Crow Busters Forum

Top Cat · Senior Member

Roost Eradication!

nhcrowshooter · Guru

I doubt that roost was eradicated, roosts in NH this time of year are temporary, crows are migrating and they stop over, they are literally here today and gone tomorrow. Yes the migration seems to be stretched out this year and a few days late. I have seen more flight activity of birds going north to south in large groups more so in the AM and not as much as years past in the PM. I have seen a LOT and shot a LOT of "fresh" birds since 10/24 and you should have had some great shooting opportunities since then too.

-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Monday 31st of October 2016 07:56:58 PM

DuckWyatt · Veteran Member

I went out this morning. I only saw a dozen birds where usually this time of year there are hundreds. There's some strange weather patterns going on right now. It's too hot to be October 31st. It's 83 degrees in Wewoka, Oklahoma right now. That's just plain hot for his time of year.

Top Cat · Senior Member

This is nothing like last year NH Crowshooter. Frankly the crows avoided this area and I hadn't been there in 3 weeks! What crows I did see the second time around was far less than the first time around where I posted that one hundred birds in front of my blind who got all educated at once! I was there the rest of the afternoon including the "roost hour" and didn't see enough Of what I saw last year. Okay, I'll go along with what you said which is actually encouraging. I like getting others' insight. And I am hopeful because other wise this section of the state has been an utter disaster!

On another note; the crows I have been seeing were popping up in areas I don't other wise see any crows-really weird! In example peoples' back yards; one or two. My old stomping grounds had 2-3 crows even though in the 70s you would see a hundred easily. Areas normally hosting ravens now had crows-again-one or two...the road kill diners idea...I should have gotten more -sure-had they been there. Of course they expanded "my" areas' cornfields which caught me by surprise naturally! Usually it's the other way around!

Had they been there I could have tried to shoot at them. But all the same it seems possibly the crows are leaning more to your area. Can you tell me if the crow situation today you enjoy was like that in the 70s?

Top Cat · Senior Member

Oklahoma? There has to be dozens of roosts in that state with thousands of crows if you know where to find them! You like in a huge crow state once called the crow capital of the world! I doubt your hunting will get worse in the coming weeks! But if I were there right now? I wouldn't go until it got cooler because I don't like various venomous wildlife species who like that warm humid weather....

Note: I don't know where to go there or anywhere else except here in my section of this particular state.

nhcrowshooter · Guru

Top Cat wrote:
This is nothing like last year NH Crowshooter. Frankly the crows avoided this area and I hadn't been there in 3 weeks! What crows I did see the second time around was far less than the first time around where I posted that one hundred birds in front of my blind who got all educated at once! I was there the rest of the afternoon including the "roost hour" and didn't see enough Of what I saw last year. Okay, I'll go along with what you said which is actually encouraging. I like getting others' insight. And I am hopeful because other wise this section of the state has been an utter disaster!
On another note; the crows I have been seeing were popping up in areas I don't other wise see any crows-really weird! In example peoples' back yards; one or two. My old stomping grounds had 2-3 crows even though in the 70s you would see a hundred easily. Areas normally hosting ravens now had crows-again-one or two...the road kill diners idea...I should have gotten more -sure-had they been there. Of course they expanded "my" areas' cornfields which caught me by surprise naturally! Usually it's the other way around!
Had they been there I could have tried to shoot at them. But all the same it seems possibly the crows are leaning more to your area. Can you tell me if the crow situation today you enjoy was like that in the 70s?

I have no way to compare the 1970's to now, back then I did not have an e-caller and I was focused on waterfowl and deer.

Top Cat · Senior Member

Hey NHcrowshooter;

I just got an idea. Maybe you did this already but I hope its' a first; how did you get into crow shooting? Of course I'd love to hear anyone elses' story too. So if you want to share how you got into crow shooting and the whole nine yards naturally this is not where you go but about you getting into it. For example where you goose hunting and no geese but lots of crows idea? Well you understand anyhow.

Basically I would go into the woods-they were every then where I lived in the 70s where I could shoot at them. Anyways I had a PS OLt mouth call which was all we had then anf learned how to call and try to shoot them with a .22 out of a tree which I did. I used to walk down this old road and try to sneak up on them in summer-this I did but mostly went with friends so that eventually went the way of the dodo bird. My first 12 gauge was a Mossberg when everyone else had remington pumps (wingmaster?) but I paid barely a hundred bucks for it. Sometime later I found the perfect blind and missed far more often than not. Then I learned bout the old Connecticutt river in Westmoreland on the Vermont border....man those were the days!

