NH, I agree with you but you can always push the front brim up so it's vertical so your vision is not obstructed with birds flying almost directly over head.
As for a face mask and gloves, I have never used them in all my years of hunting crows.
IMHO they are almost as important as keeping still while hunting.
Demi
I'm not a fan of face masks. Causes glasses to fog up. However, in season I let my facial hair grow and smear on some face paint if I think I need it.
Our weather is rarely warm enough to go without gloves, so they might as well be camo. I wear a pair of stretch fit gloves under double mittens when it gets real cold. They slide right out for shooting or running the call remote.
I'm with NH and Bob on the hat. Both of mine have a two inch brim and if I don't need it to shield the sun I fold it back. The ear lappers on my cold weather hat restrict my peripheral a bit so I go as long as I can with them up. Probably why my ears have been frost bit a time or two.
I believe your assessment is correct Demi. As long as it allows a guy to see and shoot, blend in and be as concealed as possible.
No mask, no gloves(unless cold) short brimmed hat , and most of all NO MOVE, movement biggest problem with crows seeing you not camo,
scott
As you know it's the quality and cover the blind provides. Most of ours would allow us to be just as successful wearing blue jeans cause the crows can't see our legs unless they are near straight above us. In the fall as the morning warms up I often shed layers and hunt in a black sweatshirt, you often wear a tan canvas jacket. Crows are not seeomg us until the guns are hitting our shoulder. If you are running and gunning or using an improvised blind like some camo burlap then camo and face mask become more important, when you are in a good blind they are not needed.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Wednesday 6th of February 2019 01:31:50 PM
Here is a photo of my old crow hunting mentor and myself on an afternoon flyway shoot in 1974. I agree with you about movement getting there attention.
+1 on the movement. When i was hunting near an orchard earlier this season i realy needed another shooter in the blind with me so i asked an older fellow i know who is a top notch trap / skeet shooter. They say he NEVER MISSES. So i was excited to say the least when he went with me & we were in the blind before daylight. Turned out that he was the crows best friend. He could not sit still, always popping his head up looking for incoming & swinging that gun barrel at every caw sound he heard. I think we got 21 that day which was ok but we had at least that many veer off at 50 yard not to return. So yes, sit still & don't move till it's time to shoot. Bob, would that be Boyd in that photo with you ? Paul.
If a guy feels the need for more camo then go ahead and do it. I am just giving my opinion on my own experience with crows.
Here is Boyd Robeson and I hunting geese and all Boyd did was hold dead still until it was time to take the shot. He was dressed in dark blue, no camo at all.
If a guy feels the need for more camo then go ahead and do it. I am just giving my opinion on my own experience with crows.
Bob,
With all due respect (and you know I mean that), you solved a lot of problems... camo, gloves, face mask, etc. ... simply by moving to where the crows are in great numbers!!!
As they say; "Good Move, my man!"
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
NH summed up my thoughts quite well. If you are hunting without a blind, things like face masks & gloves may prove more useful than if you are hunting from a well covered blind.
Personally, I put a lot more effort into my blinds than I do on my camo. I can move a lot without being seen in my blind too. The birds don’t see me unless I pop out to shoot. I avoid wearing gloves if the weather permits & I have used face masks but they were an annoyance with little value when hunting from a good blind. Just my opinion.
Demi, you seem to build good blinds. Does the face mask really impact your success?
BH
PS - It may seem elementary to some but I wanted to make sure and point out that it is important to lean in close to your blind as the birds approach VS sitting straight up. Get your face close to the wall of your blind. I have hunted with others who don’t do that and it can prove to be troublesome.
-- Edited by Big Honkers on Wednesday 6th of February 2019 04:53:28 PM
Many years and a great many crows ago I used to run and gun in New York State, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. All I wore was a T shirt in an earth tone and blue jeans with a pair of hand calls around my neck. I mainly used a 20 gauge pump gun with either 8's or 9's from 1966 to 1973. I just made sure they had to fly over some cover before they got to me, I did not try to call them from out in the open. By the time they cleared the trees it was to late. This was from June through August every year.
Here is my father hunting crows in July of 1957 before I started wing shooting.
I used to watch him shoot crows with no shirt on during the summer months. He would either shoot them when they cleared the trees or he would shoot through some of the cover surrounding him at his calling stand. It should be noted that the majority of these birds were pretty much right off the nest and made for easy pickings.
I am not saying the way he hunted them was right or wrong because he still killed birds. Old Leo was a very fine wing shot. He used to go to Mexico City and Cuba to enter some of those high dollar live pigeon shoots for money. He shot a pair of 12 gauge model 21 Winchesters in those days.
