Crow Hunting

I am the "designated" crow shooter for a local hutteritte colony. I shoot them with my 22-250 and do get some favours in return for my "troubles". The problem they have with them occurs mostly during calving season (spring). new born calves are attacked by crows that will literally eat the eyes out of the weaker calves (that is no kiddin'). Usually will get one or two shots at close range, but they soon learn. I then have to re-locate, wait a while and take them at longer range. Definitely a good way to hone your shooting skills and simultaneously do somthing useful.
 
nlevandier said:
frig the FOXPRO FX3 must have cost you a couple rolls of penny's eh? can safe to say your satisfied with your purchase. i looked into one after reading your blog but i guess they're over $400 bucks? what other calls did you get...i think it said you can choose 25.
Click to expand...

Actually the call cost me around $625-$650 or so. It is a pretty price to pay but I sold a rifle I wasn't using, So I justified it. You can have have 32 sounds on the call but you can have an unlimited number of sounds on your computer and just switch back and forth. It is really just a glorified MP3 player. Their latest, the FX5 comes with 50 sounds but the call can hold 200, it is another $200.

The wireless remote was the selling feature for me, the call can be placed a few hundred yards away and still be controlled by the remote. I have only had the call for a few days and I think I am happy with it... still learning some of it's quirks.

Now that I have my FX3, if anyone is interested in a Johnny Stewart electronic call, it is going to be listed for sale when I get a chance, has a bunch of predator calls, snow goose and of course CROWS :D
 
Last edited:
The spot I goose hunted this fall was infested with crows? (seiously, I would see upwards of 2000-3000 crows every morning) The flyway was right down the fenceline I had my blind in. I shot a dozen or so, but i always hated making noise when the geese were around so I didnt really pound them.

Do you think they will still be hanging around or do they migrate a bit?

I would love to get back out and pound some more now that the geese are gone.
 
gth said:
The spot I goose hunted this fall was infested with crows? (seiously, I would see upwards of 2000-3000 crows every morning) The flyway was right down the fenceline I had my blind in. I shot a dozen or so, but i always hated making noise when the geese were around so I didnt really pound them.

Do you think they will still be hanging around or do they migrate a bit?

I would love to get back out and pound some more now that the geese are gone.
Click to expand...
They will be where ever the food is. They likely won't be too far from your field but possibly far enough.
 
gth said:
I assume they eat the agricultural crops like other birds. The freshly cut corn and bean fields might be worth a look.

Other than that I think most of the area is tilled under.
Click to expand...
Corn is of course number one, actually second to leftover frech fries from the cavendish plant in the winter, we have a few cattle farms that use it for feed.

You can als take a dead crow, tie it to a string and hang it from a fence... then make it do a little dance. They absolutely love to pick at their wounded.
 
I find they dont eat their own. I notice that in a field I hunt crows in somewhat frequently, the crows dont seem to bother with the dead ones...it will piss them off at first but then they dont bother with them anymore. and one good thing i've learned from crows is that, why would i want to eat a crow, when a CROW DOESNT WANT TO EAT A CROW??!?!?? Maybe its just the crows around where i go, I hunt near a landfill.

HOWEVER, hanging a crow in a tree and twitching it with attached string does work wonders!!!
 
Is there a certain time of day that is better than another?

I know they dont usually leave the roost until well after the ducks/geese are in the air and return to the roost well before the ducks and gees head for the roost.

I havent hunted crows on purpose for quite some time. This maybe perfect filler between predator calling sessions.

I'm off friday afternoon, I might just have to give it a go again.
 
i find i shoot a lot more crows in the mornings. i find them harder to call first thing just because they're coming from their roosts and are going straight to the landfill cause their hungry...but hang around cause once they've grabbed a bite to eat they're easy to call over.

the only crows i shoot in the middle of the day are ones that are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

and in the evenings i find it depends on the season. in the spring i find them easier to call. sometimes u can call and call and nothing...other times a couple caw's just pisses them off and you'll get 20-30 buzzing around and will keep returning after you fire.
 
Crack of dawn seems to be best but in the right spot you can shoot them all day. I find they get up pretty early but they do head back to the roost a good hour or so before dark.

Something else that apprently works (never tried it) is to drive around until you see a few birds, set your decoys in the next field, hit the call and get a few then repeat... just keep hittin new spots.

Something I am thinking of trying is settin up for coyotes and crows at the same time, when done calling coyotes, hit the crows for 10 minutes then pack up... kinda tried it today, If I had a few decoys it would have worked, the foxpro got the crows in but the call was 60 yds away.... so were the crows.

A few years back i shot a fox (about 150yds) by the time I got off my ass and went to retrieve it, there were crows already picking at it... I should have shot those too.
 
Last edited:
Here's a question...im sure any one who's gone crow hunting has shot a raven by mistake (i fall in that boat myself), so are they protected or does it really even matter. It's easy to distinguish after you've got a good look at them because they're a lot bigger, their beak is different but u cant tell that until they're on the ground, or if you hear them coming...but other than that if they pook through over the tree tops and u fire there's not too much room to go "opps".
 
I went and checked out one of the major roosting areas around here last night for crows. Nada. I guess they have gone south.

When approximately do they usually return to Ontario in the spring???


Also, I noticed a good question in some of my "crow" searches of the forum but I havent found an answer.

Being in Northern Ontario my small games license is not-valid from June 15- Aug 15, does this mean I'm out of luck for shooting crows in the summer or are is there some sort of "Pest" privision that will let me hunt them in the summer??
 
Grouse Man said:
Check with your local CO.

And yes, spring seems to be the best time for crows. You'll know when they're back, believe me.
Click to expand...

Have to agree with this. Crows congregate around landfills, cattle operations, etc. in the early spring as food is still covered by a blanket of snow. Makes them real easy to hunt. Just get there before first light with your shotgun and call... or better yet a varmint rifle.

Fall crows gather in fantastic numbers but I have always found them more difficult to hunt at this time. Flocks numbering in the thousands get smart real fast. Hunting more "edible" game takes front stage as the leaves turn as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom