I’ve been out of action for the past month, missing the August-September season until this morning. On Tuesday, my spine doc shot my lumbar region up with some steroids, after which he instructed me to test out what he had done by going back to “normal activities." I took that as a Rx to go crow hunting. As it was a test case for the drug therapy, I thought I would make an easy trip to the just-outside-of-town friend’s farm; the usual Wal-Mart-in-the-distance location. Set the blind up last night to make it real easy. Unusual for me, I didn’t pay real close attention to the weather, so three showers passed by this morning. I bailed out to the nearby truck for the first two but sat through the third as it was just a sprinkle. Finally when the rain stopped, an uneducated bird dropped by. Summary: three flew by (# 3 in the stratosphere) two in range, two shots, one down.
Still, a successful hunt, with a "sea of soybeans" in front of me (well, at least a good-sized lake). I thought that if I got some action, they would certainly fall into that and be lost. However, the first bandit came straight in from the distant tree line and fell with a solid “thump” 10 feet away. “I feel better already,” I thought. “Thanks Doc.” When it was time to pack up, my superb, precision loading plan was in shambles as everything was soaked. So, I sorta tossed everything in and went home to dry it all out.
OK kids: Which of these decoys in the back of the pickup truck is different from the others? I kept my specimen bird for the freezer, as a friend wanted one (really!) to take to the taxidermist.
Continuous-Improvement Note: I have been annoyed by the sun many a time while inside this camo net-rigged blind and I thought it just might be disclosing my movements within to the enemy. So, I tried something new and simple today: a piece of a T-10 parachute that I’ve been carrying around for decades: along with 8 clothespins = perfect!
Ohhh, I've tried steroids injected into the back, neck, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows, and knees. Nothing helps except pain killers (lots of those), and anti inflamatories.
But, I still get out, although I do try to stay out of rain, as that really does me in (and it rains a lot here).
Cold, crisp dry days are nice, as is hot sunny days, but rain, NO NO NO.
Looks like most of your decoys are silhouette ones, and you have ONE full body or shell plastic decoy too.
Here, we tend to use either full bodies or shells,many these are mostly "flocked". The ones that aren't are painted in MATT black or SATIN black paint, never gloss. But rain falling on any of the painted ones causes them to reflect, so usually we end up coving the painted ones in crow socks.
Also, regarding whirlies / magnets. Cover the arms of these in CAMO cloth tape, or jute sacking, as rain on these will cause them to glint too, creating a flash as the arms rotate, and so scaring the birds away.
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If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
Ohhh, I've tried steroids injected into the back, neck, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows, and knees. Nothing helps except pain killers (lots of those), and anti inflamatories. But, I still get out, although I do try to stay out of rain, as that really does me in (and it rains a lot here). Cold, crisp dry days are nice, as is hot sunny days, but rain, NO NO NO. Looks like most of your decoys are silhouette ones, and you have ONE full body or shell plastic decoy too. Here, we tend to use either full bodies or shells,many these are mostly "flocked". The ones that aren't are painted in MATT black or SATIN black paint, never gloss. But rain falling on any of the painted ones causes them to reflect, so usually we end up coving the painted ones in crow socks. Also, regarding whirlies / magnets. Cover the arms of these in CAMO cloth tape, or jute sacking, as rain on these will cause them to glint too, creating a flash as the arms rotate, and so scaring the birds away.
Medication sucks. But pain sucks worse. Embrace the suck, as they say. However, it seems to be working.
The majority of my decoys are home made 3-dimensional from a plan found in the SEP, 1936 Popular Science Magazine. Cost next to nothing as they were fabricated from leftover plywood from a renovation job. Had fun making them and they seem to draw in the stupid uneducated birds well enough. I'm still considering using the black cloth "socks" as you suggested. A few Flambeau plastic jobs for special tasks (e.g., sentinel atop the hotstick). Still working on the whirly. Look for my hunt report from this a.m. in a bit.
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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
Also look into getting some "flapping fly decoys" for the magnet, they work exceptionally well (also on flappers) but prefer shot birds for the flappers to be honest.
Check on you tube "pro flap" and "hydra flap"
__________________
If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
Also look into getting some "flapping fly decoys" for the magnet, they work exceptionally well (also on flappers) but prefer shot birds for the flappers to be honest. Check on you tube "pro flap" and "hydra flap"
I'm fabricating the home-made flappers as seen on YouTube; aluminum body, Flambeau heads, and roof underlayment for the flapping parts. Way cool, so far. I'm obsessed over staying under $100. Remember, you talked me into this project...
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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
Also look into getting some "flapping fly decoys" for the magnet, they work exceptionally well (also on flappers) but prefer shot birds for the flappers to be honest. Check on you tube "pro flap" and "hydra flap"
I'm fabricating the home-made flappers as seen on YouTube; aluminum body, Flambeau heads, and roof underlayment for the flapping parts. Way cool, so far. I'm obsessed over staying under $100. Remember, you talked me into this project...
Hahaha, forget the flapper decoys (except for on the magnet/whirlie)
for a "real flapper" Use dead birds.
They are easy to make, a small 1" dia tube to fit a 300-400rpm motor/gearbox. Then on the drive shaft an arm with two rods on it to lift the wings up and down.
also a spike in the middle, which goes up the birds bum and gets pushed into its brain (make sure the bird is DEAD before you do this, or it won't flap intermittently when you put the timer on)
with it the bird on the spike, fix the wingas to an arm each (usually using a spike or hook pushed through the wings (bend so the elbow is poin ting straight up at max elevation, and will then be pointing outwards on all other movements, preventing wings flying off.
BREAK the birds wings before affixing to rods :)
Fit an intermittent timer and speed controller to the flapper. Slow for crow, fast for dove.
On a whirlie, just a speed controller, again slow for crow, full speed for dove
-- Edited by Redditch on Tuesday 8th of September 2015 10:52:28 PM
__________________
If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
Call me crazy, but why not just buy the crow buster ll?
I bought TEN crow buster II's and imported them into the UK.
Several problems with them.
1) the body is far too shiny
2) they use two AA batteries which last no time, a small 1.2/2.4 ah rechargeable battery would be more effective
3) they flap far too fast for a corvid, more blackbird speed
4) to make them effective, you would need to fit a speed controller, and either a timer, or remote on off switch, as they are either on or off with a switch on the main body
5) they are FAR too small, about the size of a blackbird
It it was a good idea, but all the above needs addressing to make them effective
-- Edited by Redditch on Wednesday 9th of September 2015 04:43:36 PM
__________________
If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
The size doesn't matter-I used one alone and got about 15 crows(they came in groups so a lot got educated fast) one fine day...you paint the buster with flat black paint...I buy the best batteries-it';ll last all day long and even if the batteries die it still can be used....
The size doesn't matter-I used one alone and got about 15 crows(they came in groups so a lot got educated fast) one fine day...you paint the buster with flat black paint...I buy the best batteries-it';ll last all day long and even if the batteries die it still can be used....
The price they cost, I can get a proper dead bird flapper, which is far more effective, and with a speed controller I can have it flap nice and slow for corvids, or nice and fast for pigeons.
And with a small 1.2/2.4 ah battery, it will run all day and then some. I can also fit it with an intermittent timer, or an on/off remote, which means it's a lit more realistic.
YES, your crows tend to be smaller than ours (watching videos about the size of what we call a "jackdaw"), and yes, they don't seem to be as smart as our crows (probably because you have a closed season, and ours are shot at 365 days a year)
but NOTHING beats a real bird as a decoy
-- Edited by Redditch on Thursday 10th of September 2015 05:28:10 PM
__________________
If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
