Howdy everyone, I'm new to the forum and crow hunting (but an avid hunter of 30 years) and am hoping to glean info to get some good shots going.
I'm having trouble finding the flyway out of my nearest roost, downtown Des Moines. 1000s roost, but seem to disappear before leaving city limits. I got invited to one location by some experienced guys to learn and did get under a spoke and it was amazing- but can't replicate it thus far. I do have decoys and a FoxPro.
So first question I'd have is what, if any, effect wind direction has on which direction they leave the roost? Do they follow a pattern? Land into the wind?
Second for today, what do they follow to create a spoke? It seems like there is plenty of action along the river of course, but will they follow powerline clearcuts also? Valleys? Ridges? It seems like they like to follow heavy traffic looking for roadkill and garbage? Where do you guys focus in the scouting?
Basically it is running on to afternoon..you see a few then a few more, then several more..note the direction they are headed...this is especially easy if you got a large amount of crows...you go in that direction and you'll find the roost sooner or later;but here is the catch shoot at them a mile or two away or that roost will head out for ports unknown and good luck finding them again
Now I hope BobA. answers this; he knows the roosting habits very very well...he used to hunt Ft.Cobb before all the crows left.
You'd want the crows to fight the wind at your back. A tailwind presents quite the challenge! But if you have to? You adjust your lead accordingly. If you are behind them as they whip by just aim up their tail pipe!
What I mean is you'd want the crows to fight the wind as they approach your position. With me I had a pretty good tail wind and was forsed to be awfully quick as they dived over the decoys and send a load or two up the tail pipe!
Crows have a pattern all right. Mainly the ones I dealt with follow the ridge line then suddenly turn left straight towards their roost. Here's the catch though; you couldn't shoot in someones' back yard!
They came from the south actually, the ridgeline fly way; the extreme south east flyway and the directly over me flyway...or from my back where a good wind whipped them right by-quite challenging!
In response to your first questions: One of the few absolutes with crows is that they must feed. I believe wind has little effect on the directions they leave the roost to reach that feed. A stiff cross wind may push them off course or put a bow in the "spoke" but the destination will be feed. Flyways may shift, sometimes slowly over the course of weeks, sometimes abruptly. The destination determines where the flyway may be.
Yes, they like to land into the wind. And I like it when they try to land into the wind.
Secondly: You're right, they like to follow river valleys and crick bottoms and spread out from there. I don't have many ridges in my area, but if one side of a ridge would keep them from fighting the wind, they'd use it. I've also seen them cut across country over multiple cricks and rivers with no rhyme or reason to their path except it led to feed.
Scouting takes time and patience. I find high ground with a pair of binoculars at sunup and look and listen frequently. Another set of eyes helps while you're driving. Hopefully you've learned something by noon. If not, there's always the flyway back in and staging areas to locate. If you locate a flyway you can find the feeding grounds. If you locate the feeding area you can figure out the flyway. Feeding areas may move, flyways may shift. Now you gotta figure out how to best shoot them. And the wind becomes critical.
With heavy snow cover the numbers will be concentrated near the limited feed and water. In an open winter they come off the roost and scatter off the flyway for 30+ miles. If numbers aren't great it makes for tough scouting and tough hunting.
Bottom line is, crows follow a loose pattern with enough variables to make them unpredictable. If that makes sense.
I've been beaten enough to know I'm no expert, but that's what I've experienced and my .02 worth. For expert advice use the forum search feature.
In response to your first questions: One of the few absolutes with crows is that they must feed. I believe wind has little effect on the directions they leave the roost to reach that feed. A stiff cross wind may push them off course or put a bow in the "spoke" but the destination will be feed. Flyways may shift, sometimes slowly over the course of weeks, sometimes abruptly. The destination determines where the flyway may be.
Yes, they like to land into the wind. And I like it when they try to land into the wind.
