Crow Busters Forum

hawrdstrack · Newbie

Crow hunting question

killer Crowalski · Senior Member

Crows in the distance who hear the shotgun say from a mile away won't associate that with a crow they see dropping from the air. This will really draw their interest. I wondered why suddenly crows were appearing until it hit me: they are seeing their buddies drop from so far away! Calling wasn't even necessary! When thing got a little slow would I call. It makes no sense generally when you obviously have incoming crows to start calling...particularly when they are calling their fight calls-you know they are coming in anyways.

Island Shooter · Guru

On your first question, you can sometimes get the other birds back over you, but ONLY if they did not see you or any motion (gun barrel, etc.). This is why a good blind, camo and a face mask is so important.

Relative to hunting the same spot after a hunt, in most cases the crows will remember and avoid an area for 3-4 weeks! They are extremely smart birds. Find alternative sites and let them rest after hunting them. Your success will be much better.

For lots more good tips, use the search feature above. It is chock full of great tips and well worth the time.

Good hunting and keep us posted on your progress.

Demi

killer Crowalski · Senior Member

Island Shooter wrote:
On your first question, you can sometimes get the other birds back over you, but ONLY if they did not see you or any motion (gun barrel, etc.). This is why a good blind, camo and a face mask is so important.
Relative to hunting the same spot after a hunt, in most cases the crows will remember and avoid an area for 3-4 weeks! They are extremely smart birds. Find alternative sites and let them rest after hunting them. Your success will be much better.
For lots more good tips, use the search feature above. It is chock full of great tips and well worth the time.
Good hunting and keep us posted on your progress.
Demi

You just wouldn't believe the dummies who don't follow this rule........nobody who post here but over the years I have seen it....guess what? No place to go to get any decent shooting!

nhcrowshooter · Guru

killer Crowalski wrote:
Island Shooter wrote:
On your first question, you can sometimes get the other birds back over you, but ONLY if they did not see you or any motion (gun barrel, etc.). This is why a good blind, camo and a face mask is so important.
Relative to hunting the same spot after a hunt, in most cases the crows will remember and avoid an area for 3-4 weeks! They are extremely smart birds. Find alternative sites and let them rest after hunting them. Your success will be much better.
For lots more good tips, use the search feature above. It is chock full of great tips and well worth the time.
Good hunting and keep us posted on your progress.
Demi
You just wouldn't believe the dummies who don't follow this rule........nobody who post here but over the years I have seen it....guess what? No place to go to get any decent shooting!

Learn when they migrate through your area in both spring and fall, it's fairly predictable and those will be the periods of the best shooting. You can hunt the same blind day after day during a migration because you are getting a flood of new crows to the area arriving on a conveyor belt each day.

-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Monday 30th of April 2018 11:41:38 AM

boba · Guru

Back in 2001 one of the members from Kentucky came out for a week long visit to hunt crows with me. I had shot over 500 crows solo in this one spot and three days later Drew Moore and I shot over 300 more out of the same blind location. This was an exceptional feeding area with thousands upon thousands feeding within a 640 acre plot of ground.

Generally in most cases I will also let a place rest any where from two to three weeks before I hunt it again.

Dick (years ago in the late 1980's) ran in to a guy from Duncan Oklahoma who killed over 700 crows out of one blind location and went back the very next morning and shot over 600 more out of the same blind! These are rare occasions but they do happen when you have plenty of crows that have had no grim experience. One might ask "well they had plenty of grim experience the day before when that guy shot over 700 the first day" but not all crows go out to feed in the same areas each day so he was dealing with new birds on the second day mixed in with some from the day before.

If you have an area where you have no competition then you can have some fantastic shooting.

killer Crowalski · Senior Member

I used to have an area like NHC described-believe it or not (many years ago). But now I am talking this area; not comparing it to anyplace else. But bel;ieve it or not new blood will eventually discover any area the crow shooting is good..just a matter of time I am not happy to think about it...happened here years ago when this one farm would almost be covered in crows-okay-okay-upwards of a thousand during peak migration-absolute peak until everyone and anyone wanted to try their luck. All it was needed was some guys to get a few but in any case they often getting shot at but the real killer was shrinking farms; no more land fill now a recycling center" do migrants would no longer stick around and due to massive farming changes now migrate in another part of the state in any numbers...sure here you could see half a dozen here and there but the rest of the day-nothing...years ago? You'd see migrants moving overhead and some hanging around a week depending on food which is why losing dumps virtually annihilated crow shooting around here...and ironically pressure didn't immediately figure into the equation not immediately anyways..but eventually it did. But a few factors but the dump-an actual dump was the most critical factor.....

