Over the next couple weeks I hope to post some photos I took last fall and this winter. I didn't get a lot of pics taken, sometimes the weather didn't allow it, sometimes I opted not to carry the camera in. I'll keep them fairly chronological.
The second part of our "official" split season has less than a month to go, but hopefully I can get some more taken.
The first two are while scouting in Nov. '17
The last two are from Dec. '17
-- Edited by Granite Jaw on Friday 16th of March 2018 04:14:51 AM
Here's a beautiful day in late Nov. 40 degrees, dry and a light NW breeze.
The last pic is of the blind.
Blind? What Blind?
Crows if flight photos in those numbers simply stunning.
OA,
That was a nice hide. Grass had grown up through a down tree. Broke off a few branches, rearranged some brush and nestled in. Had a couple of short trees to my east that kept me in the shade.
We don't have great numbers here, but fortunately enough to keep after.
My old pal Boyd Robeson came from Sioux City about as far west as you can go from where you are located Randy. That photo of the profile of that coach looks a little like my old friend Boyd. Here is a photo I took of Boyd & I hunting Mallards back in 1983.
My old pal Boyd Robeson came from Sioux City about as far west as you can go from where you are located Randy. That photo of the profile of that coach looks a little like my old friend Boyd. Here is a photo I took of Boyd & I hunting Mallards back in 1983.
boba,
I can see the similarities in Boyd and Coach Grant. Looks like they both loved to hunt. Grant especially enjoyed waterfowl hunting. He was a boyhood hero of mine as the coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He was taken in the first round of the NFL draft and fourth round of the NBA draft and played in both leagues. After retiring he was and continues to be an advocate for restoration of waterfowl nesting grounds. Unlike many so called sports heros, he never let me down. The greatest football coach that ever lived.
Randy
-- Edited by Granite Jaw on Friday 16th of March 2018 02:05:50 AM
-- Edited by Granite Jaw on Friday 16th of March 2018 04:27:04 AM
The first photo was taken while scouting in early Jan. Took it with my phone from about five hundred yards so the mob is hard to see unless you can zoom in. Didn't get any pictures the next day when we hunted them. Dawn brought 15 below with a raw SE wind and the day warmed to a bit above zero. We were pretty cold by 4:00. It was our first cold spell and we weren't used to it. My partner started growling about his auto-loader cycling slower than normal before noon and walked to the truck to get his back-up. I accused him of just needing to warm up and gave him some grief about having no problems with my pump gun.
The next two are from the blind. Laying in wait.
-- Edited by Granite Jaw on Friday 16th of March 2018 04:16:41 AM
In Mid Feb. a neighbor related to me how his nine year old son Nick had been working on some crows in a nearby crick bottom. Despite his best efforts calling he'd not got them close enough for a shot. I happily volunteered to give him a hand. Asked what time he had to be on the bus for school and his father said he'd drive him if he missed the bus.
I checked it out two mornings in a row and found 40-50 crows on the crick and feeding at an open silage bag near by. The next morning would be the day as the wind would be right for the best spot to set up. We built the blind the night before and told Nick to be ready to go at 6:15.
The morning dawned clear at 10 above with a perfect light south breeze. Informed Nick he'd always get the first shot, but had to stay still while they came in, then raise up slow and let 'em have it. One thing I failed to anticipate was a nine year old isn't very tall and he'd have trouble seeing. Even standing up he'd be shooting at 45 degrees or better and they'd be right on top of us. So I acted as the spotter, telling him direction and when to raise up. That gave him more time to acquire his target.
He missed the first one, but stoned the second. Lawn darted him into the decoys for his first kill. One came in hot on the deck, passing over inside of ten yards and he missed. I got the, " how the heck did I miss him", look. I told him, your pattern was about as big as a pop can at that range and that ain't the last crow you'll ever miss.
He got a taste of some fast action shooting, killed his first crow and was late for school. What more can a kid ask for?
First picture is of Nick.
The second shows the blind just right of the sentry. I had hoped it would stay shaded for the duration and it did.
The third is another of the set.
The fourth is all but one of the kill.
Nick got his first coyote four days earlier, so I included a picture of that.