Top Cat · Senior Member

I learned to hunt generally from reading Field & Stream and the like but still not a great shot....I ran out of ammo once or twice with only generally 12-18 crows to show foir iut on the day i would go. These were locals now bunching up from a rookery of which I counted 100 plus change...that was old Jaffrey before migration where you could shoot until about 1:30 pm...that was then..now totally gone...

DuckWyatt · Veteran Member

My area really has no crops for food. There is some pecan orchards and a few fields people plant wheat for the winter to keep cows on. But, this area formerly was loaded with peanuts in the 60's and 70's. I hear from the old timers that this area was overpopulated with crows back then. I haven't found a roost yet either. My hunting has been mainly run and gun style.

Top Cat · Senior Member

Maybe you might have to travel a bit.......maybe even out of state? That is what I must do now. Things really s***!!

nhcrowshooter · Guru

Like many folks my age I started shooting crows as targets of opportunity. There was no season on them and I had a Stevens single barrel hammer gun, a black P.S. Olt crow call and the Varmint Hunters Bible. My initial e-calling was pulling my Jeep off the side of the road, cranking a JS cassette tape with the doors open and shoot what came in. My arsenal of guns had gotten better by then. I graduated to a JS 512 in the late 80's and got a few decoys. By the early 2000's our group had lost to development all the little wood lots where we used to do deer drives. It was then I gave up deer hunting and became to pursue crows real hard.

DuckWyatt · Veteran Member

Where I grew up in Arkansas our family has a bunch of farm land with wheat, corn, milo, and soybeans. There are plenty of feed lots as well. My Dad and Uncle hunted crows and I would tag along. There are plenty of targets to shoot at and you can set up and decoy same as if duck hunting. Here in The area of Oklahoma where I live the hunting is here but not as plenteous. That may just be because I am on someone else's land and am limited to my ability to put in food plots, clear brush, etc. But there is still enough to keep busy. I have really started duck hunting again the last 4 years because of all the water sheds and flood control ponds/lakes I have access to.

TC, you are right I may have to get out and travel to find a substantial crow hunting spot. I'll just have to hunt by the 6P's of success,
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

Top Cat · Senior Member

I love reading these stories-always interesting. Thanks again!

(Update) I did see tire tracks at the area I go....you folks who can drive right up to your blinds have it made.

nhcrowshooter · Guru

Top Cat wrote:
I love reading these stories-always interesting. Thanks again!
(Update) I did see tire tracks at the area I go....you folks who can drive right up to your blinds have it made.

I see tire tracks in places where I go sometimes, question is did you shoot any crows?

Top Cat · Senior Member

Yes I did. The majority stayed away and not sure if the high ones were migrants or educated; while the ones to the east headed north following the tree line on the hill in smallish groups or handfuls of 6 say and only saw one group of a dozen; mostly singles who seemingly by past the traditional roost.....

Okay I didn't shoot at many but no group came over, only twosies and singles but there was a huge gap between -say-10:00 am and 1:45pm roughly. I almost left when the singles began coming in however few and far between...

my total? (Grab your barf bag) only about 4 possibly five....awful huh? blankstare

Top Cat · Senior Member

This spot i frequent I could shoot about twenty each time out...plus it's a shared blind so the owners had returned at some point. One of the duo told me everything you just don't tell strangers but I think they do it on the side not as a mainstream activity.

Top Cat · Senior Member

I did see evidence the owners had returned-that and the distance bound birds, i.e.; crows that stayed away but did answer my calling...and the crows that stayed a goodly distance away but calling but made no attempt to check me out...

nhcrowshooter · Guru

Crow hunting in NH is mostly a game of hit or miss, both in regard to being in the right spot when they are moving south and one's shooting. How many days a year do you get out and how many do you shot on average each year?