-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Tuesday 1st of May 2018 04:13:20 AM

nhcrowshooter · Guru

killer Crowalski wrote:
I used to have an area like NHC described-believe it or not (many years ago). But now I am talking this area; not comparing it to anyplace else. But bel;ieve it or not new blood will eventually discover any area the crow shooting is good..just a matter of time I am not happy to think about it...happened here years ago when this one farm would almost be covered in crows-okay-okay-upwards of a thousand during peak migration-absolute peak until everyone and anyone wanted to try their luck. All it was needed was some guys to get a few but in any case they often getting shot at but the real killer was shrinking farms; no more land fill now a recycling center" do migrants would no longer stick around and due to massive farming changes now migrate in another part of the state in any numbers...sure here you could see half a dozen here and there but the rest of the day-nothing...years ago? You'd see migrants moving overhead and some hanging around a week depending on food which is why losing dumps virtually annihilated crow shooting around here...and ironically pressure didn't immediately figure into the equation not immediately anyways..but eventually it did. But a few factors but the dump-an actual dump was the most critical factor.....

-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Tuesday 1st of May 2018 04:13:20 AM

Serious question, how many days a year do you get out and hunt crows, how many in the fall and how many in the spring?

camo · Senior Member

I think i know where you are going with that question to killer crowalski , we'll see what the reply is. I'm going to say that he has replied with some helpful info to some of my questions as a new member and always in past tense of his experiences. So i guess what i'm saying is it's possible some members may be older or even bad health that prevents them from hunting but they still like to relive their passion here on the forum. That's probably not a bad thing. With my bad neck i know i wont be able to shoot a shotgun as long as most but i would still like to share experiences on the forum. Just my two cents, lets see.....

killer Crowalski · Senior Member

NHC; I liked your questions; greatly amused me no offense intended....most times I couldn't get out for starters as often as I liked. I was a "gimp" having a medical issue. 4-5 times to keep the area from being over shot in one location. Spring? Here in them thar hills I got a foot of snow often enough and the temps hover around zero. Over the years here I tried to make that clear. If things were like the early seventies I wouldn't post much. Spring then was highly productive (I wasn't too great a shot too I admit) and fall I had about twenty places within an hour one way to go. But development and the farmers children didn't want to carry on. But I swear the seventies were the best years I ever had for that time period. Mid seventies. The old area I used to go to had so many crows a shot like you wouldn't be doing 100 crows annually but practically every week end for a month mid October to early November would have made your gun too hot to handle.
The rookery in early September would have about 600 birds estimated...but gradually to a thousand as others collected before the final push further south. Yes I figure folks get sick and tired of reading my history of "the good old days". I most sincerely hope you two never experience it..there were also more people shooting crows and they all wanted to go with me. I refused them all....if they knew the hot areas all along the mighty Connecticutt they would have pushed me to "guide" them. (No I didn't guide)....Then I never saw any need to go out of state.
I am looking to do that now....no reason not to.
I used to go out getting a crow here or there but I won't do that. Those days are gone. Now I don't blame you two for doing that-that's your style. But times have changed(for me). I estimate when the birds have moved into one area and go. I am not lying when I say a hundred came over-I got one and that was the end of that day. (Area I currently use) and probably on Monday maybe a few hundred dropped by there. I know this area a bit east of me that has been known to have upwards of a few hundred drop in but nobody can go there but this guys' brother or who ever who shoots pheasant...
Last year this old haunt had a late migration...after the season ended....my partner said he saw them come in..there was that to contend with...I know it sounds utterly ridiculous. But this is New Hampshire..I cannot drop what I am doing without a scheduled "vacation" day....another item I had the day off but it rained-no shooting for me.
So I don't get out as often as I need to.
I cannot believe what happened to the deep southwestern part of this state. Largely goose shooting here now....

killer Crowalski · Senior Member

camo wrote:
I think i know where you are going with that question to killer crowalski , we'll see what the reply is. I'm going to say that he has replied with some helpful info to some of my questions as a new member and always in past tense of his experiences. So i guess what i'm saying is it's possible some members may be older or even bad health that prevents them from hunting but they still like to relive their passion here on the forum. That's probably not a bad thing. With my bad neck i know i wont be able to shoot a shotgun as long as most but i would still like to share experiences on the forum. Just my two cents, lets see.....

