Crows are consistently a few hundred yards to the east in the morning. Basically right into the rising sun. I try to get set up against the trees in a small clearing with the sun to my back so that I can see what I'm doing and so that I am not so lit up. Back against the big trees about 30 yards tall, small trees and brush around me for concealment. I call, crows come in, straight over head seemingly from out of nowhere. They have a real good view of me, I move to try and make the shot(silly), they spot movement, alarm run away.
Next time same thing.
If I don't get any better ideas I am going to cut the lower branches out of a cedar about 7 feet up and get under it. At least that way they can't see me from overhead and I will plan to just wait them out until they come in low enough for me to get a shot. That's all I got.
Looks like you are responding well to the conditions. Sun at your back, tall trees, etc. Three things come to mind from your post.
First, crows popping over trees is normal for the type of hunting we do, but they typically are focused on the decoy spread and not the blind. How close do you put your decoys away from the blind? You should have them at least 15 yards away in my opinion.
Secondly, concealment is paramount no matter where the birds and decoys are. Crows see all, so make sure you are tending to the details:
- Camo should include face mask and gloves for maximum effectiveness.
- Guns should be non-glare. Black guns minimum and camo preferred.
- Blinds must be done well. I prefer to use dog fennel or bamboo shoots around the blind which allow you to see out, but it is hard for birds to see through it.
- Absolutely NO motion when crows are in sight. This is key and includes hands, head/hat, gun barrels, dog or anything else.
Lastly, are you hunting a spot and then returning to the the same area for future hunts? If you hunt a field or orchard, the general rule of thumb is to leave it alone for 3 to 4 weeks before hunting it again. Crows have great memories and once educated, will avoid you like the plague. This does not apply to some western areas, but where we are it is a factor.
Hope this helps.
Demi
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The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
This is my property. Either they are educated and don't care or I am on some kind of a flight line getting different crows each time. A better Crow Hunter would have killed them today and they would be dead instead of educated. I'm trying to get all of my stupid mistakes worked out before I go to my friend's Farms.
I just went to my blind locations and checked them out with fresh eyes, very highly visible from overhead. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I'm just "green", at least that's curable. I went out and cut in new blinds in the pines and cedars. Good shooting mobility, and I smeared the fresh cuts on the trees with mud to hide them. I guess I should learn to post pics so people can eval my spots and help me along. It's a good thing I'm not depending on hunting to prevent starvation, I would be in trouble.
-- Edited by stone-age on Monday 10th of October 2016 11:35:23 PM