Top Cat wrote:
Yes I did. The majority stayed away and not sure if the high ones were migrants or educated; while the ones to the east headed north following the tree line on the hill in smallish groups or handfuls of 6 say and only saw one group of a dozen; mostly singles who seemingly by past the traditional roost.....
Okay I didn't shoot at many but no group came over, only twosies and singles but there was a huge gap between -say-10:00 am and 1:45pm roughly. I almost left when the singles began coming in however few and far between...
my total? (Grab your barf bag) only about 4 possibly five....awful huh?

Top Cat · Senior Member

4-5 times but last year was great for what that is worth....maybe 60 crows. (stop laughing) this year so far? Maybe 16 so far! But I saw quite a few and I need to work out the rust and I haven't. As we know there is the rust period after which there is the smooth period. Hey there used to be many more crows in the area sand I mean right outside town all grass now. I sear the old southwestern Connecticutt valley was full of crows until the end of migration and gradually the migration took longer and longer to materialize. Until then there were so many locals any shooter would be very busy.with the summer batch. I mean I am talking about 500 in the area although I never counted them.

Yes it's just that bad.

Today you will only see about a hundred touch down and they might hang around a day or two. Not a steady thing but I only get out on Mondays for the problems I've talked about-so if you don't have people interrupting you where you are-I no longer do-you've got it made. I go to different areas in the state. One spot is especially bad when it's bad due to multiple use. That place is best when it's cold as nobody will be there.

My old stomping grounds is largely bare of any wildlife.I don't get it-no geese there either: Canada or Snows!! But as you said it's either a good day or a bad day. Basically they don't hang around. Last time I went I detailed the scenario. Not a whole of crow activity. Enough for a crow shooter from NH ....if the shooter didn't mind hanging around. As we both know if I had the old days in evidence; guarantee you I'd never talk about it.

Pretty pathetic isn't it?

Top Cat · Senior Member

There is plenty of cornfield areas in my old stomping grounds to be sure. But very oddly is the virtual lack of any other type of wildlife A-Z....there are big flocks of doves, kildeer, the ever present types of black birds...sparrows and juncos...various hawks..herring gulls....snow geese and canada.....no ants or spiders or beetles...no bees naturally i the warmer part of the season..in the yard here there are missing all the common arachnid species and various ant species and totally missing are the raccoons and skunks (now that just "breaks" my heart concerning pe'pe- Le Pee Yoo)..gone are the swallows and rare now chimney swifts and bats are virtually gone...something is terribly wrong. Oh sure there is the ever present crows,often a couple or three. During migration I could hear them all day now it's just the couple down by the river. In fact the crows are about the only birds around mainly ...everything else is largely gone. Look around. Take a count.

And what about the flowers and wild grapes? Non existant.

However if the birds are norhern birds like the juncos there lots of them where I went Sunday. I couldn't identify the sparrows. Chances are they were white crowned. So something very serious is going on.

Crows are not stupid-they do not starve to death. They will always move on or keep going to an available field.

Mattie · Veteran Member

Most of the crows I kill are in Oklahoma right now.They seem to migrate down the rivers as the weather gets colder and end up in Arkansas.They will also move back as the weathergets warmer. My kill ratio is certainly not as good as Bob A's though.

Top Cat · Senior Member

NHcrowshooter;

Before with a partner in the good old days when there was always a different place to shoot crows together my partner and I would seasonally get about 300 crows give or take a dozen....this included spring...

these days not more than eighty tops ....and closer to 65....but I was getting 20 approximately each time out...

Update: Browning BPS. One weird shot gun indeed! I didn't know you could set it for one shot only?!?! I found the way to make it act like a pump and I am "psyched"! I guess the model was "trap" but could be used as a regular field shotgun. I didn't know this nor did I ever learn it. I assumed it was just another pump action shotgun. As an older model you use the "lock" on the ammunition tube to release the lock makes it a single shot....newer models this lock can be found on the ammunition tube forwards where you load the shot shells...now there will be no more missed doubles! Now for the laughs for you gentlemen of the crow; I didn't firmly seat the stock on my shoulder and here I am shooting a high brass #6 (NHCrowshooter you would be proud of me except for what happened next!) my jaw took the brunt and man oh man the pain was incredible! Right on the lower jaw! I looked in the mirror and couldn't believe it! I was becoming a chipmunk!

nhcrowshooter · Guru

I had a BPS 10ga and used it quite a bit in the '90's after steel shot was mandated for waterfowl. I liked the safety on top of the receiver but didn't like the bottom feed and ejection. The single shot feature must be unique to the trap model, nothing like that on my 10. As far as using 6 shot, I shoot reloads, I use trap and skeet load recipes so the recoil is much less than factory high brass shells because the velocity is 200 fps slower. So it sounds like you have an 11-87, a Breda and a BPS? So which one is your primary gun of choice for crow shooting? For some reason I thought you were retired and got out more.