Secondly: You're right, they like to follow river valleys and crick bottoms and spread out from there. I don't have many ridges in my area, but if one side of a ridge would keep them from fighting the wind, they'd use it. I've also seen them cut across country over multiple cricks and rivers with no rhyme or reason to their path except it led to feed.
Scouting takes time and patience. I find high ground with a pair of binoculars at sunup and look and listen frequently. Another set of eyes helps while you're driving. Hopefully you've learned something by noon. If not, there's always the flyway back in and staging areas to locate. If you locate a flyway you can find the feeding grounds. If you locate the feeding area you can figure out the flyway. Feeding areas may move, flyways may shift. Now you gotta figure out how to best shoot them. And the wind becomes critical.
With heavy snow cover the numbers will be concentrated near the limited feed and water. In an open winter they come off the roost and scatter off the flyway for 30+ miles. If numbers aren't great it makes for tough scouting and tough hunting.
Bottom line is, crows follow a loose pattern with enough variables to make them unpredictable. If that makes sense.
I've been beaten enough to know I'm no expert, but that's what I've experienced and my .02 worth. For expert advice use the forum search feature.
Enjoy the search.
Great answer Granite, I agree.
I hunt dairy farms mostly. My favorite farm to hunt is directly upwind of large roost of crows. Thousands awake each morning and fly directly into the wind to get to the farm to feed. I've hunted mornings when there were 40 mph winds and 10 below zero temps. I like it these conditions for a few reasons. The wind that strong has them fly straight into the wind to approach my set-up so I know where they're coming from. Also, it takes them longer to get to the farm fighting that head-wind so I have about an extra 20 minutes of time to set-up decoys and drink my coffee, etc.. The wind blowing the trees around hides our movements in the blind. It also "kills" the sound of our shots somewhat. Those really cold days makes the crows hungrier in my opinion, they MUST eat, especially on these cold days so I set the decoys in a feeding pattern.
-- Edited by Mainehunt on Tuesday 30th of January 2018 03:33:03 PM
-- Edited by Mainehunt on Tuesday 30th of January 2018 03:33:24 PM
How would you describe a "feeding pattern" decoy layout?
I use a high sentry, and particularly in the winter when there is no foliage, as many silhouettes as I can get into the trees, as high up as I can. However, out in front, I have no typical pattern other than fairly random placement with one or two pairs of decoys head to head.
Also, I usually have laid off when the wind gets much higher than 10 mph as I believe this slowed activity down; though I agree with you that cold weather makes no difference. I have stayed in because the wind disperses caller sounds. However, I have a new amplifier that puts out a huge increase in sound, and I might just try it in the 17-18 mph predicted winds a couple of days from now when our 1FEB - 31 MAR season opens here in MI.
Jus' wonderin'?
Craig
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How would you describe a "feeding pattern" decoy layout?
I use a high sentry, and particularly in the winter when there is no foliage, as many silhouettes as I can get into the trees, as high up as I can. However, out in front, I have no typical pattern other than fairly random placement with one or two pairs of decoys head to head.
Also, I usually have laid off when the wind gets much higher than 10 mph as I believe this slowed activity down; though I agree with you that cold weather makes no difference. I have stayed in because the wind disperses caller sounds. However, I have a new amplifier that puts out a huge increase in sound, and I might just try it in the 17-18 mph predicted winds a couple of days from now when our 1FEB - 31 MAR season opens here in MI.
Jus' wonderin'?
Craig
Craig, I should have said that in a better way. What I mean is, it's not a fighting set-up with an owl decoy with fighting sounds on my Foxpro. So it's set-up with a sentry or two and the rest of the decoys are just lightly scattered around in front of my blind. If I use a sound, I like "crow gathering."
The farm I hunt has big fields that are over a half mile square. With snow on the ground, those black decoys stand out like a pounded thumb. Most of these large farms have special permits in order to spread manure all winter long. (Normally illegal because when the snow melts, it carries the crap into the streams and rivers, lakes, ocean.....) The crows come to these farms to eat the undigested grain from the manure.