-- Edited by Granite Jaw on Friday 16th of March 2018 04:20:45 AM
In Mid Feb. a neighbor related to me how his nine year old son Nick had been working on some crows in a nearby crick bottom. Despite his best efforts calling he'd not got them close enough for a shot. I happily volunteered to give him a hand. Asked what time he had to be on the bus for school and his father said he'd drive him if he missed the bus.
I checked it out two mornings in a row and found 40-50 crows on the crick and feeding at an open silage bag near by. The next morning would be the day as the wind would be right for the best spot to set up. We built the blind the night before and told Nick to be ready to go at 6:15.
The morning dawned clear at 10 above with a perfect light south breeze. Informed Nick he'd always get the first shot, but had to stay still while they came in, then raise up slow and let 'em have it. One thing I failed to anticipate was a nine year old isn't very tall and he'd have trouble seeing. Even standing up he'd be shooting at 45 degrees or better and they'd be right on top of us. So I acted as the spotter, telling him direction and when to raise up. That gave him more time to acquire his target.
He missed the first one, but stoned the second. Lawn darted him into the decoys for his first kill. One came in hot on the deck, passing over inside of ten yards and he missed. I got the, " how the heck did I miss him", look. I told him, your pattern was about as big as a pop can at that range and that ain't the last crow you'll ever miss.
He got a taste of some fast action shooting, killed his first crow and was late for school. What more can a kid ask for?
First picture is of Nick.
The second shows the blind just right of the sentry. I had hoped it would stay shaded for the duration and it did.
The third is another of the set.
The fourth is all but one of the kill.
Nick got his first coyote four days earlier, so I included a picture of that.
-- Edited by Granite Jaw on Friday 16th of March 2018 04:20:45 AM
Great work taking a kid out! Super winter setup!
__________________
"Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave." -- Andrew Fletcher 1698
Here's some pictures of a shoot in late Feb. Forecast was overcast, steady temps around freezing, ice pellets late morning and light rain by mid afternoon. Wind was to be NE at 5-10 till mid morning then E at 15-20. All held true but the wind. It was stronger than forecast early, then increased to 25-30 from the SE with higher gusts.
We were on an abandoned RR right of way set up for a direct E wind and when it switched to SE things could have become miserable. We could see through the tree line but couldn't feel the wind. When it started raining, (more of a heavy mist), the wind blew it over the trees and we stayed dry. It wasn't till late in the day water started dripping off overhead branches. We ventured south of the trees a couple of times and it wouldn't have taken long to be soaked. We did get wet packing up and it was quite muddy.
The crows didn't come from where expected. In the morning they missed us to the east, but would get on the north side of the right of way, turn west with a tail wind and go zipping by. We stayed patient, their momentum would carry them by us about 100 yards. They'd bank south towards the trees out of the wind and come fluffing back east. Low, slow and pissed. Just the way we like 'em.
In the afternoon they came as expected, from the west. The wind had increased and was more south, but they mostly stayed north of the trees out of the wind.
An early March hunt. Just below freezing early and warmed into the low 40's. SE wind at 15-25. Saved ourselves a muddy quarter mile walk and packed in with a Ranger.
The second two were taken during about a twenty minute period when my partner's blind was in the sunlight. He said he could tell the difference immediately. Didn't matter, he wasn't spotted until it was too late.
The fourth is of the other blind. It stayed shaded for the duration.
Last one didn't come out as well as I had hoped, he was our highest sentinel, not by his choice.
Another early March set. Got into the low 40's by noon with a stiff SE wind at 20-25.
In the second photo you can see the truck parked a little less than 400 yards north. We'd loaded a Ranger on a trailer and pulled it with us. Then used it to get ourselves to the set.
In the last photo one of the the blinds is just left of the down tree.
Excellent crow country and great pics Randy. Love your blinds. My spring crew campaign will start in early april. Still too much snow here to get around even though crows are arriving from the south in good numbers now. Thanks for posting!
Ted
__________________
Life's tough... It's even tougher if you're stupid. John Wayne
Good to hear crows are arriving there. They dissipated in a hurry about a week into March here. After basically an open winter we got our first significant snowfall last Saturday. Over a foot of wet heavy stuff. Made things a sloppy mess after we were thinking spring was on it's way.
Keep us informed once you start warming up the M12 on 'em.
Our,"official", second season is now over. Here's some pictures I got scouting in mid-March. I'll be looking at them from time to time over the summer to keep me going.
Getting dark in the first one. A large number are shadowed in front of the embankment.
