Crow hunting...what choke/shot to use?

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I picked up a Winchester SX3 black shadow last week at Canadian tire(at a sick price because they put the worng price tag on it, which is another whole different story:D). a few of us are planning to go out and par take in some crow hunting. I'm just curious to know what choke to use in the gun and what kind of shot works best because i'm not really into bird hunting? I dont know the distance we'll be shooting. thank!
 
I do a lot of crow shooting and killing!! Lol
if you're using an e-caller and decoys set up, either an owl decoy or a few crow decoys the majority of your shooting will be tree top heights at best, 25-30 yds. In those situations I shoot an imp cylinder choke with a 3 dram load of #7.5's. Crows are not hard to kill and they aren't tough. The mistake most make is shooting too large of shot and having too big of spaces in the pattern causing non-vital hits. A crow is not very large bodied under all those feathers and the feathers on the body are not dense like a duck or goose so filling in the pattern with smaller shot is highly effective and results in more hits to the vitals. I shoot no larger than #6 ever and no more than 1 1/8 oz of shot is needed. Light field or heavy target loads( my preference is for heavy target) are plenty of medicine.
 
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu5OR7zg38Y

This is how i used to shoot the crows back
In wales. 32 g no5's with open choke.
I have a whirly bird machine here with me
Which i havent used once yet here in canada.
Those machines and decoys just pull the birds
Right in
Fun days..
We used to pile the dead crows up in the hedge row
And go back two days later to catch the foxes
Feasting away
 
I would listen to the Spank.....I had crow hunters on the farm a few years back, the first day, they got 2 crows, and wounded another....with over 75 shots. I was laughing, and the guy says "Can you do better" I said next Saturday I'll have The Spank, my Ace in the hole, here to help.Spank showed up, first 25 shots, he dropped 23 crows...the guys were astounded...The SPANK is a legend...
 
kolik1 said:
Uhm.... Full choke? .22LR to .300WM... or whatever i have in my hands at the time.
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Yup. The .243 with 55gr Vmaxs works well out to 200yds and probably farther. I would rather explode them at 100 yards plus than just kill them with the shotgun in close. More of a challenge. The problem is, they have figured it out and prefer to sit in the trees in the yard instead of out in the field where we have a good backstop. Oh well, the kid is getting better with his pellet gun.
 
I use #2 or #4 lead, 2oz, 3" with a Full choke. Hard to find the heavy duty stuff now though. Crows and Ravens on the Farm and they have lots of pressure so they're very cagey and rarely close.

For long shots I use a BDL 22-250 with 55grn Vmax bullets.

Phase 1 of spring hunting is crow/raven during calving, great times!
 
I've shot a couple crows over the years. Iam with Spank and Stubblejumper, 6's and 7 1/2's in lead depending on range. The 22 mag. if there in the tree out the bathroom window or the .243 with 65 gr. V max's if there feeding in the back field. The Vmax's will blow the whole side off a crow, it takes no prisoners.
 
mrgoat said:
I've shot a couple crows over the years. Iam with Spank and Stubblejumper, 6's and 7 1/2's in lead depending on range. The 22 mag. if there in the tree out the bathroom window or the .243 with 65 gr. V max's if there feeding in the back field. The Vmax's will blow the whole side off a crow, it takes no prisoners.
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Laugh2 No doubt the 243 with a 65 gr V Max would destroy a crow?! Holay!! I shot one last summer with a 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip V-Shok from my 22-250 at about 200 yards. I have never seen a pair of wings spread out across the ground at 3000+ fps until that moment. I think they called that recipe "Crow Spread"..........
 
I like full choke in my Mossy 535 and #5 pheasant loads. In my experience crows catch on very quickly, Will fly higher and not come as close after every shot. I have used #7.5 as well, But not great at high ranges,



I like when the corn is high enough it is above my head. Couple decoys at the edge of the field with my foxpro on full blast. Wait til the mob shows up and is circling above, Then unload as fast as possible. Sometimes I take the 17hmr with me as well because the crows fly about 100-150 yards away and land on the fence and watch.
 
Spank is right on ...

Over the past 40+ years, I've hunted crows with everything from a full choked 10 to a skeet choked 410.
Target or light field loads of 7-1/2's work just great. 6's or 5's if you have to, and even 8's or 9's if you've no choice.
Choke as you would for clay targets at the same distances you expect o encounter, or as the wise sometimes offer, modified
will do it all.
 
pattern your gun just like a rifle we can not tell you what brand/type/size/weight of round that will work well just like we cant tell you what choke it will work best with. that said I ten to use bulk 7.5 shot and my model 12 with a poly choke or when I need to reach out the .22lr come out to play pest bird hunting in something I do a lot of I don't find a need to use expensive ammo
 
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