Wednesday December 7th, 1941 was Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, "a day that will live in infamy". But at 9:36 a.m. December 7th, 2016 it became a day that will live famously in my memory! June 2016 marked 60 years of chasing my favorite target: the common crow. I do not keep exact numbers but conservatively my TBC is approaching 100,000. During those years I have harvested only one crow... one with white wing feathers, that I considered special.. until last Wed. Guys, please bare with me for a few minutes as the taking of the bird you see was an emotional event for me. It was so special that I needed some "private time" with myself (it was a solo hunt) because I was so excited . Fate was my co-pilot that morning, I really believe that.
I had responded to one of my farmer buddies who had asked me to deal with "about 50" birds pulling up his oats. Fine! It would be a one stand hunt as I had a latter appt. that morning so I promised myself I would depart at 0930. By 0930 I had killed 26 birds.. slow, but a nice brief morning ambush and I about to pack up and leave when I noticed a single "boogie" at about 100 yards approaching at 2 o'clock high crossing the pasture to my right. He was hot and inbound and entirely brown! The sun was behind me and "brownie" was showing his colors loud and clear!
Consequently, I only had a scant few seconds to mentally lift the skill level of the shot by tweaking my point of aim, adjusting my sight picture, my lead, my fire control computer so as to allow that I hit the bird with only the fringe of my Rem. Nitro #7 1/2 pattern so as to not penetrate the beak, break any wings, soil any feathers, break legs, etc. Only mid-body hits were to be allowed so as not to hamper the taxidermist ability to produce the magnificent mount, that I already had in my mind's eye, this bird deserved! Imagine all of this in just those few seconds it took brownie to close the distance at speed and still make a complex 90 degree shot through a full stand of hardwoods, with poor light and with my gun hung up in the branches of my blind!!!
Now imagine that last paragraph is total crap! . It was the last bird, I did see it at 100 yds, thought I saw some brown but was not sure, it flew perfectly into range and I made a lucky shot that somehow did not damage my trophy! As I said..fate was with me! The taxidermist was thrilled to see brownie ( the bird is almost blonde in places ), gave me a $50 discount off her regular price and told me the mount would be ready by end of Feb. The mount will be open wings, pulled back somewhat like a diving crow ( think F-14 ), banking left, beak slightly open with legs half deployed. This is exactly what it looked like before he left this world! Again, and truthfully, I am one lucky guy. WHAT a trophy..!
Very much enjoyed your story of the Trophy, and the pic is great but I'm sure it is unreal seeing it in person. No congrats but a big Congradulation's on a Crow of a lifetime and add to that 100,000 TBC is quite and accomplishment. Hope to join yours and the others club someday.
Demi: So kind of you to ask about "my shotgun"... Carrying all my stuff back to my truck after harvesting "brownie".... netting, shell bag, gun, FoxPro, remote and mouth calls, decoy...I hardly had hands to carefully carry the bird so as to not mess up his feathers! The truck was about 250 yards away. Upon arrival, I off loading all my mess in excited haste...and headed home about 22 miles away. When I started emptying my truck, I realized I had left my gun resting against a tree beside my hide. Old age does not come alone! Fact is, where I left the gun it would still be there next year!!! I returned within the hour, retrieved my Maxus, hugged it a few times and all is well that ends well!
So nice of you to come clean with "The rest of the story." It sounded so good that I thought the rest of the crowd would enjoy it. And I've got to say, it's even better to read it directly from the source!
Demi
P.S. Similarl, I would have been so excited that I would have left ALL my gear in the woods!
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The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
Very nice Skip, I would say both fate and luck were on your side that day. Glad you came clean with the rest of the story as we now know that you are a mere mortal like the rest of us. I still waiting to find a lost gun in the woods like that I figure there will be one near a gut pile some day
That is one outstanding looking piebald crow! Very unusual compared to most piebald's. Be sure and post a photo of the bird once it gets mounted. I am getting ready to ship a bunch of crow wings to a guy who does consultant work for the motion picture industry. He makes authentic looking war bonnets of the different Indian tribes. I donate them and in return I better see my name in the credits for the next movie my crow feathers are in!
So how soon before you think you will make 100,000? That in it's self is something that very few ever get to reach!
Boba: Heck, you might be made a blood brother... get an Indian name! I can only guess what that might be and I am afraid to try!! Interesting question about 100k crows. I stopped keeping detailed records ( #of shots vs. # of crows ) on April 1, 1964. I still have my last "crow log" that shows my total then at 24, 212 and back then there was no season in North Carolina and we hunted crows almost year round. That was over 50 years ago and I have killed a fair number of crows each and every year since then especially since I retired in 2002. So you can see my dilemma.. I am probably at or beyond 100k... but I have no reference to a firm number.
