After a blowout hunt (164 crows) in a pecan orchard last month, I decided to return to the same orchard to remind myself what a crow looks like... It's been 6 weeks and the lack of hunting is driving me nuts! Holiday season has put a damper on my hunting and there are several dove fields that might be good spots, but the owners don't want me to shoot crows until after dove season in mid-January. The pecans are all gone, but what the heck!
The setting up of my blind revealed a little problem. Now that it is winter, my dog fennel is no longer green. Imagine that!!?? In spite of using twice the usual amount, the concealment was reduced by half (1st picture). I made a quick trip to a different patch that wasn't quite dead and improved things a bit (2nd picture). All was ready.
We got settled in at sunup this morning. The main problem was the weather. It was 46 degrees and spitting rain. Yes, you guys in the Northern climes are tougher than me, especially at my age! The saving Grace was that my buddy brought his Buddy...heater! Just like the one Bob uses and it worked Oh So Well!
The short of it was that our hunt was short. We stayed in the blind until about 9:30 (more rain moving in) and ended with 13 crows. During the lulls, we did get caught up on all that both of us did over the Christmas break... Guy Bonding stuff. Makes the cold a little less bothersome.
On the way back to the office, I swung by the local Field & Stream to pick up my own Buddy heater. Bring it on, Old Man Winter. I'm ready!!!
That's my report. Not much excitement, but it did get me out of the house and away from all of that Christmas food and candy! The cold might have even burned off a few extra calories... Naw, maybe not.
Stunningly good weather yesterday morning....35 degrees...not ONE mph of wind, perfect overcast gray morning offering a sharp contrast against the black targets. This combination is rare but I promise fully enjoyed by me. TBC was a respectable 46 but 80% of the shots were so close in...they were fantastically challenging!! I admit too many of the close in attackers used their evasive tactics to exit the scene with loss of only a few feathers... UGGGH..but few people on this planet enjoyed Wednesday morning more than I did!! First bird fell at 0714 ( and was quickly attached/mounted to FF5) and I was done at 0935. Fine continuous actions with birds arriving in 1's..2's... sometimes 3..IDEAL for a good kill percentage.
You can see the working details of the FF5. You can adjust the speed of the flapping wings.. and the intervals between stops. It IS a real crow and I promise the live birds coming in are greatly distracted by it far far better than any decoy I have ever used or seen! This is a "crow magnet" and the term does not adequately describe how effective it is. Crows actually try to land... beside the flapper or as happened yesterday land on a fence post a few steps from it! And if I can be technical for a moment about post-sitting crows...they require no lead!
Skip
-- Edited by Skip on Thursday 28th of December 2017 06:24:14 PM
-- Edited by Skip on Thursday 28th of December 2017 06:25:21 PM
Hi Demi, we are getting one more heater only this one has a blower on it.
It is going to be below zero here in Hutchinson on New Years Day! Tell Al Gore I wish we really had a little global warming right now! That guy is a very slick con man.
Global Warming goes south every year stopping in south Florida returning to here in June or so...see Uncle Al Guru of sunshine needs to stay warm....he's the environment wizard (the sky is falling)
That's an impressive gadget Skip. You're comment on the post shot hits home with me. I used the name camo here on the site because i get pretty serious about it when i set up for the crows & USUALLY dont get seen, Sometimes when i start calling a few will swarm & land in the tree's within 20 feet of me just screaming bloody murder !!!! At which time i very carefully & slowly put a bead on em & watch him get launched out of the limbs with a big plume of feathers ! That quiets him up real quick ! GOOD JOB !
I don't think we northern hunters are any tougher, but 46 degrees is warm up here, true. But our bodies acclimate pretty well, because after a few weeks of below zero weather, 30s and 40s feel great. It's almost up to 40 degrees today and it feels like spring time.
For the past 3 weeks we've had some cold weather. I had -26* F for three mornings in a row. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 50 for a high and get over an inch of rain.
