt termed the “belly of the beast”.  This spot was buzzing with crow activity and appeared to be the ingress point into our farm. This second and final stand, for the day, produced 101 crows with 75 taken in the first 60 minutes.  This rate of crow attrition is about as good as we have ever sustained over an hour.

Partial biomass and T1:

biomass_zps694667fb.jpg

Being the TCP, we also engaged the local raccoon population to their detriment.  During our morning work on the first crow stand we strolled down to the river’s edge. After 6 minutes of the FoxPro raccoon fight sound on the Shockwave, with Gadget Bob on the Metro Maxus and Texas Matt on the RRA AR15 Suppressed, a bold raccoon boar made his final mistake of appearing cross river.  A single muffled shot was heard by GB, as Matt scored a direct trans-river hit.

The Battle of Surigao Strait Revisited... or “We must protect this Shockwave!”

Later in the afternoon, Matt asked me if I wanted to take a break from decrowing to make another raccoon stand. Since his selection of crow stand number 2 was so successful, I immediately agreed as he was clearly on a roll.  We set up along a fence line and again used the Shockwave and fighting raccoon sound, with the Mojo Super Critter hung inverted from a cattle panel in the fence line.  It should be noted the fence lines on this farm are not property boundaries and only in place to keep varmints out of the crops.  After 4 minutes of calling, raccoons started their assault on my position.  Not playing to my script, they bypassed the Mojo and “Yikes!” (as Lone Star Phil would say) bee lined for my new, pristine FoxPro Shockwave.  The big old boar breached my perimeter, and got under guns on top of my Shockwave before I could react.  At that point I was forced to hold fire until he finally broke off the ecaller attack. (Rarely has fire discipline been more important to the TCP.)  One boar down, but the action did not end here as Battleship Bob had crossed the “T” and ill advised raccoon bansai charges continued unabated in a single file fashion.  I quickly made a silent vow no other raccoons were going to get close to the Shockwave without absorbing repeating doses of Federal Metro Field 7 ½ shot.  That unspoken threat didn’t stop three more raccoons from attempting to finish off the previously mauled Shockwave without any success!  When the smoke cleared 4 raccoons were bagged in less than 2 minutes of fighting.  From Matt’s sniper lair, all he could see was the end of my Metro Maxus and with all of the shooting he thought his partner had finally went off the deep end. 

Touch ‘em all - Bob and his 4 bagger…

4bagger_zps24b646fb.jpg

Final Tally

That would be - 169 crows, 5 raccoons and 1 armadillo (this hapless armored destroyer of pastures and trees made the mistake of approaching Texas Matt while he was piling up crows on stand number 2) and a 2 man "crow record" for us.  This was our most successful crow hunt in quite some time and one we will cherish for a very long time.  All operational requirements for varmint control success were accomplished.  Citations will be issued...

Shaken it here, boss! - This picture reminds me of a great movie, Cool Hand Luke, and the road paving scene - recast with Texas Matt as Luke and GB as Dragline... 

CrowRoad_zps04a15269.jpg

 

That is all... 

 

Good Luck and Good Hunting,   

 



-- Edited by Gadget Bob on Thursday 24th of October 2013 04:08:50 PM

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Bob


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Hello Gadget Bob,

That is a good photo!

I have not shot a crow as of yet.

The last two pool tournaments I was in I went undefeated in both, never lost to any one. The last one was two days ago.

Had a big pool party at the house today, I got beat at this party at my home (lost a few games) but these guys all have a strong game. We ate roast pork & baked beans and drank Moose Drule Ale (they brew it in Montana) and toped it off with pumpkin pie. Anyway had a fine afternoon. The guys did not want any distractions to the game, so no women! Man I wanted some dancing girls to liven things up!

Hey, tell Matt I send my regards.

Bob A.

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excellent report!

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Me and the kids love the last pic! They also got a kick out of seeing the Metro barrels for the first time. Congrats on a new record. How do you guys call in the coons? 



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Wow!! Few posts on this site have ever been this well done, this entertaining, or worthy of praise! Congratulations to the TCP and to Ernie Irving Pyle and his illustrative pictures/commentary! Your best "two-man" one day performance is one to envy by us all.  I say a battlefield promotions all around!!

There were a couple of remarks, however, that strain credulity especially by those familiar with TCP's mindset while engaged. "Forced to hold fire", that you mentioned, is a concept so foreign to TCP strategy and tactics I momentarily loss interests in your posting..and feared an imposter had copied your board name!!! You also mention that "fire discipline" was required at some point. I know that expression does not appear in the TCP Training Manual. I know this because even to the untrained eye and to the 99.9% of crow hunters who have never used the Metro barrel, it is clear one could not effectively wield the 8 foot Metro contraption under and amongst Pecan trees and limbs AND recognize "fire discipline".

