Boy! Are things slow...think of crow hunting as "things". Yep (Gary Cooper's famous expression) things are slow where I live. Been crow hunting 6 times this season and have only harvested 102 crows. Ug, crap, bull stuff, etc. The only excuses I have for no more success, is no crows, and poor shooting. The past two years have been terrible for crow hunting for me. Actually I'm thinking seriously of finding a new hobby-sport as a past time endeavor, and giving up crow hunting. If I do, I'll have some of the finest, maybe the finest, crow hunting equipment for sale there is. Been crow hunting since October 28, 1967 (52) years, with some off periods, and feel like I need to try something else, as I approach 78 years of age. I'll forecast that some other crow hunters on this website, whom are about my age, are feeling the same way that I do. I hope that I do not encourage anyone to cease enjoying such a fine sport.
I have'nt made any decision about selling my equipment yet, as I continue to think of a new sport to enjoy.
Burn out is a factor in any sport including hunting crows. After 52 years you feel as though you have killed you're share of them and that is quite understandable.
My past two seasons were below par and that takes the wind out of ones sails to be sure! This season has been very good so far and has renewed my killer instincts and given me hope for the future. I fondle both of my Fox Pro callers every night and tell them what a good job they are doing this season.
Land access is a very big factor and if you have difficulty in this matter regarding deer leases you just have to work around it as best you can.
Hey, talking about Gary Cooper, he taught me how to swim in Cuba before Castro took over! My father used to vacation there with the family in the early 1950's.
I will turn 72 in February and still enjoy getting out there after the winged quiz kids.
MI 2020 season (1st half) is 1 FEB - 31 MAR. Oh, and we have an extra day to hunt in FEB. Good deal. Will be trying out a new home-made portable blind, based on Dale's Tanglefree system.
Teaser photo below.
Due to a variety of reasons, none of them good, only got out once with Larry (The Master Machinist) during the last 2019 season (AUG-SEP). Final TBC photo of that 7-bird hunt below. Some of you might recall this location--one of the places we hit once every season.
My 1st time calling crow near my backyard. No hunting allowed but it was fun to call them in
David,
It's a thrill to get crows coming in on your call. I still remember the first time I blew a hand call and watched a crow change direction to head in my direction!
And your photo can now be labeled: "Educated Crows" It will be hard to get any of these birds back for another visit.
Good Hunting,
Demi
Old Artilleryman wrote:
MI 2020 season (1st half) is 1 FEB - 31 MAR. Oh, and we have an extra day to hunt in FEB. Good deal. Will be trying out a new home-made portable blind, based on Dale's Tanglefree system.
Teaser photo below.
Craig
That's a nice looking blind system, Craig! And I'll bet you saved a few bucks over the tanglefree system!
Been slow around here, too! My season TBC is a little over 300, but most of the reason is because life has gotten in the way! As I am now semi-retired, those extra curricular activities just keep piling up! If I ever retire, I'll be snowed under with hobbies and projects! Don't see myself leaving crow hunting, as it is still thick in my blood.
Hope you all have a Happy New Year!
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
OA, that is a very nice portable blind, you should do quite well.
Thanks. It should work well. It's made in two identical three-piece sections, each half having one side section and two smaller sections making the longer front/back. Unfolding each to its "L-shape" and hooking the two sections together takes only seconds. Light enough for one tired hunter to hoist each piece down from or up onto the red truck, though I usually hunt with one of my other two crow-hating friends. It should also work using one section only, folded into a triangle.
I'll make a full report on its construction when I have an idle day during January. Like Demi, it always seems real busy around here.
Craig
__________________
"Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave." -- Andrew Fletcher 1698
MI 2020 season (1st half) is 1 FEB - 31 MAR. Oh, and we have an extra day to hunt in FEB. Good deal. Will be trying out a new home-made portable blind, based on Dale's Tanglefree system.
Teaser photo below.
Due to a variety of reasons, none of them good, only got out once with Larry (The Master Machinist) during the last 2019 season (AUG-SEP). Final TBC photo of that 7-bird hunt below. Some of you might recall this location--one of the places we hit once every season.
Craig
That is a nice looking blind OA. Hope your back is healed up and you can get after the crows!
Happy New Years to everyone. The St. Louis area doesn’t have enough crows to even pull out my gear. The Goose hunters take care of them I learned during the outage at the refinery. I just got a lay-off and now headed to South Georgia. Hopefully things are better there as for Crows.
At different stages of your life you have different priorities.
Dick and I have never gotten involved with other women after our wives passed away because we both wanted to remain as free as a bird to come and go as we please. No honey do's to do. No family obligations and as a result we stay as long as we like when we are on the road. Dick and I both joke about women in the crow blind and say to one another ( playing a woman's role ) "what do you mean your leaving on another crow safari, you just got back two weeks ago. Why don't you spend more time with me? Don't you love me anymore? " I think it's just the nature of the beast.
Back when I lived in the back woods of Maine, they had a term for a person who spent too much time away from civilization... they would say he’s “woods queer!” Sounds like it might apply to some of us crow hunters, too 😁. Be careful!!
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
My wife used to say to me " are you and Boyd getting the Honeymoon Suite at the motel" because we spent so much time together during crow season. Boyd was my partner from 1974 to 1994.
Good deal. Will be trying out a new home-made portable blind, based on Dale's Tanglefree system.
