Crow hunting

[Pistolenschutze]

Anyone out there ever hunted crows? I swear, if there is a smarter, more suspicious bird anywhere I haven't found it unless maybe it's the turkey. I remember one old crow as a kid--we were out hunting with .22s--that was so smart he would let us get just to the edge of effective range, then fly away. It was practically demonic! In fact, we ended up giving that crow a name. We called him "Edgar."

Yup. You guessed it . . .












His full name was Edgar Allen Crow!

::::::ducking into bunker and hiding before Pops gives me a bad time:::::

[kutaho]

I was taking a bead on a crow, when another crow in another tree swooped over and knocked the one i was aiming at out of the tree. The one i was aiming at couldn't see me cause i was underneath, but the other one had clear sight of me. I was mildly surprised
Smartest bird around here is a raven. Have you heard them talk?

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by kutaho

Smartest bird around here is a raven. Have you heard them talk?

"Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.'"

[kutaho]

Originally Posted by Pistolenschutze

"Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore.'"

good old Edgar Allen Crow

[johnlives4christ]

sometimes crows land in my front lawn... its about 70 yards long in front of the house... i try to sneak the door open just a crack and stick my bbl out the door... them somebucks even get wind of that sometimes.... and my 22 aint hitting just where it should on the unsuspecting ones.

[kutaho]

Originally Posted by johnlives4christ

sometimes crows land in my front lawn... its about 70 yards long in front of the house... i try to sneak the door open just a crack and stick my bbl out the door... them somebucks even get wind of that sometimes.... and my 22 aint hitting just where it should on the unsuspecting ones.

Most times shooting a crow on the ground with a .22 the round will more then likely deflect off the feathers, you got ta to get the shot under the feathers.
unless it's a head shot of course.

[FJF0311]

I hunted crows for awhile. Something to do during the summer. They are very smart! They fly in "Family" groups. Once you lure one in and make a kill, it is very unlikely the same setup will work on that group twice.
Listen closely, They do have a language! It is limited to the basics, food, danger, anger, and help. But they do use it.
I suggest you try it. Don't be discouraged. At first, it may seem there are no crows in your area. But once you find a good set up, and learn what not to do on a call, it can be a lot of fun.

[kutaho]

Originally Posted by FJF0311

I hunted crows for awhile. Something to do during the summer. They are very smart! They fly in "Family" groups. Once you lure one in and make a kill, it is very unlikely the same setup will work on that group twice.
Listen closely, They do have a language! It is limited to the basics, food, danger, anger, and help. But they do use it.
I suggest you try it. Don't be discouraged. At first, it may seem there are no crows in your area. But once you find a good set up, and learn what not to do on a call, it can be a lot of fun.

I agree, but have you ever heard ravens talking when they didn't know you were there.
You can almost understand them. I can understand why my ancestors believed
raven as the teacher/trickster, kinda like Loki.

[patrickbows]

In the 60's my cousin mike and I would shoot crows out of the eucalyptus tree windbreaks at both ends of my dads' five acre place.After two or three kills,the crows would fly toward the place, but at the windbreak,they would shoot straight up,like a rocket,and pass over the field way high out of range,then drop down on the other side.Now the birds are stealing my cherries from the tree in my yard and I let them..

[islenos]

I never kill an animal that I am not prepared to eat

[kutaho]

Originally Posted by islenos

I never kill an animal that I am not prepared to eat

Yes, i've had to eat 'crow'
It's the honorable thing to do. you must give respect to the life you take.
Regardless, won't do long pig.

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by kutaho

Regardless, won't do long pig.

Agreed! As for killing without purpose, I also agree. Even the jackrabbits I shot as a kid were cleaned, cooked, and consumed by my dog. Pest control is another legitimate reason to shoot, and at times, crows are definite threats to crops, trees, and human health. Where I grew up, that was often the case.

[FJF0311]

Originally Posted by islenos

I never kill an animal that I am not prepared to eat

Too many crows are a bad thing.

They will decimate a garden.

They are nest robbers, they have killed the young robins in a nest under my deck twice.

They carry west Nile.

They have virtually no natural enemies.


