My Crow Killing Setup.

I love it, we used a recording with a loudspeaker of a dying crow , worked ok until they started to get used to it,then the young ones would start flying, it was truly a "murder of crows":D :D :D
 
We modified our owl by carefully hot gluing-on some turkey feathers for almost complete coverage and an more realistic look over the molded plastic, and then deep-sixed the original eyes and substituted some quality eyes from the taxidermist. Makes a difference !

And yes, they just hate crows on the ground, don't they. ( The occasional
"squawker" down there does some good calling though ! )

Don't mind larger flocks coming to the call ... as long as they keep coming !
 
crazy train. The best crow decoys are dead crows themselves! You are on the total right track with the owl setup as I've been shooting them since the mid 70's and have killed thousands.

Have refined my setup to a single plastic owl (my stuffed one got the stuffing beat out of it years ago) perched on a 7 foot wood fence pole. Screwed on an old trebble hook to the owl where it's talons are. Hook a dead crow to this hook and it looks to the crows as the owl has a crow in it's talons and is beginning to dine! Break the crows wings and they will dangle in the wind for an even better effect!

Put this setup in the open where crows fly or frequent such as a flyway or feed lot and with a good bit of hand calling or an e-caller... you will have a shoot. Just make sure that your well hidden with clear shooting lanes above, that is no tall overstory.

Practice hand calling as e-callers are not the be all end all to getting high body counts. Learn the mourning call, use it when crows are hovering over already fallen comrads, crooning, you will suck them in almost into your blind!

Facinating birds to hunt, smart and tough to hit at times. Shoot a more open choke with trap loads and no shot size bigger than 7 1/2.

The first time the "planets line up" and ya kill 40 or 50 crows, believe me you'll almost give up upland and duck shooting!
 
Thanks alot for those great ideas! I will try the crow in the talons trick.
Why do you say not to use any shot bigger than 7 1/2??? I got cases of trap loads but I have been buying #4s and #6s... Maybe I will try some of my trap loads on them.:D
 
Crows sure are fun to shoot... I dropped 3 after supper, with the intention that I "clear them out..." Well, THAT didn't work... I quickly had several hundred around... SO... I dropped 2 more and they thought better of sticking around...

So much fun!

Cheers
Jay
 
Crazy train, take my advice. Put the big shot aside for bigger and better things! Crows have a very small body once plucked of their feathers... about the size of a feral pigeon. Big shot such as 4's or 5's patterns with big holes, big enough for a crow to be missed... especially at marginal ranges. Remember pattern kills, not power and crows can't carry too much shot at that. Couple of body hits and they come down like a brick. Also crows are not concidered edible game so who cares if they are a bit shot up. You will be graced with stone dead kills out to 40 plus yards with 7 1/2's or even #8 shot with a mod. or full choked 12 gauge. I often shoot one ounce handloads of #9 shot over my portable crow pole...just crushes them to bits!

Ted
 
I was able to kill a crow with a .177 airgun... I think it was the fact I knock him off the tree and could not regain control and the fall killed him, but I still killed one.
 
M12Shooter
I will take your advice and try some 7 1/2s on them. I have been using Imp Cyl. If I find the need for taking longer shots I will throw in MOD and see how that goes.
I do have a comment on how tough the little buggers are. Last week I decided to whack a few with my .22lr. I shot 5 birds with my .22 at 40 yards which I know my .22 is dead on at. Only 2 dropped stone dead. The other three fell a bit then recovered thier fall and glided down into the field. When I whent to go get them they were still alive. After a close up shot to the head I found these birds had entrance and exit right through thier mid section.
Talk about tough...
I can't wait to get er done this weekend again.:dancingbanana:
 
No crows in my area... none that land or come with in shotgun range anyways. Got some Magpies though... and damn if I can hit them?! They are super timid, and the shots get pretty long IF they decide to perch on a fence post... so I lay down, line up... poof, big pile of feathers... then they fly away. I think they are actually alien. That or they have bodies the size of fleas.
 
Calum said:
So are you eating them or wasting the meat?
Click to expand...


Uh, I know some guys eat crows, like some guys eat mergansers, but some guys shoot gophers and don't eat them, and seeing as how crows will eat carrion I think I'd pass up a dinner of braised ####hawk.

But I've never eaten crow. Has anybody here eaten crow? :dancingbanana:
 
canuckgun, magpies are super smart. They rarely sit still long enough for a rifle shot and if so they make mighty small targets. They do respond quite well to an "excited" crow call and I have shot a few in this manner. Terrible birds to have around. They play havoc with nesting birds such as native warblers finches, etc. Rip waterfowl nests appart in their quest for protien. Watched a pair systematically raid a mallard nest in a nesting tunnel on a wetland near my home. Guess its only natural, this type of predation, but we are seeing more magpies nesting in metro areas. Its a concern if one loves to feed/watch birds...IMO.
 
M12 I totally agree... they are wicked smart. They know exactly what we're doin out there (to the richardson ground squirrel population) and keep their distances to 4-500yards minimum. Trapping is the best way (in city)... my old man built a cage with a 'trap' door... (just like on bugs bunny) best bait? A dead magpie!
 
I use the same plastic owl with pheasant feathers glued to it with the aid of my JOHNNY STEWART CALLER I have the closest flock of crows going nuts 20 ft. above my head. They seem to ignore the owl but it looks like it should be there anyhow. Full camo is a must with #5's ending the game. Best hit them the first time because they learn quick.
 
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