When I was a teenager, we would make a blind, set crow decoys and hunt them hard. We would paint our face because they were so smart and we didn't want to be spotted. If you missed the sentinel (the one sent to check things over) you were screwed. You had to change spot. I used to use IC or Mod choke with 7 1/2 or 6 target or hunting load. It was a lot of fun.
Any Crow hunters here ?
- Thread starter Canadiankeeper
- Start date
Oh boy if it was only that easy! lol I would have a lot of guns! lol
I try to keep my firearms from being safe queens. So all need a purpose. I have had a long yearning for a classic over under. Just never really had any need for one as the semi 3" 12ga is for waterfowl and worked just fine for clays and messing around.
Tagged for interest. I have been wanting to get into crow hunting.
I tried just walking around some crown land with lots of crows in it with a full choke single shot 12ga. scared the hell out of a bunch them. I swear they were flying at the 50 yard mark. I also need a lot more practice with shotguns
I tried just walking around some crown land with lots of crows in it with a full choke single shot 12ga. scared the hell out of a bunch them. I swear they were flying at the 50 yard mark. I also need a lot more practice with shotguns
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
IMO...casually walking around and talking normally after you're done calling is just as bad as shooting crows if coyotes don't show up. In both cases there's the chance coyote(s) have snuck in undetected and are hung up in dense brush trying to figure out what's making the sound. By shooting or allowing them to see and hear you, you've just taught those animals to associate your calls with humans which can make hunting them more difficult. You really should be approaching coyote hunting the same as if you were hunting deer. Sneak in, remain undetected, sneak out.
You don't need to avoid areas where you coyote hunt if you wish to call in crows. Just use sounds that are intended for crows such as crow/owl fight, crow/hawk fight, crow in distress, etc. You'll call in far more crows and greatly lower your chance of educating coyotes. I've never called in a coyote using these sounds.
When I began hunting coyotes in this heavily pressured area of SWO, calling in coyotes seemed to be much easier than it is now and I can't help but think that's due to the somewhat recent surge in coyote hunting in Ontario and hunters inadvertently educating animals.
Yah, not one of my properties or spots. Normally that is how I treat yote hunting. Some of my red neck buddies... Not so much lol
Heading out tomorrow morning to do a line of 5 properties. Solo trip.
What sound you think would do well right now in swo
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Breeding season is upon us so female invitation howls and whimpers work well to attract horned up males and territorial females. As for distress calls, I've had the best results using odd ball sounds like flicker, chicken, goat, raccoon fight, and fox fighting. They really seem to have a thing for eating raccoons, possibly due to their high fat content?
What area are you hunting?
30 seconds into first set with an invitation howl. 4 popped out. Dropped 1.
2 minutes into legal shoot light.
Today was port Burwell area/port Bruce area.
My solo hunts are much more effective. Even with the high winds today.
2 minutes into legal shoot light.
Today was port Burwell area/port Bruce area.
My solo hunts are much more effective. Even with the high winds today.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Nice work! I plan on heading out around noon for a few stands in the Burford and Princeton area. Looking to bag a couple and bleach their skulls for display.
That reminds me I have a buddy asking for some skulls... He collects.. Not a hunter though lmao... He has walrus, Polar Bear and a few others I forget.
Hope to bag one more tomorrow and maybe another wed.
TrailGunner
Member
- Location
- SW Ontario
If you can find Winchester bulk packs in lead #4's at Canadian Tire, you'll be set for knocking crows out of the sky.
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
7 1/2 or 8 shot trap loads...nothing more needed to kill crows within reasonable range. Crows aren't hard to kill...any one who says they are, you're shooting them with big shot such as 4 or 5. Further, I have never ever felt any guilt dropping 30 or 40 crows in a morning.
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I'm from Chatham Ontario. We have the largest migration of crows in Canada. Estimations are over 2 million. I do my part and kill as many as I can. 12 ga full choke 7/8 oz #6-8 shot works.
On a windy day on a decent flight me and a buddy can kill 4-500 a day. Morning and evening.
On a windy day on a decent flight me and a buddy can kill 4-500 a day. Morning and evening.
I would go after crows if there were any on crown land.
Apparently they're all in Burnaby
My town has seasonal jobs for mobile car washing of dealerships and sidewalks to clean the #### off. Our skies are blackened each night in the downtown core along the river where they roost.
I try to kill as many as I can
I hit them hard in the spring during calving season. Raven, Magpie too.
I use a SBEII and run old Imperial, SuperX or PowerPoint 3" #2 and BB shot with a full choke. Can reach out pretty far with them.
With grain and calves around and the odd crow call they can't resist coming back. Shoot lots of them right in with the cows, just have to wait till they get high enough to shoot. Some are so smart they stay low and fly away thru the cows tho.
Gotta watch for power lines and yard lights too, the challenges actually make it pretty fun.
Alway get a laugh outta the old man when the tin roofs get the "lead rain" or a raven takes something out in a crashlanding!
We spread out and take turns moving around on atv's and hiding here and there behind stuff, and shoot them when they are avoiding the other guy and forget about us.
Sometimes we set up and snipe with the 22-250 if they are hanging back too far. That usually finishes off the day after a few shots tho.
My good old crow hunting dog won't be around for any more seasons.... Was the best spotter and retriever a guy could ask for.
I use a SBEII and run old Imperial, SuperX or PowerPoint 3" #2 and BB shot with a full choke. Can reach out pretty far with them.
With grain and calves around and the odd crow call they can't resist coming back. Shoot lots of them right in with the cows, just have to wait till they get high enough to shoot. Some are so smart they stay low and fly away thru the cows tho.
Gotta watch for power lines and yard lights too, the challenges actually make it pretty fun.
Alway get a laugh outta the old man when the tin roofs get the "lead rain" or a raven takes something out in a crashlanding!
We spread out and take turns moving around on atv's and hiding here and there behind stuff, and shoot them when they are avoiding the other guy and forget about us.
Sometimes we set up and snipe with the 22-250 if they are hanging back too far. That usually finishes off the day after a few shots tho.
My good old crow hunting dog won't be around for any more seasons.... Was the best spotter and retriever a guy could ask for.
Im only an hour away! Shoot me a PM if you ever need a hand putting some down! lol
sorry about the pooch.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
I don't recall anyone stating they're hard to kill. Hard to call into range sometimes, but the killing part is easy. Larger shot is more effective at extended ranges and with the goal being to knock down as many birds as possible, I will always choose #6 or larger. Step it up to #2's or BB and you can knock down a few birds with one shot.
Crow hunting is an excellent time to experiment with different load and choke combinations while using up those odd shells you have laying around.
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
You are a lucky person. I take about that in an entire season...crows absent from my province from the end of October until late march. Wonderful birds to hunt and do wonders for wingshooting skills.
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
I understand your point...just that a good quality trap load will kill crows cleanly out to about the edge of shotgun range efficiently. Larger shot, say lead 4's have plenty of crow sized holes at 45 yards. Just pluck a dead crow and one will see that their bodies are a bit smaller than that of a feral pigeon, although they have a somewhat wider breast. Why bigger lead shot brings them down but tendencies to break wings of legs resulting in "flappers" is common...as Ive shot crows with 2 shot all the way up to 9 skeet loads. You would have to shoot a pretty heavy load of 4 or 5 shot to get decent patterns at longer ranges to be effective on such small targets. Personally I'd never shoot bigger than sixes...further, high volume shoots would be punishing IMO. But if you're using up odd ammo on live targets then go at er!