-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Thursday 3rd of November 2016 09:18:26 AM

Top Cat · Senior Member

I am close to retirement age but even so; I cannot sit idle. My mind needs stimulation i guess...sitting in froin of the fire place knitting sweaters isn't my game. Nor drinking beer watching the ball game.

Yes I have those 3 shotguns and thank you for asking about them. I am still trying to get to know them better. I am looking for the perfect shotgun but so far no go. I only get 2 out of 3 criteria on every one. I like the Browning right now especially that I know it's got that very odd quirk I was able to disable. As we know and you better than I they make "specialty" shotguns, none it seems ideal for crows specifically. Here again i remind us it's up to the individual to decide that in all fairness.

I will run the browning to the end of the season until I go out of state to try it. I loved the 11-87 until I got soured out on the "El Cheapo not so Supremo" loads but I see others have no trouble with them. And you've got a cool system set up you enjoy-I salute you. You've obviously got a favorite working system. I am looking for one. So 75% of what I want isn't too bad-I hope for me.

The Breda failed me. I bought it used and some chuckle puss dumped it on the gun dealer. While nice and light-a huge plus-the recoil was like any other shotgun; a bit hard. I turned it into the gunsmith where he has had to order new parts and there it stands. I will use it for experimenting none the less if I get it.back in time.

So I like the browning. The 11-87 had the perfect recoil system for me. You can see it but it is not unpleasant to shoot (when it does) and I run #5s through it to ensure cycling. #5s never jammed. I recently field strip to check on what some one else said in the forums. Well,well,well I had to reset the "o" ring...! But here again I haven't found the perfect shotgun. The criteria would probably be light weight and a good shoulder recoil pad. They have this new one out and it is dynamite! Haven't tried it yet. The best semi automatic based on my personal needs was the 1100. But it was the only shotgun semi auto I ever shot too at the time. The breda was so old it was a single shot blowing perfect follow up shots. Wouldn't cycle anything. It is still in the shop...

I was looking for an 870 but here it seems good guns are gone the following saturday and so they were! One day I saw 3-4 1100s used I thought the former owners were crazy!The following weekend-you guessed it! This same gun shop cannot keep those cool semi automatic rifles on the shelves either-Blowbama and all that. He did more for the firearms industry than the NRA ever did! Every time he said he was going to ban this or that fire arms sales rocketed to all time highs! So anyways I saw the Browning my choice being a 12 gauge Ithaca or Remington 870. In the browning I got the best of both worlds(youtube says) I bought it but knew nothing of its' weird system. Hopefully i do now.

When some one like you has a system you enjoy then you got it made before we get into crow populations. Attitude is everything shooting crows. If you are more concerned with the fun than numbers you will be happy. One year I figured I got what I wanted for the season thus far so i brought out my IGA Stoeger arms double. I liked the barrel lengths-Mad Max and all that. It worked great! Pachmyer recoil pad and 8s(I think) but that day I got a big surprise so I got what I could but realized I needed more shots but I had a blast (so too did the crows)...I only went up there in my old stomping grounds even though it was only about 10% of the good old days. I could about see the roosting area across the river...only about 50 crows at the time. Good old NH I tell ya! On another note first time I got a double with a double!

nhcrowshooter · Guru

I like double barrels, I have for years. Although they have a slower rate of fire I don't think I am giving up too many birds. In my experience after two shots the birds are usually taking extreme evasive action and most third shots (or more) would be marginal shots/targets. I like and have some 1100's. On the trap range they are great, in the field they seem a little heavy.

There is no perfect shotgun, but there are perfect fitting shotguns, the latter is more important to successful wing shooting.

Top Cat · Senior Member

Well I agree there NH Crowshooter..you got your deal all figured out based on experience as to what works for you and so it does very very well! I am still learning. Every time I try a new shot gun-new to me that is-I virtually have to learn all over. This is part of my problem or should I say a very serious issue needing addressing and that is making my shot gun second nature or what ever that is called. Otherwise I have what I need regarding calling and set ups.

