I scouted a track of farm land out near my home on Saturday and seen a good number of crows and didn't think I would get to hunt them this weekend. I got their flight path to and from the fields pretty much down that morning. I also found the perfect spot for the blind, now all I had to do was be able to get there to hunt.
After thinking about that spot I couldn't stand the thought of not hunting them this weekend and so I decided to slip over there this morning. We got set up at daylight and the crows started funneling to the fields and the counter started rolling. The set up was pretty much perfect and the crows funneled into the decoys just perfect. The FF5 earned its keep this morning bringing the birds in like they where on a rope. The Total Body Count climbed and climbed and we ended the morning at 89 bandits on the dirt. This hunt set a new record TBC for me also over taking Colt
Highlights of the shoot:
We had a group of 11 crows approach in a tight group and we downed 6 of the 11 with each of us getting a double.
The first picture is of the blind, it is to the right in the picture.
I never kept track prior to 1974 but from 1974 to 2018 I have just shy of 166,000 crows under my belt and that is a conservative count. The beatings I don't even record in the book when Dick and I may shoot a few dozen between us when we're in the wrong spot.
I greatly appreciate the compliment! As with anything in life there are the ones that have went before and have been kind enough to let others in on their hard earned experience. I am very thankful that Bob has took the time to make his DVD's and instructional hand calling content. I am also very thankful for this website and all the men on here who have answered my many! questions and been willing to share their knowledge.
As far as me ever getting anywhere near Bob's TBC, that is to be highly suspect. I just wanna be able to consistently go and put it on the Black Marauders every time I get the chance. Something very satisfying in out smarting such a smart bird.
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"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be wise enough to be crows." Thoreau.
I never kept track prior to 1974 but from 1974 to 2018 I have just shy of 166,000 crows under my belt and that is a conservative count. The beatings I don't even record in the book when Dick and I may shoot a few dozen between us when we're in the wrong spot.
Still that is pretty good compared to my better years. I was getting around twenty each time out afternoon shooting of birds sraggling back to the roost.Now this is nothing like your hunts but it according to Bert Popowski with his 13 birds being a typical New England shoot I didn't do badly in 2 1/2 hours. None the less hard for me to imagine you two only get 36 birds ."Only" even. Here that would be pretty good(stop laughing)...I got 38 years ago in an early afternoon shoot-again-years ago. My partner and I forgot the birds used to roost about three miles or so up the road beside a pumpkin/watermelon patch!!
I am sooo glad I went with a Beretta 12 auto. Bob it was on your advice from a podcast that I went with the Beretta. Man, that is a fine weapon and has improved my kill ratio significantly.
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"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be wise enough to be crows." Thoreau.
The most crows we ever killed in a day, prior to this year was 21. I was taught to run & gun and my dad and uncle's didn't pay much attention to the detail's other than getting hid. We would hunt all day to only kill 10 to 15 crows. Bert Popowski's book is laying right in front of me along with Dick Mermon's. I have learned a ton from those two books. And you are right, Bert only had a few big kills in his day. What I found fascinating about Bert is how hard it was for him and his partners to find ammo and when they ran out they would just have to watch the crows fly by, which sounds horrible haha.
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"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be wise enough to be crows." Thoreau.
The most crows we ever killed in a day, prior to this year was 21. I was taught to run & gun and my dad and uncle's didn't pay much attention to the detail's other than getting hid. We would hunt all day to only kill 10 to 15 crows. Bert Popowski's book is laying right in front of me along with Dick Mermon's. I have learned a ton from those two books. And you are right, Bert only had a few big kills in his day. What I found fascinating about Bert is how hard it was for him and his partners to find ammo and when they ran out they would just have to watch the crows fly by, which sounds horrible haha.
I never meant to say how many crows Bert Perpowski got in any given day. I was trying to quote him on New England which struck me as kind of odd given that on really good days-October migration would I get so many crows; generally in the 10-15 range but with a partner and a bad habit of choice shots only...cost me half of what I should have gotten given what I used initially in a new area. #5 high brass 12ga...I should have went for longer range shots when they were there...
About Berts' problem getting ammo? I was under the impression he was hunting during WW2?
Ok, Killer I misunderstood. On his ammo shortage, I took it the same way. The war had it where you couldn't get ammo and all the lead was headed to Europe. He must of been a fantastic hand caller of crows.
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"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be wise enough to be crows." Thoreau.
After I ran out of ammo(fired off a hundred rounds) I learned but fast. Most of them misses by the way in the day. Then learned reloading then things were drying up as the crows were moving out of Dodge. The dumps a primary New England source or "anchor" were gone; the old farmers couldn't stimulate their kids interest and bargain vegetables rolling across the border from South America was seriously impacting our farms....and our government as corrupt as it is could care less..."by the people; for the people of the people" and total garbage all the way. It's for the government; of the government; and by the government" and plenty of room in those "F.E.M.A. " camps for everyone...if you disagree!!
