Earlier this week I got a call from a friend living in a rural section of the SC Midlands. A neighbor and farmer was telling him about a crow problem at his blueberry orchard. He said he knew someone with a solution! Arrangements were made to hunt the orchard this morning. All was pretty straightforward...warm, overcast, humid, but otherwise ”normal” except this was my first hunt over berries.
Things started out well with crows filtering in until a fog rolled in for an hour or so. Once it burned off, it was back to hunting. As this was almost June, I didn’t expect much action, but was pleasantly surprised when the crows kept coming in just as if they were ordered up by crow hunters...low, steady, in small groups and relatively stupid! One point is that that we were there at the very tail end of the crop, so the numbers could have been much better with proper timing. It will be right next year!!
Finishing up at 10:00, we ended with a total of 47 crows, plus a new blueberry/pecan/peanut farmer who is now sold on a great way to cut his crop damage from the Corvid Bandits. One note of interest is that almost all crows there were Fish Crows
Demi
Photo 1: Satellite photo showing blind location
Photo 2: Fog rolling in
Photo 3: Decoy spread and blind
Photo 4: Blind interior (note fan at bottom left)
Photo 5: “Mini pickup” as many fell in the chigger & snake-infested bushes
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing your story and pictures too. I need to get talking to the handful of farmers I know. Would like to give the crow shooting a try this summer.
Thanks for your comments and welcome to the Forum! Hope you have as much fun and success with crows as I have. It's now a passion for me.
Note that as Migratory Waterfowl, crows are protected by a hunting season that is set by each state, so check your regulations closely as not many states allow hunting in the summer. The above referenced hunt was technically out of our season, but handled under a Crop Depredation allowance that is available in our state. Your mileage may vary.
While lots of fun, you will find that crow hunting has a steep learning curve. Pay attention to the details and seek good advice, such as that which you can glean from the many postings on this forum. If you use the "Search" feature, it can be a powerful tool.
Welcome again, and good hunting.
Demi
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The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
Yep, have already looked at regs. We get August and September here in Michigan as well as months of Feb and March. I believe there is also a nuisance clause, which is where the farmer contacts could get a little leeway. I'll certainly be careful.
Just noticed today you also hang around sgw, one of my favorite places. Regards,. Gary
Thanks, Randy. I expect the blueberry hunt to be my last one until the Fall. It is always nice to end with a decent hunt.
The sporting clays season has been in great Covid-19 disarray, but is finally cranking back up. Going to my second tournament since the lockdown started this coming week. It will be a nice break from all the craziness. Hope you’ve been able to stay safe and sane, too!
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
