I wanted to post the various types of crow blinds that I use depending on the area of the country I am hunting in. Some of you will find this subject very interesting.
I like them all. But, as I've said before, the one that is the only feature on an otherwise pool table flat surface for miles (it seems), just kills me--but it has piles of crows surrounding it!
I also have to try those sun blockers this season. Thanks, good stuff!
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OA, I finally found the photo that the landscape looks as flat as a pool table with the blind right out in the open!
Yep. The 1st and 3rd photos are the set-up that just kills me. You recall a while back, I wrote a dialogue between two uneducated crows flying by when they saw your blind. It went something like:
"Hey Joe! You see that lump of brush down there that's standing by itself with all of our 'bro crows' around it and nothing for miles around?
(Joe responds) "Why yes Moe Crow. What say we go down there and take a look? It seems as if all of our brethren are down there engaged in some sort of tasty feast! We can't let them get away with that without us! What say you Joe?"
Joe says as he veers left and begins to speed earthward, "You're absolutely right. It looks perfectly safe and by the sound of it all, they're having a wonderful time! Tally Ho!"
(Boom, Boom)
Bob, I just don't get it. How could they be so dumb?
But I love it, just the same!
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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
OA, crows don't analyze things the way we do! To them it just looks like a bush out there in the open because it's natural cover. Perhaps not natural for that area but here again they don't sit down and analyze it before they come over for a look. I used to hunt ducks the same way and it worked just fine on them too.
Many years ago I wanted to setup like that near a huge hog operation with my mentor Boyd Robeson. Boyd said "Bob there ain't no way any birds are going to come close with that blind right out in the open like that" I said just humor me this one time Boyd. Well when we got done he said that he was an old dog that just learned a new trick! By this time I was solo hunting a lot and was willing to try different techniques in order to get er done! The main difference was that I was open to trying different ways to hunt where my old pal was much more set in his ways.
Bob in the second set of (10) photos Can you explain #6.It appears to my old eyes as maybe some panels of netting tied together that's been carried to the site. Any info would be appreciated as I hunt sometimes by myself and always looking for quick,fast and in a hurry. Enjoyed all the photos,but this caught my eye.
That is my portable two man blind that I keep on a shelf in my topper. I have been using the same topper for 42 years, if it ain't broke, I don't try to fix it. I had an Amish gentleman custom build it when I first moved out here.
The blind itself is a welded up frame using 5/8th's round steel tubing to cut down on the weight. Been using that blind forever, many crow battles out of that old blind.
Here is a blind that I hunted last week with a buddy of mine. We went to the location the night before to set up and brush it in. We carried in most of the vegetation due to it being in a cow pasture and there not being much besides some leafless branches and dried thistle. I shot the first two birds on the scene and then allowed my buddy to get the first shot on the rest being that hes a new hunter and I wanted him to get every chance he could to get hooked. He must be cross eyed.... Anyway, we ended with 3... but he's still hooked! In other news, I need much more practice with the new full choked Ithica M37.
Also, those decoys weren't there while we were hunting. My buddy shot them out of the tree just above the blind afterward to make sure the shotgun was shooting straight. Didn't want them sitting in the mud or getting stepped on while we tore down the blind.
-- Edited by NGillespie10 on Thursday 18th of February 2016 01:49:08 PM
That is a nice looking blind. In the future you might want to set your decoys a little further from your blind in order to divert the crows attention away from the blind. That looks like nice crow country.
There isn't much as far as trees near the blind, but they are usually about 20 feet up in the tree just to the left of the blind in the first picture. I might have to mess with location a little more on future setups
Blinds of this nature can work anywhere effectively witn much more freedom of movement that the "trees behind blind"...which work but your vision is limited...if you are camouflaged enough no way it cannot yield great results
One reason if no other is trees push the crows up and keep them up....this can get mighty frustrating very fast. Shooting at overhead crows through trees is practicality useless...your window of opportunity is is quite small indeed.Doesn't matter if you have a huge crow surplus-you will miss a lot....now the blind in the middle of a thousand acres or so and it heavily favors you. You can see and shoot 360 degrees.Nicer still if you got thousands of crows to do it to as well.... You can get mighty good at it too. A good semi auto is clearly the hot ticket for this if you got a steady stream of crows....or a damn fine pump. Doubles are practically archaic , antiquated,and all but useless but better than nothing . A good blind is great for masking your double swinging open all the time as you eject your rounds.
Light kicking loads with a good shoulder pad is the rule of the day here in these conditions; other wise you will never get the numbers a good semi or pump can deliver....while you are reloading a goodly number of crows will blow on by....and the heavy pounding of the doubles will tell on you at the end of the day....but you'll be happy no question of that....sore, down by half but happy....!
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