Dang, Bob. I never knew you had a real father! All this time, I just assumed you were hatched out of a hawk or owl’s nest and went straight to killing crows as a young fledgling!! 😃😃
Just kidding, of course. It’s always nice reminiscing over old photos. Lots of fond memories.
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
He went out of his way to spend lots of time with me in the field as a young lad. He knew my younger brother just did not have what it takes in regard to enthusiasm for the wing shooting sports. He went to Cuba in the early 1950's before Castro took over.
Due to conditions I have to cammie up as much as possible. No blind for starters. I often use a good old tree as cover my outfit doing the rest....if you forget your mask a good broad rimmed hat will suffice...but for me as a crow ambusher total camou is a huge advantage. I got many a crow this way. But here again I don't have anything like most of you do. Easier to not worry about building a blind for me. Where I go I just strand on the opposite edge of a hedge row and shoot at them coming over. If it's all one has then....either your blind is your camou or your camou is!
Cammo is overrated in my opinion...especially the face mask/painting thing...not to say one should be comfortable wearing a bright yellow jacket just that a bit of concealment and refraining from movement until the shot is just as important. Guys all decked out in the latest cammo patterns, covered faces...or painted and guns with cammo patterns seem so unnecessary to me when pursuing crows, waterfowl, etc.... Turkey hunters by all means.
Up here in Canada, the American duck and goose hunters stand out like sore thumb. Decked out from head to toe in cammo which naturally is brand new. A guy IMO can shoot just as many ducks in a grey freezer jacket and beige shooting vest... Few pice of yours truly as I have a bad case od cabin fever and thus feeling quite narcissistic. Need to get out a shoot a few dozen crows soon but thats still on the horizon as 20 below the norm still
Ted
-- Edited by M12Shooter on Monday 11th of February 2019 04:19:07 PM
Cammo is overrated in my opinion...especially the face mask/painting thing...not to say one should be comfortable wearing a bright yellow jacket just that a bit of concealment and refraining from movement until the shot is just as important. Guys all decked out in the latest cammo patterns, covered faces...or painted and guns with cammo patterns seem so unnecessary to me when pursuing crows, waterfowl, etc.... Turkey hunters by all means.
Ted
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Monday 11th of February 2019 06:08:35 PM
Dick's face blends in and from 30 yards out his face looks like a postage stamp. Take your thumb and blot out his body so you can see what I am talking about.
I'm still going to smear some grease on my cheek bones on a bright day. It can't hurt and it can help a guy see better by cutting down on the glare. Especially off of the snow.
I'm still going to smear some grease on my cheek bones on a bright day. It can't hurt and it can help a guy see better by cutting down on the glare. Especially off of the snow.
Randy
Randy,
These days, just make sure you don't get accused of wearing black face!
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
NH, and here I never knew that I might be part Italian!
Those sun sticks work very well as you can move them as the sun moves on you during a hunt. Plus they are adjustable they also move up and down with the sun.
I'm still going to smear some grease on my cheek bones on a bright day. It can't hurt and it can help a guy see better by cutting down on the glare. Especially off of the snow.
Randy
Randy,
These days, just make sure you don't get accused of wearing black face!
Demi
Kudo's for you Demi for coming up with that one ! I like that. lol. Paul.
I'm still going to smear some grease on my cheek bones on a bright day. It can't hurt and it can help a guy see better by cutting down on the glare. Especially off of the snow.
Randy
Randy,
These days, just make sure you don't get accused of wearing black face!
Demi
Like Paul said, that's a good one Demi.
Maybe someone should suggest the "I was just going crow hunting defense".
Randy, here are some photos of the sun sticks that Dick and I have developed over the years to combat sun and glare!
I've considered making a couple of those Bob, as they'd come in handy at times. I don't like the idea of more equipment to haul around, but they'd still be good to have on hand for when you can drive to the blind site.
Here is my sun shade/stick. It's the nylon OD duffle bag I carry my decoys, thermos and a sweater or vest in, propped up on a stick found near my hunting location. Nothing to make, nothing extra to haul, blocks the sun effectively.
NH, we used to do it that way. The problem was when the sun started to rise higher in the morning you had to keep searching for taller sticks which was a pain in the neck. We solved that problem with the new sun sticks.
Here is my sun shade/stick. It's the nylon OD duffle bag I carry my decoys, thermos and a sweater or vest in, propped up on a stick found near my hunting location. Nothing to make, nothing extra to haul, blocks the sun effectively.
NH,
Dual purpose equipment is always good. I'm going to figure something out along those lines.
and guns with cammo patterns seem so unnecessary to me when pursuing crows, waterfowl, etc.... Turkey hunters by all means. 
. Need to get out a shoot a few dozen crows soon but thats still on the horizon as 20 below the norm still
