how do you kill crows?

C

coyotebuster

New member
i have a js 612 delux and 2 tapes for crows. they are the crow reveille and the owl and crow fight. i have a owl dcoy to. i can call them in but i never get them below 40 or 50 feet. i aim about 2 feet in front of them ussualy (ive tried everyhing). Should i switch to a full chock rather than a modified? last saturday i called in over 300 crows and managed to get off 11 shots from my 12 gauge. none were hits. should i get some crow decoys or anything else. i wear camoflauge all over my body but i just dont understand why i cant get them lower. i am a good trapshooter so i cant figure out the misses either. any help would be greatly appreciated

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have fun and shoot straight
brad
 
Decoys help alot, if you take dead crows and throw em out by your bling that works good. The best load I used for high flyers is #3 mag leadshot with full or modified choke. I usually aim about a bird and a half ahead, but sometimes they flare before you shoot and you have lead them less. If you have a blind set up so they cant see you until its to late you should get some, especially if you have a lot in your area. A really good but not the most ethical decoy is a wounded one tied to the weight to it cant go anywhere. Death cries bring them in good. maybe a owl decoy. and fight sequence combine with a death cry will kill them good.
good luck-
-a semi auto .22 with a hi/cap. banana clip and subsonic ammo gets the highfliers better than a shotgun usually.

[This message has been edited by Jackal (edited 01-22-2002).]
 
We had a crow and owl fight tape. and we put out an owl decoy, and 3 crows. THe owl decoy we put out about 15-20 yards away form where we sit and then the 3 crow decoys i climb up in a tree as high as i can go and put them the tree above my and to the side. I put them in 2 different trees not all bunched up.
 
Jackal, I'm going to give you the benefit of doubt. I'm sure you don't practice that ihhumane practice of baiting with a wounded crow. You are absolutely correct in stating that is NOT an ethical practice and as sportsman, we should strive to banish such acts or barbarism. Crows are no less a game animal than a coyote and should be treated with the same dignity and respect as all others.
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Just my 2cents
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Bob
 
bob
thats just something i heard works very good, but i dont agree with it either, and have never done that. I respect all the animals I hunt.
 
Ethics aside, using a Federally protected migratory game bird (that's what they are) as "bait" or a "lure" has verrrry heavy financial ramifications, if ya' know what I mean.
 
hey everyone i got the second crow of my lifetime yesterday!!!!! I was calling and missing in a feild and told my friends we should go in the woods where theywere flying lower to he ground. after about 5 minutes i called about 50 of them in and got a shot. the crow spiraled down to the ground and before he hit the ground i was running. according to my friends i was screaming i got him i got him i got him but i dont remember. well thanks for your help guys!

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have fun and shoot straight
brad
 
Originally posted by Jackal:
why not??
as long as their arent any other hunters or buildings around.
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Because shooting a 22 like that into the air is not a safe practice. You can't be sure no one else is around, can you? Doesn't look as if you are going to be convinced that it isn't safe.

Richard Jones
Rice, VA
 
I'm gonna agree with Rich ,it is not a good practice to shoot 22Lr. in the air because you dont have anyway of knowing where your shot will land,its a good way to shoot something you shouldn't not to mention maybe kill someone.
just my.02 cents worth.
 
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Hi Coyotebuster,
Here is how you kill a crow... 1 1/8th oz. of #6
12guage mod. choke. I would highly recomend some crow decoys. Cabelas has good ones. You can get three for under twenty dollars.
It sounds like you are in the right area if they are coming to your calling. Any birds that you shoot, you should put in with your other decoys. Cut a stick about a foot long. stick one end in the ground and the other end in the dead crows mouth, so it props him up like he is standing on the ground looking for food. The more birds you get in your spread the more crows you should draw.
Some good overhead cover helps as well. Maybe set up under a few trees, that way you can step out when they are in range and shoot the low ones.
We have also have used large plywood sillouette decoys of crows. Like geese, they they dont seem to mind the extra large size. Hope this helps,
7 days


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Here is a recent shoot we had. About 6 of these birds are plastic decoys, the rest are dead crows. I think we got 46 that day. The more black shapes on the ground the more likely they will decide to commit.
When we see that we have turned some birds and they are headed our way, I usualy back off on the calling a little bit. Once they are close I try to sound like an injured crow,real sickly like.
Good shooting
7 Days

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Here's a method to avoid the ethics problem of a wounded crow decoy: the predator enticer decoy comes with a batch of black feathers on a spring that, when activated, looks just like a strangling bird trying to escape. Used with a distress call, it's very effective.
 
I shoot them with a .177 airgun right in the thorax which brings them right to their knee's! Diffrent weapon but my personal favorite for 60 yards and closer on small creatures! Try it I think you'll find it quite enjoyable......they aren't your grand Dad's Red Ryder any more! I have Just over $1000 in mine and it will shoot in the .40's at 50 yards for 5 shots! This is how and what I hunt with for my Rabbits and Crows!
 
Try a Red Tail Hawk Decoy during daylight hours. Hawks are more natural during the day.Crow decoys are a must. I use the windsock design that stack inside one another for easy moves and set ups.A crow fight call works extra fine this time of the year. Followed up by the crow distress.

I have killed crows witha 410 gauge up to a 12. I really like my 20. High brass in 6-7 1/2 shot does the trick with a modified choke.

If a single crow shows up during your calling.....let that one go. It will go back and get the others to join in.After you bust into them go to the crow distress call RIGHT AWAY!You should get follow up shots on at least 40% of the birds that high tailed it away.www.crowhilldecoy.net has the windsock designed crow decoys and the Red Tailed Hawk decoy.Or check out www.crowbusters co.
 
Originally posted by coyotebuster:i can call them in but i never get them below 40 or 50 feet. i aim about 2 feet in front of them ussualy (ive tried everyhing). Should i switch to a full chock rather than a modified?

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First of all you have to get the crows close before you can shoot them. Carry a hand call as well as an e-caller with you and learn how to use it. Then when the crows get close you can do a little calling to bring them in the last few yards. I sometimes use a decoy hooked to a spring and with a string attached to it that I can pull. It really brings them in. If they still stay back it is more than likely YOU. Wear full camo (Face mask, gloves, ect.). Get hidden, the crows are looking for you so make yourself hard to find. Crow can detect movement even when they appear to be looking away. Have your gun up and be in a position to shoot before they arrive. Also remember that crows, like turkeys, can see UV brightener, something most detergents have. I learned that the hard way! Wait till you can see the feet or beak of the crow. That's when you know he's in range. Shot size is the most debated question in crow hunting. It really all comes down to personal preferents. However, the general rule of thumb is that for longer shots, 30-40yds., use a tighter chock (full, or X-tra full) and a bigger shot (#4-#7 1/2). For shots 30yds. and under, use a more open chock (Mod. or I.C.) and a smaller shot (#7 1/2-#9). How ever I have known crow hunters who use a full chock and #9 or an I.C. and #4. You will just have to find out what works best for you. I shoot a 12ga. semi-auto with an X-tra full turkey chock loaded with #6. These are just a few tips that might help, but I think your real problem is over leading! Crows are not fighter jets traveling a two hundred miles an hour! I have over lead and missed so many crows that I'm embarrased to tell you how many. Aim for the tip of the beak or just a few inches in front of it. I have killed many crows aiming at the body. You will know when you shoot behind the crow, but if the crow appears he is flying through the shot pattern, chances are he's to far away or you are over leading him.
Hope that was helpful. There is so much more to crow hunting than it first appears. I suggest you go to www.crowbusters.com to learn more. Have fun and good luck.

"Crowgunner"
 


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