One thing I absolutely hate is going 2-3 hours for anything less than 20 crows and now that is getting harder to achieve. But as you said in so many words nothing is guaranteed. The nature of the beast regarding NH crow shooting as it is-take what you can get.

I predicted the season would get better for you before the 66 one day and 99 the next. I will take a bow for that. I was happy to know you did quite well. I imagined I would do some a** kicking myself but that is hardly the case here. However there are crows out there. Period even if they are not playing the game the way I would like. And so it goes.

On another note the pheasants in the general area have provided me with great amusement; they can be found in peoples' back yards which I am sure led to much posted land in my old stomping grounds. One complaint I got was the pheasant hunters had been wandering right into this womans' back yard. If I hadn't said I was crow shooting she'd have said :"NO!" That is what happens here regarding the pheasants; they run into peoples' back yards! And down town . Well that was a few years back before the fire that burnt the silo down and stomped out what was left of any suitable land for crows to feed. And a permanent end to any kind of hunting on this one farmers' land. How long will it remain like that-all grassed out? Well I am sure the developers see a very clear shot at grabbing up this old property now. An old story indeed....

Top Cat · Senior Member

I gave up waterfowling when they mandated steel shot. I only had one area anyways; a little shallow beaver pond way out in the woods. No deeper than about ten inches. I would cover myself in camou and shoot once; got a pair on the water, one female black and one female mallard. There were about a dozen ducks on the water; all female.(1973?) I used a plugged mossberg 12 gauge...

Back then the local big farm that the crows frequented would hold about 600 in spring as the ground began to appear. They would be everywhere on that farm. You as a lousy half a** crow shooting wanna' be could nail a couple. The more "professionals" would kick a** but it was really short and sweet as this phase didn't last long.

Fall was very interesting as the crows would shift into the various fields on this same farm as the pheasant hunters scoured the area getting few shots at pheasant- I might add..in fact rare!

Another note about my 11-87 versus the low brass el cheapo walrus mart loads: first shot wouldn't eject and required a tree branch to force the empty out of the chamber and so long as I shot them the gun wouldn't cycle them. They'd hang up in the breech and I'd have to manually rip the empties out to unscramble the cluster f*** in the chamber...

nhcrowshooter · Guru

I see a lot of those Wal-Mart 4 box pack empties in the garbage at my gun club but I have not heard anyone complain about them. They have a steel head instead of a brass head like premium shells AA's, STS etc. Perhaps your 11-87 has a slightly under size chamber and that is why they are getting stuck. If the problem with cycling was related to the O ring or two piece seal you would not have to force the action to get the empty out if it failed to cycle during firing.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

Im thinking its mostly the shells too. How old is this 11-87? What is the exact model?

-- Edited by Lefty2Barrels on Friday 4th of November 2016 04:26:14 PM

boba · Guru

Go to "Be prepared part 2" in the Advanced Articles section and look at the photo of the brass shell knocker! I always keep one with me so I don't have to keep a ram rod with me if I have a problem with a hull that gets stuck in the chamber after it has been fired. Just drop it down the bore and the weight of it will knock any shell loose so you don't have to try and find a straight tree branch! Just go to any salvage yard and cut a couple of pieces of 1/2 inch round brass bar stock to 5 inches in length and you got it made! Round off the edges with a sander where you cut with the saw and your all set.

Top Cat · Senior Member

Im thinking its mostly the shells too. How old is this 11-87? What is the exact model?

Model "Super Magnum"......I paid $750 apparently used....I'd say it was-no box or manual and only one extra choke (unknown)..when I saw super magnum just now I thought:"Aww come on-it's the ammunition that's 'super magnum'-not the gun!"

Top Cat · Senior Member

You got me there NHcrowshooter...I see no one else has troubles with the El not so Supremo" ammo!??

Well okay here is what happens; partial extraction; hangs up instead of being fully ejected...or didn't eject from the barrel but fired...more often than not partial ejection hanging up in the -half in -half out !! IF I use that Walrus Mart s***!

By the way I wanted to comment on your ten gauge Browning-is that antique? I betcha' that's a beauty!

