As they say: "Let your fingers do the walking!" While trying to find new orchards to hunt, I stumbled onto an efficient method that is working for me. So far, I've found dozens of orchards and some are starting to show some results. The method?... Google Maps! Saves on gas and tire wear.
Aerial searches are easy to do at home or at the office and pecan orchards stand out if you know what you are looking for. After finding orchards via Google Maps, simply lock onto the street in front of the orchard and it tells you the address.
Not sure you are looking at pecan trees? Wonder what the age of these trees are? Go to street view and see the trees.
The last orchard I visited had 600+ 90-year old trees that was located two miles down a small dirt road. I would have never found it by driving around. I spent an hour with the owner and, while he has leased out the hunting rights, we had a great discussion and things could change. (See Picture #1)
Here are some photos showing typical searches with aerial and street views:
I much prefer seeking out the orchards (providing there are enough crows to hunt) with trees the height of you're last photo in you're post.
Dick and I had a very good day the other day, we shot 337 crows from 8:30 a.m. to noon time then an additional 178 in a different spot that afternoon for 515 for the total for the day. That was our best hunt so far this season.
Demi, I have been wearing out Google earth myself. I also us an app on my phone that is called OnX Hunt. With their paid subscription you can see the landowners name on any piece of land in the good old US of A. Might look into it and hope you gain access to whack of few of those crows.
Since the conversation is on pecan orchards and I have some of the finest crow hunters on the planet at my finger tips i'd like to get a few questions answered from you guys on hunting in pecan orchards, that is if you don't mind. Last year about this time I had to make a trip down south for work and noticed a crap load of crows. I got to talking with my coworkers from the area about crows and they began to tell me how many where there. Fast forward to this year and through my coworker have gained access to a ton of land to hunt and decided to make a trip down there this past Sunday. I was not mentally prepared for what my eyes where to witness, I have never seen so many crows in my living life. There where hundreds of crows in one bunch, not just one bunch like this but multiple bunch's insight at once. This area has pecan orchards (large ones) and cross the road will be a soy bean field or maybe a corn field and it goes on and on like that. I can hunt pretty much all of it.
If it was you guys how would you go about hunting and area as I have described?
Find the roost and hunt the flyways?
Hunt the pecan trees even though the pecans are mostly gone?
I had my heart set on getting after them this weekend but the weather isn't gonna cooperate with that. But next Friday morning I plan on being in the area about daylight and I am gonna spend the entire day scouting and hopefully find their roosting sight. And hopefully get my first 100 plus bird hunt on Saturday. I apprciate you guys input, Thanks
Bob A. 515 in a single day is ridiculous, great hunt!
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"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be wise enough to be crows." Thoreau.
That is still a big help as they only update plat maps every few years.
How old is you're son? He will always cherish the memories the two of you will share together in the coming years. He is very fortunate to have a father like you who takes a real interest in his life, very important for a young man!
It definitely narrows the search and with a little internet searching you can find their contact info. I will often just go to cafes and ask around for the owner of the property and if anyone knows them. In small towns as I grew up in everyone knows everyone.
My son just turned 11 in October. I really appreciate your comment Bob. The little fart is a pretty dang good shot, his only problem is thinking his 20 gauge is a land cannon and will kill at a 100 yards haha. If the crow is in range he will generally give him a dirt nap. I put a .22 in his hands at 4 years old and his 20 gauge at age 7 and he has since became plenty capable of holding his own in the blind. We have been working on him not moving his gun and body so quickly on incoming crows and getting us busted.
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"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be wise enough to be crows." Thoreau.
Dale, this is the part where you are supposed to say, Bob, since you're close to Oklahoma why don't you come down and join us at the new spot I found with tons of crows. That's something your boy would never forget !
The crows of new England always seem to roost in the cities where you can't get at them (I would never shoot up a roost any ways but you get the picture...can't get under any fly ways in example)....one area they fed on these farm lands that had so many no trespassing signs you could wall paper the whole town with them!!!! And of course the fields would almost be black with crows!!! Too many tree huggers and mickey mouse club members! And Bullwinkle and Rocky...these people are absolute nutcases!
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 8th of December 2018 06:07:00 AM
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 8th of December 2018 06:07:52 AM
I much prefer seeking out the orchards (providing there are enough crows to hunt) with trees the height of you're last photo in you're post.
Dick and I had a very good day the other day, we shot 337 crows from 8:30 a.m. to noon time then an additional 178 in a different spot that afternoon for 515 for the total for the day. That was our best hunt so far this season.
Bob
It is hard for me to imagine the size of the roost that existed to be able to shoot this many crows. In my example I had to have seen a hundred crows in order to shoot 20..now I know that is laughable given this is NH but we don't have zillions of crows. Now I say 20 if the conditions were exceptional, low wind, and exceptional shooting-stop laughing-I have had good days....so any ways this is spectacular your exploits of the plains.
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 8th of December 2018 05:59:53 PM
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Saturday 8th of December 2018 06:00:52 PM
I forgot to say the incredible amount of ammunition to bring field as well...here I need to carry so much as the farmers don't want your trucks tearing up their cornfields. I have no idea how you types can manage it. If I need more ammo (rare) I need to hike a quarter mile back to grab an extra box...in soft ground, sometimes semi hard mud.
So this is pretty incredible how you two managed it...
Here between posted lands (just guess where the crows are!) and farms drying up the good ole' days-given NH as a whole and New England in general the writing is clearly on the wall...
Yes, I think Bob has a talent for finding the large roost's. The best i ever do is the so called satellite roost's. Never more than 50 birds. My area has lot's of crows to be seen but it's always small groups of 2 & 3 maby 5 scattered every couple miles. Only once at the pecan orchard after they turned the propane cannons off for the end of pecan season did i see 50 to 100 crows at one time but that was short lived. When i was out scouting the area surrounding the orchard looking for some type of flyway pattern every time i saw a field with a woodline that had some potential for a setup i would always see a groundblind set up in the corner of the field by deer hunters. So the odd's of getting permission in those area's are next to none as long as guys are still deer hunting, & archery goes thru January 15th. by then i'm sure all the pecans have been had & the crows have moved on.
Also about the app. that show's the land owners. In my case i got permission from the farmer leasing the land so contacting the owner directly may have been a NO.
I much prefer seeking out the orchards (providing there are enough crows to hunt) with trees the height of you're last photo in you're post.
Dick and I had a very good day the other day, we shot 337 crows from 8:30 a.m. to noon time then an additional 178 in a different spot that afternoon for 515 for the total for the day. That was our best hunt so far this season.
Bob
Good to hear Bob. Keep after 'em and keep us updated. Looking forward to some photos.
In Arkansas ,I usually go to the county agent and ask them who has a crow infestation problem. Many have pecan orchards and also feed calves out in the winter.Nothing makes a farmer madder than seeing crows sitting on their calf feeders eating their $10 bag of feed. Many ask for a liability form absolving them of any damages you might have,like a cow eating your mirror off your pick-up. Any its awful nice to pull up and the farmer says"Where have you been,the crows are eating up.!!! Hope this helps.