Use lighter shot and or a "limb saver" or get one of those "Versa Max" shotguns? My 11-87 absorbs recoil beautifully...heavy loads aren't a problem it's hitting what I am shooting at...no years ago it was a problem but I got to shoot at so many I am satisfied with my shooting now.

Some guys use 410s..but all things a given...not for me. But we do what we can....

killer Crowalski · Senior Member

Last fall I should have tried a little harder but I was disgusted at the conditions......everything cannot be "just so"...I don't have that luxury but this fall I'll hit it harder...

10gacrowshooter · Senior Member

Youkiller Crowalski wrote:
Last fall I should have tried a little harder but I was disgusted at the conditions......everything cannot be "just so"...I don't have that luxury but this fall I'll hit it harder...

you didn't miss much last fall, I feel your pain there.

scott

jacobhwrd · Senior Member

From what I have encountered here in central Ky I can hunt the same spot for a weekend but will have to give it a few weeks before I can shoot it again. I don't really worry about the other birds not in the immediate area hearing the shots and not coming in. I do have my e-callers foxing set to Bobs Mourning+Distress call. Cant say enough good things about that combo. As long as my blind is brushed in well and I have a good backdrop I can get multiple birds from each round of shooting. They will leave and I will clean the birds up then wait about 5-10 min and start my soft calling again. I haven't found hard calling to be very good here. We have plenty of birds but not enough to be very aggressive and hunt longer then an hour. As far as over hunting a spot in the long run I seem to have done it. I have a WMA here that was producing REALLY well and I hunted the entire place pretty hard. Now no matter where I setup they are extremely wary about coming in. They will come until they see the setup and then they will flare off. Just don't over do it like I did. I spent a lot of time finding more places to go so I can cycle through them and let them rest.

killer Crowalski · Senior Member

nhcrowshooter wrote:
killer Crowalski wrote:
I used to have an area like NHC described-believe it or not (many years ago). But now I am talking this area; not comparing it to anyplace else. But bel;ieve it or not new blood will eventually discover any area the crow shooting is good..just a matter of time I am not happy to think about it...happened here years ago when this one farm would almost be covered in crows-okay-okay-upwards of a thousand during peak migration-absolute peak until everyone and anyone wanted to try their luck. All it was needed was some guys to get a few but in any case they often getting shot at but the real killer was shrinking farms; no more land fill now a recycling center" do migrants would no longer stick around and due to massive farming changes now migrate in another part of the state in any numbers...sure here you could see half a dozen here and there but the rest of the day-nothing...years ago? You'd see migrants moving overhead and some hanging around a week depending on food which is why losing dumps virtually annihilated crow shooting around here...and ironically pressure didn't immediately figure into the equation not immediately anyways..but eventually it did. But a few factors but the dump-an actual dump was the most critical factor.....

-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Tuesday 1st of May 2018 04:13:20 AM
Serious question, how many days a year do you get out and hunt crows, how many in the fall and how many in the spring?

Spring is "no go"....for me...I quit Spring shooting many moons ago...fall is different and the foot pain determined any adventures too. None the less that by and large has cleared up and I feel brand new actually. You wouldn't believe it!

Fall so long as the days were good 4-5 generally. If the shooting is good meaning any thing like the first time I went to this new area I'd go every week-again 4-5....days...see you two have it all over me because you have access to Maine and you always have half dozen crows(In any particular area you two frequent is what I meant) in your general area to shoot at or whatever....if I wanted too I could possibly lure them into the back yard with calling or feeding using my 1,000 foot per second pellet rifle(it works, Gentlemen!)

-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 19th of May 2018 08:22:11 PM

-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 19th of May 2018 08:23:40 PM