Just when I thought that crow hunting possibilities would never return from last season, because of a long hot summer, I had my faith restored today that I would get to bust a few before long. I was out on my back deck today, and a flock of about 100 grackle flew over. It would be virtually impossible to see that many fly over in a flock, this time of year, unless they were already migrating south. Seems very early for migration season to begin, but I guess birds know something about weather that people don't. Maybe early migration is a sign of a early autumn, or winter, and the birds know that they better start high-tailing it south before bad weather. I have not seen any flocks of crows, just a few around the local area. But migration of any bird is enough to get my trigger finger twitching!
Well here in New England at least Nude Hampster (NH USA)most resident Grackles head out by the 1st week of July....throughout the month other birds such as cat birds have booked as well..soon as they raise their brood in other words....so there go the red wings and grackles and the notorious nest pirating cow birds and many warbler species have started...you see them at night migrating suddenly diving onto night time head lights...the black birds migrate during the day...starlings are generally year round but they can have enormous roosts. A starlings migration is just a gradual shift staying ahead of the snow but if there is any food at all they will suffer the weather...Pigeons are year 'round and breed and breed over and over again except winter...
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Friday 31st of August 2018 04:15:39 AM
I keep a spreadsheet of my hunts, dates, weather, place, shots, birds killed etc. The fall migration is reasonably predictable where I live and it always the strongest in late October + or - five days or so. We may encounter some good days of migrating birds prior to that and again after the big push is over but the pattern is always the same as far as timing. The strength/numbers of birds moving changed last year for the worse, like 50% fewer birds shot, which we attribute to a very warm Fall. We won't know if last year was an anomaly until this season concludes. So far we ain't seeing much.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Monday 3rd of September 2018 10:56:57 PM
Crows will routinely frequent areas where people set out sunflower seeds-seen it myself in the back yard...what if you put out cheap loafs of bread in an area you favorite and just set up the following week end? You could some that way without busting your wallet? Do you have some store that sells day old bread at a discount?
Or get sunflower seeds at a discount or "old" water melons or pumpkins-old corn maybe? They likely won't hang around all day but you could catch them in the morning right after sun up maybe? You don't have to cover hundreds of acres? Even a sandpit ? I had this popcorn and didn't eat all of it and dumped it in a parking lot and what few crows in the area began frequenting that area..wasn't much but enough to keep them interested! I mean if one gets a McDonalds' fry ever notice they keep watch on the area? Try that with a sandpit? Or even road kill? Some place you can safely and legally get a round or two off? This is for few crows though. You'll get a couple but an all day shoot? Naaww....!
Hopefully nobody will be foolish enough to follow your suggestion, baiting for crows is illegal under federal law.
killer Crowalski wrote:
Crows will routinely frequent areas where people set out sunflower seeds-seen it myself in the back yard...what if you put out cheap loafs of bread in an area you favorite and just set up the following week end? You could some that way without busting your wallet? Do you have some store that sells day old bread at a discount? Or get sunflower seeds at a discount or "old" water melons or pumpkins-old corn maybe? They likely won't hang around all day but you could catch them in the morning right after sun up maybe? You don't have to cover hundreds of acres? Even a sandpit ? I had this popcorn and didn't eat all of it and dumped it in a parking lot and what few crows in the area began frequenting that area..wasn't much but enough to keep them interested! I mean if one gets a McDonalds' fry ever notice they keep watch on the area? Try that with a sandpit? Or even road kill? Some place you can safely and legally get a round or two off? This is for few crows though. You'll get a couple but an all day shoot? Naaww....!
HHmm..sorry...I didn't know that-always believed the crow was exempt.
Ironic isn't it? Some parts of Europe this can be done but this is not Europe of course and they used rifles at least small caliber if not just high powered air rifles.....??
the deer hunters here in Oklahoma do the baiting for us. thousands of deer feeders go up this time of year spreading corn on the ground. crows always gather at those area's. a friends game cam picked up a pic of what he said was probably a hundred crows near his feeder ! i went there with him to fill the feeders & tried out my new gibson call but nothing... I have permission to hunt there so hopefuly when season starts i can catch a good day there ! someone said the best bait for crows was an empty doughnut box !
i went there with him to fill the feeders & tried out my new gibson call but nothing...
Be careful about calling in an area prior to hunting. Not the best idea as the crows will remember the call and may not respond when you have a gun in your hand.
Demi
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The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
Demi, a couple years ago i would have said that's a bunch on nonsense. But after being taught a thing or two by my local crows i will have to agree with you. That wasn't a smart move on my part even though my intention was to see the first crow coming & stop calling. But no harm done. I do want to say that to my surprise i received a phone call from Darrell Gibson himself today asking if i liked my call i purchased a few weeks back. A heck of a nice guy ! Not afraid to share crow info with ya. Probably talked for 20 minutes. Nice call made from a burl oak. He spoke of a crow hunter from South Carolina. Wonder who that guy is ??? Demi.