New to forum. Avid crow hunter! From South Africa and although crow hunting is very new here in South Africa, I hope to learn a lot from you guys and also be able to share my successes and stories.
Jacques: Welcome! Any crow hunter is a friend to us all on this website!!! I want to think you are our FIRST crow hunter from South Africa. You must tell us about your crow hunting techniques, etc. Everyone here will share as well.
You mentioned you were a competitive rifle shooter and reloader.. please tell us more. What kind of competitions/guns/ranges/etc..and what calibers do you reload for if I can ask?
Crow hunting is fairly new in South Africa and the sport is still in its baby shoes. I really cannot count on one hand how many crow shooters I know about in the vicinity. I think the reason is mainly because most hunters and shooters go for game and varmint control (black back jackal and caracal). Most people (except sheep farmers) think that crows only scavenge, but we know it's not true. In South Africa it is well known what kind of damage they do to sheep lambs. They bite out the newly born sheep lamb's tongues, eyes and anus. If that is not enough, they are the main culprits for killing baby tortoises.
Keep n mind that I am referring to the African Pied Crow.
To help us control these critters I also made a cd of different crow sounds, which I also market in SA which we play through a portable cd player setup. We also use the lookout decoys with great success. One thing that gave us a huge advantage over them was to put out sheep skins with decoys nearby.... they can't resist!
The rifles I own is a .303 P14, 30-06 Parker Hale, .243 Howa Bull barrel, 22-250 Steyer Mannllicher. In process of getting my shotgun. Currently I do the call work and the hunters I take out do the shooting for crows.
Here are some pics of the setup I use and some guys I took out for some action and to introduce them to sport. Both these trips were also used to test my cd that I made of crow hunting sounds. Hope you enjoy.
Where are you in relation to Cape Town ? How many miles is it from where you are at to Cape Town.
I've hunted around Dundee & Ladysmith for game birds and waterfowl. I never even saw a crow in the areas I was in.
Do you still have to take your hat (cover) off before you enter a bar in South Africa? If you don't you have to buy a round for the house! This was in Cape Town in 1995.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
The Texas Patrol Patrol salutes your decrowing efforts. Enjoyed your pictures, too. Please share your adventures afield and we will do likewise.
I am headed to Shilen Barrels, in Ennis, Texas this afternoon to see a lady about a match .308 barrel for a Remington 700. They provided the select match barrel for my suppressed .22-250 "crow" rifle built by Horizon Firearms and it is a real tack driver. This .308, with a suppressor, will be used on our Texas feral hogs. They are a real problem for our ranchers and farmers.
Had a good laugh now. Crow populations aren't nearly as big here as over there. You will never see those kind of bird numbers in the air over here. Like I mentioned previously, our main crow types are the Cape Crow, which is basically the same as the European or American crow, and then we have the African Pied crow. That is the one we hunt. They only fly around in pairs, and sometimes are accompanied by another. That is why they are so difficult to hunt. Not as smart though as the Cape crow! I made a "Pied Crow Social" and "Pied Crow Relaxed" sound, and they just love it. Along with my own homemade hand caller and some cammo.... you're in business!
Bob, I live 300km (186 miles) from Cape Town in a NW direction, on the road to Namibia, in a town called Vredendal. It is situated along the West coast of South Africa.
