After watching Gordon Ramseys show on shooting and eating crows, I decided to try it. I love shooting, but this is also specifically for meat. From my house i can hear them most mornings and evenings and throughout the day. Not a lot of crows, just a few, but consistent. I've read the beginner techniques here, and I will join crowbusters to get access to the advanced methods, I would be a member already if I could just use my credit card.
Each time I go out I try to learn some and correct mistakes. And so, here I am.
I have a Hammerin' call and a Knight and Hale. I think I like the Knight and Hale better. But I think I would like a better call, and also very important, good instruction. I have no experience so I really need instruction. For now I have found that I do well enough with 1 decoy and a little patience. Camo, decoy, call, 1 crow, go home and clean crow. Review the day, try to learn. Today I learned that as soon as I hear some crows, I should move my position so that I can see them coming in. Instead of having them come in over my back.
So I would like suggestions on what hand call to buy and how to use it.
Those two calls you have should work perfectly well.....I own at least one model but i have found a no name that worked dynamite too...it is in my experience #1: how well can you blow the call? And #2: Somew calls can do all the crow calls while some only do this one or that one better.
I prefer the deeper calling calls made of wood like the Lohman for the high pitch calls of course. I could write a book on the subject. However on calls when you can sound like the crows you hear and they start coming over you are on the right track. But whatever you do don't use the call that says:"Get out of Dodge" ever! This is the "run for your life" call . Your best bet right now is advanced techniques....here on the home page..there is a really great call that is incredibly simple to use....it is a high pitched call and frankly never heard any crows in all my long years ever-but never-use it. One day I tried it and it worked incredibly well...I do not mess with electronic callers too much-every one seems to have them and the crows learn to avoid them like the plague. But the bottom line is you need to know the crow. Period. You cannot go after crows like you might ducks or geese. Even they will avoid your area like the plague eventually and none too soon either!
You could get an electric caller if there is little pressure in your area to be sure but where I go I run into another with their caller cranked way way too loud...the subsequent results are the crows stay far away although they will answer half a mile away ..but that is about it...crow calling is a sophisticated little art you need to know. I've run into too many dummies trying to call crows...the most common call is the :Hello Crow' call-every one uses it...they blow their mouth call with all their might and the call sounds like it is screaming-this isn't necessary at all...if I can tell it's another hunter with a mouth call 3/4 mile away you can imagine what a sharp eared crow is hearing too! That poor imitation of a "hello Crow" is your basic leisurely high pitched:"Caw-caw-caw!" But too fast and too close together is basically the "Get out of Dodge" call....3 evenly spaced "caws" not too high p[itched that sounds like a crow and you are on your way....but you really need to know the right calls. Half the mouth calling on youtube amazes me that they get any crows at all!
The English and Irish don't use calls; just lots of decoys and I mean lots! However they never have any problems getting them in though....I often don't have to call any crows with my set ups; you got to know what you are doing though. Academically many and most do NOT. You got to know a few simple tricks to make this work....and loose lips sink ships....!
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
^Thanks for the response. I was very curious to see if the opinion was going to be that particular crow call is very important or not. I know the skill of the person using it is what matters most. I guess I'll get an instructional CD on crow calling and save my money instead of buying another call.
" That poor imitation of a "hello Crow" is your basic leisurely high pitched:"Caw-caw-caw!" But too fast and too close together is basically the "Get out of Dodge" call.." Uh, oh. I think I've done this. Thanks, that's very important, I will try to keep it in mind.
Top Cat, we do use the occasional call, but as you stated, not very often, instead relying on masses of decoys, and things like rotary magnets (a windscreen wiper motor in a frame with two arms, turns slowly for crow, fast for pigeon. Mount a dead bird on each arm and it's like they are circling to land)
Floaters (a pole in the ground with a rod sticking out and a winged decoy of dead bird in the end, floats up and down in the wind, and a good one will go left to right in the wind too)
Flappers, (again, a dead bird, and it flaps its wings slowly for crow, fast for pigeon)
Sentry, (one or two decoys mounted high up on lifting piles to imitate sentry birds for crow)
I will generally use 30-40 decoys of each, and 3-4 floaters, 3-4 flappers, 1-3 magnets, and two birds as sentries
I've set down with a mate and shot 800+ birds on a day without using a caller after the first half hour LOL
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If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
Basically if you do that "Caw-caw-caw" do it leisurely-not fast and it should work..the short fast ones will keep them away but here again-they use short clipped fast calls so you need to know what when and where to call the right one. I have a verbal dictionary (pats himself on the back) of crow calls from frankly being brought up around them....I KNOW the crow.
On another note if you live amongst hundreds of crows or a crow saturated area any effort will yield some. My experience the more you sound like one the better off you are.
Hot tip: You shoot the same place day in and day out sooner than later they will boogie for distance grounds. Eventually you might get 1 or two crows until none show up for the season...and don't leave your crows laying around in plain site. Don't worry; the various predators from A-Z will clean up that smorgusbord of free crows!
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
You should blow the call mildly is as best as I can describe it. Spaced out so it's a little dran out between calls...so think.."caww...caww...caww.." that idea...do not blow into your call like a trumpet with all your might...easy...enough to get past the "buss'...so when you can blow the call beyond that you have at least got that worked out..now try to make a "caw"..go on youtube and practise the calls you might hear there....go out and listen to them calling...when you blow the call you want your throat to to go a soft caught caught caught to produce the caw. On the other hand I would get on the website and study advanced techniques....if you can blow air going a real sharp soft "cut" or "caught and get your timing right you'll have it-the rest is easy...look uop crow shooting on youtube...Forget George Digweed and andy crow-they don't use calls and anyways you'll hear those european crows and you don't want that...to imitate them. But youtube is a great way to familiarize yourself with the calls 24-7....
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
If you are shooting American crow instead of European crow, the European rook or jackdaw call will work, not the European carrion crow or Raven, those are far to deep and raspy for what you want
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If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
It sounds like practice is really the name of the game. I'll get an instructional cd so I know what it is supposed to sound like. I guess I'll record myself and see how that sounds as I am sure it sounds different from what I hear as I make the call.
I'll bet there is a long list of little things, tips, that all add up to a good call vs a bad call. eg; hello call slow vs too fast.
Stone-age: You live in Culpeper, Va. I am in Chapel Hill, NC.. some 251 miles from you. I am a long time mouth caller of crows. IF you are ever this way, I will be more than glad to share whatever knowledge I have and use.. on calling brer crow without electronics!!
Stone-age: You live in Culpeper, Va. I am in Chapel Hill, NC.. some 251 miles from you. I am a long time mouth caller of crows. IF you are ever this way, I will be more than glad to share whatever knowledge I have and use.. on calling brer crow without electronics!!
skip
There you go, and Skip is a master of it. Can't get a better offer than that, if it was me in your shoes, I would be dripping there now
as stated, electronics are GOOD, but crows soon get used to the repetitive nature of them, and the fact that there is a limited amount of them, means that everyone is using the same calls.
crows soon get to put 2+2=4 together (electronic call+ shots = danger) and steer well clear.
mouth calls mean by their very nature that no two calls will be identical, and no two blows in them will sound exactly the same, so no repetitive nature
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If it moves and is legal but also moral, SHOOT IT !!
Stone-age: You live in Culpeper, Va. I am in Chapel Hill, NC.. some 251 miles from you. I am a long time mouth caller of crows. IF you are ever this way, I will be more than glad to share whatever knowledge I have and use.. on calling brer crow without electronics!!
skip
That's a really great offer. Thanks! It's a 4 hour drive, I'll definitely see if I can get down there.