Anyways having-at the time-a semi that shot like a single shot was quite annoying! I missed follow up shots left and right that is until I quit using Walrus Mart loads. Well I got plenty of high brass 5s and some 6s so I am not in too bad of a shape! Those #7 steel shot work nicely too!

Thanks again for the recommendations and insight again gentlemen! One of these days I'll get it right wink (as in never )

Top Cat · Senior Member

I just remembered: the best shotgun I took afield (but didn't own) was the remington short barrelled 12 ga. police riot shotgun. Lightweight, improved or open cylinder and I couldn't seem to miss with it! Too bad I didn't have that and lived in the plains with lotsa' crows! It was an 870 (of course). Okay some or all of you will challenge that but for me it was! I miss it already!

Okay earlier I said there was this firearms dealer who would get 870s and couldn't keep them on the shelves, Same idea as those semi-automatic AK this and that and the variation Ar15 this and that! 870s and 1100 Remington just seem to fly out the door at that gun store location! And especially after Blowbama announces his next side step the constitution gun grabbing so called "law"..!

nhcrowshooter · Guru

The 11-87 Super Mag, I forgot Remington came out with that version. The idea was a gun that could shoot any 12 ga load, light 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 inch magnum shells. Being that you bought it used I am guessing there is a really good chance it was bought by a waterfowler to shoot heavy loads and he never used or installed an extra part for shooting light loads (he probably forgot it came with one or lost it). It's called the Barrel Seal Activator, you install it to help with cycling of light loads and remove it when shooting heavy magnum loads. Check your gun to see if it is missing ig if it is I suspect it's the root cause of your cycling issues.

https://support.remington.com/AUTOLOADING_MODEL_11-87%E2%84%A2/How_should_the_barrel_seal_activator_be_installed_on_the_11-87_Super_Mag%3F

If that part is missing the good news is that the part is readily available, inexpensive and easy to install yourself.

http://www.brownells.com/shotgun-parts/barrel-parts/barrel-hardware/barrel-seal-activator-sm-prod17973.aspx

No my Browning pump 10 was not an antique, I bought it new in 1989. It was built to shoot 3.5 inch 10ga. I used it a lot int he 90's, worked great but kicked like a mule, 15 to 18 shots in the morning and I had enough. It had been gathering dust on the gun rack for years and this summer I sold it to a friends son. He is a really big man and in his 30's so he can handle that thing. I bought a used Remington SP-10 to replace it. Heavier but much softer on the shoulder than that BPS.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

If you like how the gun feels and fits then My advice is to sell/trade the Super-Mag for a regular 11-87 Premier or 11-87 Special Purpose. I havent heard to many good things about the Super-mag.
A nice 1100 would work also.

nhcrowshooter · Guru

I agree with Lefty, the 11-87 Super-Mag is specialty gun primarily designed for waterfowlers and turkey hunters.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

Heres a nice specimen. It appears to be an older 11-87 Premier with some minor cosmetic issues. But I feel the price is right for the cosmetic issues.
www.gunbroker.com/item/595212468

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

Heres a Special Purpose model, looks to be a 26" barrel but isnt specified in the description.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/596225725

-- Edited by Lefty2Barrels on Saturday 5th of November 2016 11:38:13 AM

Top Cat · Senior Member

Gentlemen thank you very much and did i ever get an education! My browning licks pretty good too but it cycles light loads and the recoil is so light(but not heavy loads) I could shoot it all day and twice on sunday.

I know now your Browning ten gauge wasn't your cup of tea NHCrowshooter.....I know that feeling well..and again I agree, there probably isn't the "perfect" crow gun...funny thing too about waterfowl shotgun 11-87 I suspected strongly it was designed for waterfowl as a specialty gun...but when the shooting can get heavy; you know the ones still in the air wondering what happened to chuckles charley and I -in this case- cannot get that urgent round off for a follow up. That was the idea behind a semi auto. Besides the added bonus of :"Do I feel hot or what?"

Another thing I'd like to share is it is (11-87) camo wrapped-that new camou effectiveness I don't know....it's all the same to me except when I lean it against the tree then I can't find it immediately...! Oh yes-it's happened! ( I think it was designed by a crow!)

So gentlemen-what is your take on cammie guns?

Another item years ago my ithaca wouldn't pump and became a single shot! So I turned it in to the gun shop and a friend lent me a bolt action. Man I hated that ugly gun but it worked. Talk about slow! You shotgun wise folks know what happened to the Ithaca which I sold later on after it was fixed.