-- Edited by Mainehunt on Tuesday 30th of January 2018 04:44:59 PM
How would you describe a "feeding pattern" decoy layout?
I use a high sentry, and particularly in the winter when there is no foliage, as many silhouettes as I can get into the trees, as high up as I can. However, out in front, I have no typical pattern other than fairly random placement with one or two pairs of decoys head to head.
Also, I usually have laid off when the wind gets much higher than 10 mph as I believe this slowed activity down; though I agree with you that cold weather makes no difference. I have stayed in because the wind disperses caller sounds. However, I have a new amplifier that puts out a huge increase in sound, and I might just try it in the 17-18 mph predicted winds a couple of days from now when our 1FEB - 31 MAR season opens here in MI.
Jus' wonderin'?
Craig
Craig,
I think you're correct that windy conditions slow activity. After they feed and water. In -20 temps with a gusty 30mph wind, they'll spend the early afternoon loafing out of the wind as opposed to less windy conditions when they spread out raising cane. Huntable in either situation, but high winds limit options. First and foremost I need to be out of that wind.
That's Sound wisdom Granit Jaw Im with you. I want to add one important thing to your advice. I have learned that water is just as important as food if not more important. Crows will find food and hit that area til the food is gone. They will exhaust it and move on. Vut they are black and will dehydrate quick. around here when it gets blue ball cold and stays that way we loose thousands. the remaining birds will hit the river. I once found a spring in the path of my roost, it was golden. I hung 2 sentry's and it was on Big League!!! I hammered those birds every other day for a week. I never turned my call on they knew that was the only available water and they had to have it. When things are thawed water is readily available it means nothing. But when things are froze solid, water is magic..
That's Sound wisdom Granit Jaw Im with you. I want to add one important thing to your advice. I have learned that water is just as important as food if not more important. Crows will find food and hit that area til the food is gone. They will exhaust it and move on. Vut they are black and will dehydrate quick. around here when it gets blue ball cold and stays that way we loose thousands. the remaining birds will hit the river. I once found a spring in the path of my roost, it was golden. I hung 2 sentry's and it was on Big League!!! I hammered those birds every other day for a week. I never turned my call on they knew that was the only available water and they had to have it. When things are thawed water is readily available it means nothing. But when things are froze solid, water is magic..
One of the places I hunt is along a river. Right now the river is frozen except for where it goes over a dam. That one spot of open water is helping a few thousand crows and a few hundred ducks from migrating south.
That's Sound wisdom Granit Jaw Im with you. I want to add one important thing to your advice. I have learned that water is just as important as food if not more important. Crows will find food and hit that area til the food is gone. They will exhaust it and move on. Vut they are black and will dehydrate quick. around here when it gets blue ball cold and stays that way we loose thousands. the remaining birds will hit the river. I once found a spring in the path of my roost, it was golden. I hung 2 sentry's and it was on Big League!!! I hammered those birds every other day for a week. I never turned my call on they knew that was the only available water and they had to have it. When things are thawed water is readily available it means nothing. But when things are froze solid, water is magic..
Thanks for the addition Chip. I've never used a water source as a primary concern when locating crows. Maybe because open water is so plentiful here. We had a cold spell earlier in January, a couple day break, then cold again for about ten days. Didn't get above zero for several days in a row each spell. Yet we had open water on cricks and rivers through it all. But obviously not as much. After those cold spells it didn't seem like we had the numbers we'd had earlier. We've had hardly any snow cover, so I'm sayin' your right, it's not the cold that pushed some south, but a symptom of the cold.
After finding a possible feeding area to shoot, my partner always asks, "Well, where they gonna get their drink"? Then we try to use that to our advantage.
The next time it gets colder than billy hell you can bet I'll be thinking of your spring!
I use the same. but not at the start. I've been thinking I will try that (soft/feeding calls) from the get-go. Thanks.