BUT...I would not trade my "brownie" for proof of 100k!! No sir!
I have kept up to date on my record keeping. Just went over the 160,000 mark and that is a very conservative count because in the last 10 years I don't even record the dreadful shoots where I'm alone or with another guy.
So how old a guy are you now, around 75 or 76? I split logs for exercise to burn in the fireplace. I will be 69 in February and get around just fine. Dick is 82 and still splits logs with a 16 pound sledge hammer!
BobA: A flying mount! The bird will be turning left, wings slightly folded back as in a banking turn, head turned further left ( searching for the crow in distress) with beak slightly open and landing gear slightly deployed. This is as close as I can get to exactly how brownie looked when he was dispatched. I want his wings mostly open to display the all the stunning shades of brown and tan. Mount will be available end of Feb. and I may be awake till then! Pictures to follow.
I am 75 and consider myself to be a very lucky 75. I take no drugs. I walk a lot, golf, sporting clay courses, run and gunning, etc. But old age does not come alone... it has friends.
You are lucky to be in such good shape. I play pool with a guy who's daughter (44 years old) just had a heart attack!
I was hunting a place a few days ago where there was this brown Billy Goat that acted rather tame. I started making goat noises and he comes trotting over and I started petting him like you would a dog. The Billy Goat starts to follow me all over this farmers front yard. I went to the truck for something and that goat wanted right inside the cab of the pickup! The farmer said it's a good thing he did not get in your truck because he loves rides just like a dog! The farmer said it's near impossible to keep him locked up, he is an escape artist. So the Billy Goat goes back to the barn when he wants too. The farmer said you ought to see that damn goat climb trees! It is the many different experiences you get meeting different people (and goats) while out in the field.
Goats huh? That is comical! No ifs ands or "BBAASS" about it!
I always had fun with young goats; they follow you around it seems every where! Young cows can be quite the annoyances too! So curious!
I was hiding for a pellet rifle shot at a crow when a cow decided to taste my camouflage coat I was wearing and threw my aim off! i did eventually manage to hit one though...a crow...
Last year I heard a cow being particularly vocal enroute to the blind so I imitated it and set off a whole buncha' cows mooing!
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
Dick was griping that every time I got up to shoot I would get two crows and every time he got up he only had a decent shot at one crow. I told Dick it's animal magnetism just look at how the goat was attracted to me lol. The crows feel the same way, when it's my turn they come in two at a time. On a more serious note, there are days when Dick gets all the multiple kills and all I get are the singles.
If we Granite Staters had better conditions our scores would be better but the crows here have a habit of coming in all at once. Sure I had a hundred crows in front of my blind -maybe-but how many can one shoot? This is why in the other part of the state here if you can get a hundred crows in a day is strictly the conditions were available that day; everything came into play. Being there; the numbers arriving from Canada; and all the other factors.
Back to goats. Who'd have thought a lowly goat would be so attracted to humans? Given it some thought over the years I've never known goats not to always want human company.
Getting back to crows; in my years my mind has been blown at the numbers in other parts of the state here despite it being nothing like the American heartland-still-I imagine there must be. Just the areas are too inaccessible. A couple of towns have absolutely no place to get at them now. But as that fellow in Long Island once said there's always some some where and you can do what you can. Being a police man had to be ab edge for that fellow whose name escapes me...Dick Mermon? I forget...
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
I just find it strange that's all..around here too the Canadian geese are so frequently fed by humans that they will come up to you jerking their head or nodding which i understand is asking for food?
On another note a friend like parking his vehicle as close to the blind as possible and a cow butted his car at its' own reflection! Try explaining that to the wife with a nice indentation!
And digressing further-a friend used to find abandoned "garden owls" (as have I ) where the old owners left them behind and became a permanent part of my crow equipment (or his)...old stuff works as well as new!
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Top Cat Statutes never replaced or rewrote the constitution!
Thank you, sir! All the family is headed over on Christmas Day! They all live within 25 miles so wife and I will not be traveling this holiday! Am eager for Jan 4th our first crow hunting day AFTER the deer season goes out!!!!
Thank you everyone and Happy New Year 2017!! May you all encounter lots of black rain this year!!! I appreciate your kind comments and observations! I was one lucky guy! Am supposed to pick up my "mount" in about 30 days! Will post pictures if I can hold my hands steady enough to take those pictures.
. Fate was my co-pilot that morning, I really believe that.
I am there too BobA. !