We spent a day scouting and two days hunting last week. Both days were overcast with temperatures fairly steady between twenty and thirty.
On the first day the wind was ENE@ 5-10 which wasn't ideal for us early. We could tell these crows had been hunted, but our set up was pretty good and we still had fairly good shooting. As the morning progressed the wind started to work in our favor and the shooting got better. We had a lull mid-afternoon and used it to adjust decoys and speakers for the flight back. The wind was now working for us and we got a flurry of good action with every group that came in. It was nearly dark when we got back to the truck with 111 down.
The second day was a tougher walk to get where we needed to be. About 500 yards vs. the 100 yd. cake walk we'd had the day before. Wind started ENE and turned N@10-12 as forecast, by mid-day. We set up accordingly and things worked well until late. Once again these were wary crows, but we got many of them to come in nicely. The pace was slower than the day before, but there was no long lull. This surprised us some as the numbers we'd seen while scouting, indicated this was most likely just an AM hunt. The PM flight missed us up-wind about a half mile. The ones we got to turn in had a tail wind and were about three gunshots high. We got a few to dive in, providing some good shots, but most either stayed up or came streaking by, giving a guy just one fleeting chance. The kind of shots that are fun when you make them, but the shot to kill ratio definitely drops. Or as my partner says, "not efficient shooting".
We did get the last two that came in and got our stuff packed up and out by full dark. 82 were tallied this day.
Two more photos. Note the speaker attached to the extension pole in #1. The result of probably too many hours thinking about how to efficiently get more range. Worked well on it's initial try.
Randy, I like your how you set up in an opening amongst the cottonwood's. Good job on dusting in the blind also. We know all about missing the evening flight by a mile or so, pretty much guess work. Good job at 111 & 82 & I like your partner's phrase of ( non efficient shooting ) Paul.
If you have competition in your area things can get pretty slim at this time of year.
I was out with Dick two weeks ago and shot 49 between us on day one and 186 on an afternoon flyway shoot the next day. We got the right conditions on the flyway shoot on the river. This is just my opinion but when two guys can only get 40 odd crows by hunting all day it's time to pull the plug because your just spinning you're wheels. Now if you just enjoy getting out there and numbers are secondary then go ahead and just enjoy yourselves.
Bob, We haven't done anything recently other than some run & gun close to home. We are planning another road trip together soon if the weather cooperates. I'm afraid we may be spinning our wheel's but it's the only thing going within a reasonable drive.
With that being said, our strategy is to spend more time scouting & possibly find a setup closer to their evening destination since we've had our butt's kicked in that area before on evening hunt's. I'm not sure if we could beat 49 on a morning hunt there this time of year but it's got to be better than sitting in the house just thinking about it ! Paul.
Sounds like you guys did some really really good scouting. This also means a decent amount of patience which I myself need to work on haha. 111 is a damn good hunt and easily remembered.
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"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be wise enough to be crows." Thoreau.
Bob, We haven't done anything recently other than some run & gun close to home. We are planning another road trip together soon if the weather cooperates. I'm afraid we may be spinning our wheel's but it's the only thing going within a reasonable drive.
With that being said, our strategy is to spend more time scouting & possibly find a setup closer to their evening destination since we've had our butt's kicked in that area before on evening hunt's. I'm not sure if we could beat 49 on a morning hunt there this time of year but it's got to be better than sitting in the house just thinking about it ! Paul.
Camo, I am with you on that one. You can kill em if you ain’t with em.
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Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,....
MattW
