I thought I would post a few pics of my hunts this year. This first one was my best hunt since I've learned how to do this. It took place at a farm about 30 minutes north and was a new place for me. The farmer was kind enough to ride me around in his truck and show me potential spot to hunt. I ended-up doing a morning hunt along an old fence line that was grown-up with oaks, cedars etc. and overlooked a cut soybean field. It was in the low 20's (that pretty cold here for you northern folks) and not a cloud in the sky. With a north wind and a west facing blind the conditions were good! I ended up with 35 (17 better than my previous best hunt). I had a great time and the only issue I had was my hand calls freezing up. This was a solo hunt with hand calls only- when they worked... One crow was apparently of the opinion that being shot and killed was no reason to lose your breakfast over.
Rob, to clear a clogged call (from Slavia or condensation) hold your mouth piece sidways and blow all the crud out of the reed and mouth piece of your call. Then put your call inside your coat and your body heat will dry it out for you within an hours time. Use two calls!
This was hunt near my house on educated crows. So I wasn't expecting great results... I hunted in a new spot. I was in a wood line with a berm about 15 ft in front of me and that overlooking a planted wheat field. I set my blind up (in the background behind the crows and over the berm) the afternoon before and left my decoy bag in the woods so I didn't have to carry it in the next morning. I grabbed it the next morning before daylight and started putting out decoys by flashlight. I had 2 or 3 decoys out when I felt something scratching on my hand. I shone my light on it and discovered a mouse trying to crawl up my hand! I wasn't expecting a rodent so it startled me pretty good. I also had a large hawk land next to one of my dead crows. I was surprised how much arm waving and hollering it took to get it to finally leave. I quit at noon and with how educated I knew these crows were, I was happy with 6.
Good reports! 35 is a strong effort in most areas of the country. Like! Did you have to scout to find that many? Thanks for sharing pictures.
I remember the first time I had a double digit crow hunt years ago. I had 17 crows feet up in the decoys at the end of the morning. I was pretty pumped! At the time I had been a long avid waterfowler so hunts where I shot a box of shells were not exactly common. Little did I know that crows would ruin my waterfowling habit.
Good report on your hunt! Living in South Carolina, I'm afraid I can't offer advice on frozen calls!
Relative to the seed in the mouth of the crow, it is common for us to see crows fly in with a peanut in it's beak. It is a great way to prove Newton's law of Gravity... shoot the crow and witness that the dead bird and dropped peanut hit the ground at the same time!!!
Your hawk was looking for live crows among the dead. They will not eat a dead one, but often attack wounded ones. Next time leave him alone and he may attract a mob of fresh crows who see him and come to attack their mortal enemy!
Good hunting,
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
Good to know! I did not know they wont take a dead one. Interesting, as I often see hawks dining on road killed deer. If it happens again I will leave it be and see what it does.
Jason,
Yes, I saw this farm on Google Earth and decided it looked like a good place to hunt. I drove out there Christmas day to check it out and much to my surprise there were crows everywhere!! I pulled-over to try to figure out how I could possibly have been so right (this never happens!) While parked there a farm hand stopped and took my phone number and name down. A week later the farmer called me. I wish all my scouting trips went like this one did...
I've seen eagles on roadkill, but most hawks avoid carrion.
Relative to your scouting, you may want to consider getting some business cards made up. From online vendors they are cheap, easy and delivered fast. Here is the one I use:
Great cards! I suppose when I feel I have reached a level of proficiency as to not completely embarrass myself, I will have to design one. This may take awhile... I think they are a great idea for what we do though.
This was my last hunt of this season. Apologies for taking so long to post! This was a hunt at a deer camp about 1.5 hrs south of me. I know one of the members and he said there were always lots of crows in this certain field. I drove down one afternoon to check it out and set-up my blind. Unfortunately, the field I wanted to hunt was inaccessible due to heavy rain the day before. And I was not about to press my luck crossing a raging creek in the middle of nowhere, by myself. So, I found a spot on my side of the creek and went to work. This was a corn field that they never harvested- just cut it down and left it. So there was plenty of food there. I hunted til about noon and got 10. I had one double and one surprise scotch double. I set up in a narrow strip of trees/brush that had grown up along a small drainage ditch in the middle of a large field. The scotch double came when a big bunch of crows lifted off the field I was supposed to be hunting and a group of them flew right over me. I kept expecting them to turn over my decoys and downed birds but they never did. They just flew directly over my blind. When I realized they were not going to turn I threw-up my gun and fired at the last second. There were several of them very close together but it never crossed my mind that I may have hit more than one. They were so far over my head that the only reason I knew I hit one was by hearing it crashing thru the brush behind my blind. When I got out of the blind awhile later I was shocked to see 2 down crows within a few feet of each other. Does it count when it happens this way?? I hope to get at that other field next season!
Darn right it counts, Rob. I once missed the one I was shooting at, but on the same shot, stoned one further out. Didn't have a problem clicking the accident. My partner was out of the blind and when he returned, asked how many I got. Told him I got two, missed one. Thought you only shot twice, he replied. I had to fess up then.
A Scotch Double is indeed rare! I've gotten very few and one was a crow and a seagull that fell from a flock flying higher over the crows. OOPS, I didn't tell the game warden about that one!!
Demi
__________________
The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.