Top Cat · Senior Member

You don't need a roost to have crows. You folks in the big crow states have crows spreading out far and wide. If you have a really huge roost you need never have to know where it is exactly but find a spot where you can hide 5 miles out or something and try to shoot the inbound crows. That is how I did it. I didn't need to know where exactly but what direction. And I always practised it that way. Naturally you don't want to shoot too close either on the other hand. You want that roost to be there as long as possible. It's a gold mine. On another note. there was this area no one could go to shoot but the crows were always there. I call this the anchor. This means there will always be crows in the area and a few always come back. This worked for me in the day. I do hide along a flyway today for what it is worth. Sure I know where this roost is. However; and I am happy to say no one can get at it. It is an anchor too! Anyways most of you already knew this but if you didn't this might prove useful.

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

I guess camo (and synthetic) shotguns (I own a couple synthetic stocks) have their place but personally I still like wood. Ill take my 11-87 SP and 870 Express (synthetic) anywhere but I kinda baby my nicer 11-87 Premier and Beretta 686.
I dont feel a camo shotgun is a must for crow hunting or even waterfowl hunting.
Ive seen a few camo guns with a lot of wear, man talk about UGLY! I think they look worse than a blueing worn reciever.

Old Artilleryman · Guru

Lefty2Barrels wrote:
I guess camo (and synthetic) shotguns (I own a couple synthetic stocks) have their place but personally I still like wood. Ill take my 11-87 SP and 870 Express (synthetic) anywhere but I kinda baby my nicer 11-87 Premier and Beretta 686.
I dont feel a camo shotgun is a must for crow hunting or even waterfowl hunting.
Ive seen a few camo guns with a lot of wear, man talk about UGLY! I think they look worse than a blueing worn reciever.

I concur. I like my beater (or, as Ted refers to this model, "canoe paddle").

smile

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

I was told by a friend that kinda started me crow hunting. He said I would HAVE TO paint my 11-87 Premier (this was before I bought the SP model), I told him no way in hell am I painting my Premier.

Top Cat · Senior Member

Big Honkers · Guru

Lefty2Barrels wrote:
I was told by a friend that kinda started me crow hunting. He said I would HAVE TO paint my 11-87 Premier (this was before I bought the SP model), I told him no way in hell am I painting my Premier.

Bah, if you have a good blind you dont even need to wear camo let alone paint your gun.

Good hunting,

BH

boba · Guru

100% correct.

Honk, I have worn this red checked shirt many times in a blind when it was to warm to wear my camo jacket over it to break the wind. I have worn that old flannel shirt for over 25 years. The weave in that shirt is very tight and it is very warm to wear in cold weather.

nhcrowshooter · Guru

I agree a good blind and not moving until you go to shoot are more important than camouflage.

As far as Camo guns go, I think they can be helpful when waterfowling on a bright sunny day when you are just sitting on the bank of a river or pond. However for the most part I think they are a sales gimmick and unnecessary.

Sometimes though one can take a basket case of a gun and make it better by painting it camo. This 870 Express Magnum was
given to me by a friend when he moved. He didn't take care of it and put it in a soft case for a year after his last hunt without cleaning and oiling it. The finish on the stock was flaking off and the receiver and barrel were a light orange of rust. Once I got the choke tube unstuck I sanded the metal and wood and applied Parker Duck Boat paint to it by brush. I could have left it one color but decided to take the time and paint a WWII type camo pattern on it. I have only used it in the worst of weather goose hunting. One of it's merits is it is easy to clean up now, a little 409 and paper towel and you are done.

-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Sunday 6th of November 2016 01:15:24 PM

Top Cat · Senior Member

that looks cool!

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

I like it NH!

Lefty2Barrels · Senior Member

While not camo, I did break up the overall shape outline. Heres an 870 Express I kinda reworked. New stock and went synthetic as not worry about scratches and dings. I painted the receiver and short barrel and ordered a 28" replacement barrel from Carlson, its matte black. You maybnot be able to see in the picture but the cool thing is the paint reacted with something and crackled. Both the receiver and short barrel look like they are ruptured. It added character so I left it as is.

-- Edited by Lefty2Barrels on Sunday 6th of November 2016 06:40:04 PM