Whilst traveling from SW Michigan to GA over the past couple of days, we stopped--oh, about half-way at an undisclosed exit--and as I left the Interstate and stopped at the light at the main thoroughfare, a black cloud caught my eye. CROWS! Thousands of them! Of course I voiced my excitement to my loyal wife. She sorta looked at all the birds, then at me, and rolled her eyes once again.
Anyway, I immediately pulled into the gas station to refuel and watch the action where they were roosting. It was sunset and becoming dark quickly. I asked the nice lady in the gas station about the crows and she responded, "Oh yes, they live there," pointing across the road. I said I hunted crows in MI. She looked at me in wonderment indicating she did not "get" my excitement at the thousands of crows, about 1/4 mile distant, across the road, nor at the notion of hunting them.
Following that, we drove another 100 yards to the motel higher up the hill. Checking in ahead of me, was an older gentleman whose name (I heard him spell it for the clerk) was, "C-R-O-W-E, that's with an "E", he said. Another omen! While he was doing that I quickly went to the front door and took a few photos , none of which came out because of my cheesy camera with slow shutter speed (or I was simply too shook up to hold it steady). So, I apologize for the blurry two first photos--but, you can imagine the numbers. The scene looked like the photos someone submitted a year or so ago, of the clouds of crows near a Bass Pro Shop somewhere. The following morning, I took a few more. Couple of these worked, but do not show the spectacular numbers that I saw the previous night. These boys got up earlier than I did yesterday and were off to their morning mayhem. Big sigh!
Could shoot from the window or roof of yonder motel. With permission, of course. I would think someone is complaining over the racket or "whitewashing."
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"Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave." -- Andrew Fletcher 1698
Well, we made the return trip from GA to MI this past weekend. As we reached our undisclosed Interstate overnight location on Saturday--once again just prior to sunset, there they were—heading back to the roost by the hundreds. As with the southbound trip back in DEC, my wife rolled her eyes with the “Here we go again…” look but she was at least smiling. I guess she’s getting used to it.
So, there they are (first four p.m. photos; next two a.m.), thousands of bandits making their daily commute. This time, as I had a newly-purchased Faulk C-50 with me that I had tested out down in GA, annoying the local neighborhood crows. I could not resist a few calls by the motel. It stopped them “in their tracks,” as they were flying directly over me this time as I hid beneath a tree—not much of a hide, but it got their attention. No Model 12 at hand--big sigh!
Well, back home safely and probably out to the field within the next week or so. Will let you know what happens. This is definitely time to try one of those "igloo" blinds (final photo upon our arrival yesterday)!
My wife also gives me the eye roll every time I loose focus of our conversation to check out some crows. I took her with me a couple weeks ago to do some scouting, did have her looking for crows....
Our friends even pick on me when we vacation and someone see's a crow.
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! While he was doing that I quickly went to the front door and took a few photos , none of which came out because of my cheesy camera with slow shutter speed (or I was simply too shook up to hold it steady
). So, I apologize for the blurry two first photos--but, you can imagine the numbers. The scene looked like the photos someone submitted a year or so ago, of the clouds of crows near a Bass Pro Shop somewhere. The following morning, I took a few more. Couple of these worked, but do not show the spectacular numbers that I saw the previous night. These boys got up earlier than I did yesterday and were off to their morning mayhem. Big sigh!