I did, painstakingly, count the number of Federal subsonic 12 ga. boxes both in and outside your "trail of tears" excellent photo, did the calculations necesasry to determine your kill ratio and came up with 498 rounds for 169 kills = 33.9%!! I apologize of I missed seeing an empty box or two!! Having used a Metro, once, any kill ratio above 9% is outstanding!!

To be sure, you guys are a credit to crow hunting and to the board. Well managed gentlemen!!!

 

Skip



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GB,

I love your post.

The photo that Skip cleverly titled "Trail Of Tears" is simply outstanding. Well played.

4 coons from one stand...is that also a TCP record? Hope the shockwave did not receive too many battle scars.

BH

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Gadget Bob has obviously done a terrific job of describing this engagement, but he humbly failed to mention that he delivered one of the greatest shooting performances the TCP has ever seen. Of the 101 crows taken on the second stand, I estimate that Bob killed at least 75 of them. It wasn't because I was missing shots, it was because he wasn't letting anything survive long enough to reach my position, it was beautiful. I'm sure he could hear me giggling like a school girl as he cut down wave after wave of the deranged bonzai birds. Well done Bob.

BH,
4 coons in one stand is a daytime record for us, the previous mark was 2. Some of our night calling stands have yielded at least 4, possibly 5 or 6. Its exciting to see than many eyes coming at you.

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Your riveting posting had me glued to the screen. I became unglued at the sight of the Metro barrels which months ago, I thought were a gag; played on us, by you. Or, a prop used on those ads for pills designed to enhance certain masculine functions. You know the ones--where the guy (named Bob--pure coincidence, I'm sure) who uses them always has the ear-to-ear grin as if he had just killed 169 crows....

However, your clear photos of the barrels caused me to go to the Metro website where I learned the mystery of how the things work and the biggest surprise to me, that they simply screw in to my existing barrel choke threads. How clever! I thought they were a complete barrel replacement. Food for thought.

Again, a terrific report. Many happy returns!

Craig

(apologies to Gadget Bob)biggrin



-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Monday 21st of October 2013 09:16:53 PM

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Well executed operation gentlemen. We should be lucky enough to walk that path many times in our lives!

Ted

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Gadget Well Done!! I really enjoy your posts.. I am curious about your blind and decoys....Did you take a pictures of your set up and decoys.. The orchard appears to have nuts... I know most owners  where we hunt don't allow any vehicles in the orchard.. Best of luck to you in future shoots..  



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Hi Skip, Bob, BH, Craig, Greg, Neil and Ted,

Thanks for your kind comments.  The TCP always has fun afield, but when a plan comes together the experience is extra special!

Hi Mark,

You are correct.  Driving on the ready to pick up nuts will get you booted!  We did not take any photo's of our setup.  There would not be anything to see.

Before harvest, we generally park the truck under a dense tree, so inbound prying eyes cannot see it.  For decoys, in the early season when trees have heavy foliage, we only use a handful of decoys in a clearing and/or one decoy on top of the "hot stick" high in a tree.  On the second stand noted above, we did not use any decoys.  Inbound crows could see all of their buddies on the ground and that worked well.

Decoys are more important in the later season, when without the foliage such displays can be seen at long range. 

We rarely use any type of blind, and in this case that was the approach.  We do wear head to toe leafy gear camo and have learned any motion prior to the shot is fatal - to our TBC!  One slick garment we use is the wonderful QuikCamo cap.  Here is a link - http://quikcamo.com/.  Select their "rear" view version so your vision on the higher crows is not restricted.  That was an excellent tip from Skip.

We stand under low hanging branches, in the shade if at all possible.  As we hear or see crows approaching, we "freeze" as any motion will get you busted.  When crows come into view, especially those at low altitude, we mount, swing and fire, very quickly.  Once anyone fires, the rest of squad opens up on any possibles still in range.  Our "number one" rule is when crows are coming to the call, don't move and let them all of the way in.  We let them circle and shed altitude.   No shot is too short.  

I am particularly skilled at missing a crow two, three or four times, getting it up to maximum speed for Matt or Phil's shooting pleasure.

Lastly please note, the sheer power of the FoxPro Snow Crow Pro caller is certainly a key to our success, and should not be discounted.

Regards,

 



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