If you are an accomplished crow hunter please share your setup, best times of day, and how you attract them within shotgun range. My son and I have just started and had some pretty good success. I'm not sure if we are over calling or getting them too excited too early. We seem to always get 1 or 2 out of the first crows but none after that. We like to hunt in corners of agricultural fields and pine thickets. Also, what is your favorite shotgun to utilize and a favorable load.
Please help.
I didn't find the right solution from the Internet.
Welcome to the forum! Sorry for the late reply, but it’s off season for me.
I prefer the “duck hunting method” as opposed to “running & gunning.” Here is my general setup:
- Find a field or spot where crows are feeding. - Without letting them see you (evening or AM), set up a very well brushed blind, facing west or north. - Put out a spread of 15 or so decoys about 15 yds. In front of the blind. - Add 3 or 4 sentry decoys as high up as possible in nearby trees, NOT directly over the blind. - Occupy blind before first light. - Use a good mouth call and a FoxPro electronic caller. - Dress in camo from head to toe, including face mask and gloves. - Remain ABSOLUTELY STILL as birds approach. - Shoot where the birds will be, not where they are. - Repeat above steps as necessary or until the crows quit flying.
For additional tips, search past posts on this CB Forum. Good luck and take pictures so you can post your pictures and reports here. It’s always great to hear about father-son hunts!
Armament is a very personal topic. I prefer a Beretta A400 auto with 1 1/8 loads of #6’s.
Hope this helps, and remember that your mileage may vary.
Demi
-- Edited by Island Shooter on Thursday 31st of May 2018 02:56:39 AM
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Welcome to crow hunting. As Island said its my off season too until it opens back up in the fall. I do about the same thing he does. I only use 2 sentries though. I have them tied to 550 cord and use 8oz duck weights to get them into the tree as high as I can. If im hunting far back on public land I have a setup where I can carry everything I need in a LARGE blind bag. If im hunting where I can drive to then the set is a lot more detailed. I use 12-24 decoys depending on if its a feed lot or staging area (lesser in the staging areas). If its a feeding setup I have 3 dozen fake corn decoys as bait. Your blind is gonna be the single most important thing you can do. I cant stress that enough. We don't seem to have the same concentration of birds they do out west so I do more soft calling using my fox pro and mouth calls combined. I will do crow party, crow gathering, crow duet etc... After each wave I pick up the dead birds and wait about 10 min then start calling again. When I shoot my fox pro changes to Bob A mourning/distress call. I cant say enough good things about that combo. Its keeps the birds circling long enough for me to reload 2-3 more times before they empty out as long as Im hidden well. Also order some good crow calls. I had used the primos and others but finally spent the money to get good ones and there is no comparison for the sound. Those are just few things I could think of right off hand. If there is anything I might be able to answer then don't hesitate to PM me and good luck out there.
Interesting to hear about your setup Jacob. It seems to suit your situation well.
My hunting demographics are quite a bit different then what I am seeing from a lot of you guys. I hunt in the Canadian prairies and we don't get flocks.. we get pairs coming in for the most part.
That said i use some of the same techniques as you posted, I walk onto hunt property so a large bag is a must. I place 1 Sentry on a fence post and the other 2 on the ground ass into the wind.
Hunting and calling is a bit different in this scenario. Here i am not intercepting roosts (they dont exist) the local population is pairs that will cling together in at most half a dozen pairs in a local treeline, basically killing the local population and letting them fill back in then repete in a couple of weeks per location.
Incoming birds seem to always be pairs only, you will get 2 birds usually 4 max if 2 pairs. I have found decoys in this situation gives you about 2 to at most 3 circles before the birds fly off, if you haven't lined up a shot through the trees in this time tough luck try again.
Its been working well for me but in this area just not seeing any flock or roost hunting, its exclusivity local and migrating pairs, which makes for a different style of hunting from what i am seeing from a lot of you guys.
Often they sit at long rifle range 3/4 mile in the top of a treeline and its I can do to not pull out 22-250 and make an unsafe shot. Can be frustrating but makes it all the more worthwhile when you drop then later. lol
-- Edited by Foonus on Saturday 23rd of June 2018 03:47:18 AM
-- Edited by Foonus on Saturday 23rd of June 2018 03:49:51 AM
Are you setting up over a food source? Unless you are running & gunning or shooting birds leaving from or returning to a roost, food is the secret to big numbers, at least down here.
Pecan orchards, peanut fields, dove fields, feed lots, cut corn fields and dumps draw large numbers. Being very social creatures, crows love to flock together, plus there is safety in numbers.
Is it the same in Canada? Where do they eat up there?
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.