Beretta makes a very good gas semi auto, I have a pair of model 391 Urika's and an A - 400 Beretta semi auto. But that being said, it's not the bow or arrow, it's the Indian behind it doing the shooting.
I scouted a track of farm land out near my home on Saturday and seen a good number of crows and didn't think I would get to hunt them this weekend. I got their flight path to and from the fields pretty much down that morning. I also found the perfect spot for the blind, now all I had to do was be able to get there to hunt.
After thinking about that spot I couldn't stand the thought of not hunting them this weekend and so I decided to slip over there this morning. We got set up at daylight and the crows started funneling to the fields and the counter started rolling. The set up was pretty much perfect and the crows funneled into the decoys just perfect. The FF5 earned its keep this morning bringing the birds in like they where on a rope. The Total Body Count climbed and climbed and we ended the morning at 89 bandits on the dirt. This hunt set a new record TBC for me also over taking Colt
Highlights of the shoot:
We had a group of 11 crows approach in a tight group and we downed 6 of the 11 with each of us getting a double.
The first picture is of the blind, it is to the right in the picture.
Excellent Dale. Your recon indicated you had numbers and a perfect blind location. No need to wait, just gives them time to alter feeding location and flight path. Thanks for the report and pictures. Keep after 'em.
Excellent Dale. Your recon indicated you had numbers and a perfect blind location. No need to wait, just gives them time to alter feeding location and flight path. Thanks for the report and pictures. Keep after 'em.
Randy
I know of this fellow who watched all these crows(Concord corridor,NH)He figured he'd shoot them that week end only to find out someone else cleaned up before he could!! When you can you better do it ! The sooner the better!
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Thursday 27th of December 2018 05:27:05 PM
After I ran out of ammo(fired off a hundred rounds) I learned but fast. Most of them misses by the way in the day. Then learned reloading then things were drying up as the crows were moving out of Dodge. The dumps a primary New England source or "anchor" were gone; the old farmers couldn't stimulate their kids interest and bargain vegetables rolling across the border from South America was seriously impacting our farms....and our government as corrupt as it is could care less..."by the people; for the people of the people" and total garbage all the way. It's for the government; of the government; and by the government" and plenty of room in those "F.E.M.A. " camps for everyone...if you disagree!!
You are overthinking it. Most of your problem has been 10ga and I are killing most of them before they have a chance to get to your side of the state.
You are overthinking it. Most of your problem has been 10ga and I are killing most of them before they have a chance to get to your side of the state. biggrin<<<<<<
I busted up laughing over this one. This line is a classic like the one about my 11-87 a "tomato stick"....(I did find out that it needed different rings; high brass and low brass but not together) Fact is the crows passing over you gents are way too far away to be of any consequence over here. Their winter roost(s) is more towards the Roxbury area. I know because a friend went to school in Boston or thereabouts and he hates crows but naturally that's a safe haven for crows but not for people as we know all too well. If I were a lawyer I'd want to live or travel to the bean town area. You could retire in 3 weeks there is so much crime there!
There are basically 3 flyways here basically. You have -I won't say-you got too much competition or so you say. And the one you've talked about as have I-yes-lots of crows there but you got to hit them just right. I only did once during migration when one would split off every now and then but I saw them. Very interesting! The main flights hung out there almost half a mile away and you'd pray not too much noise so they'd hear you and maybe check your position out. Also that area can have too much shooting too. Popular waterfowl area. And the area I frequent. This year I hope is better. I got a bit of an injury and never made it out this year. Man oh man every now and then hearing a few stragglers in the neighborhood working their way through..
I am below you on the latitude /longitude scale but sea level I am higher which is why on a snowy winter we folks here get swamped really good. If your crows were coming this way it would actually be very diagonally as to fly south west towards-say-Albany New York. But the crows congregating in Albany(I've seen them-quite the lot!)but even there they are likely coming down over Eastern New York still way west of me to be of any consequence. That's something like 4 hours I'd guess or on the other side of Vermont and then some.The other side of Lake Champlaign even. Quite the hike.
Crows do pass over here but way too few in numbers. Way way too few in fall...
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Thursday 27th of December 2018 04:12:25 PM
-- Edited by killer Crowalski on Thursday 27th of December 2018 05:24:32 PM
My first look at your above post was via my smartphone. Today I got a chance to look at your pictures on my computer and was wondering why you guys were standing out in the open in the first pix... Then I figured out why. Got to say your new blind system looks AWESOME!
Minimal brush with maximum concealment. Do you think anyone else noticed it? (The crows didn’t either.) No wonder your number was so high!! Great work!
Demi
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The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