I not hate crows, nor kill for fun. But they, like anything, need to be controlled. Too many crows in a area is unhealthily, for them, and you.

Years ago, a old game warden came up on me and my son fishing in a small pond. The pond was overrun by 3 to 5 inch bluegills. He explained that there was Bass in there, but they were fading fast. the bluegills instead of being a food source, were getting too big to be ate by the bass. they were consuming the other food sources. Then lack of more were stunted in further growth. If this continued, there would be no fishing in the future.
He suggested that we throw the ones we caught up on the bank.
By reducing the population, we would make the pond healthier.

It may sound cruel, but to be a good steward of wildlife you need to do what's right for them. Leave the emotions home.

[fmacsin1]

Poor, poor Edgar! I think he knew that even ravens were smarter. I'm sure, however, that he would probably just as soon get rid of crows! Matter-of-fact, most people mistake ravens for crows; I have a ----load of 'em behind my house and boy do they make noise! Both ravens and crows are the best recyclers; their nests are made out of anything they can get their "beaks" on! Another point, my dad always used to tell me to kill any cormorant I could because they destroy the fishing both salt and fresh water.

[45nut]

Crows are so smart as to be otherwordly. They know when you have a gun. I've had them come very close to me, but almost never with a gun in hand.

I have killed some though I don't go out to hunt them. To me they are a target of opportunity. Since they are pests and predators with no season or bag limit, they are game any time of the year.

I've never eaten real crow and don't plan to unless it's a survival situation.

[olmossbak]

I like to call then in to irritate the neighbors. My neighbors and I have large pin oaks in our yards and there are so many crows around that I can fill up the trees in a few minutes. We are in a city limits so I couldn't shoot them if I wanted.

[Teejay9]

May I ask a question here? Are what you are calling crows the ones with yellow beak and legs? And are ravens the all black ones? They all seem to be called "crows." The all black ones are very smart. In fact, birds in general are smart. I saw a thing on Animal Planet that said the parrot was the smartest of all animals. I gave up killing birdies a long time ago. It felt awful to kill a bird for some reason. I usually don't kill any critters, unless they're varmints, and then only when that's the last resort. I have spent hours shooting ground squirrels. A worthy advisary, just glad they couldn't shoot back. TJ

[300 H&H]

Pistol,

It's almost like they can read minds....I find I can kill them, if and only if I can keep my mind on something else while I prepare my rifle, and the shot. The more successfull I am at this, the more likely I am to shoot one! Some times I think of "nice" experiances with ex girl friends....I kid you not........Regards, Kirk

[TranterUK]

Originally Posted by islenos

I never kill an animal that I am not prepared to eat

I fully agree with this, short of rodents that do damage. For example Grey Squirrels round here damage many healthy trees by pulling off bark, eventually killing them. As a non native type they are also busy displacing the UKs Red squirrel, which they out breed. Numbers of Greys have got to a point where some are calling for total eradication. Shooting them, or rats when I get the chance is something I willingly do.

[Suwannee Tim]

I have shot one crow that was part of a group of maybe 200 crows harassing a owl, I think they might have killed him if I had not intervened.
I have several times been in the immediate vicinity of owls having a "conversation". Three or four or five of these guys will just talk and talk and talk. Until I throw in my opinion, that is make my best attempt at an owl vocalization. Every time I have ever done this, ten or twelve times, they have without exception stopped calling. They did not leave they just stopped calling, completely stopped and they will not resume. They know each other and they did not recognize my voice. I guess I needed a formal introduction. Barred owls will not flush as you approach. I have been so close to a barred owl I could have reached out and touched him with my fingers.

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by TranterUK

I fully agree with this, short of rodents that do damage. For example Grey Squirrels round here damage many healthy trees by pulling off bark, eventually killing them. As a non native type they are also busy displacing the UKs Red squirrel, which they out breed. Numbers of Greys have got to a point where some are calling for total eradication. Shooting them, or rats when I get the chance is something I willingly do.

Biologically, there is really not a heck of a lot of difference between rats and squirrels, Tranter. Indeed, there is some evidence that they can actually cross breed in rare instances, though that has not been proven. They call the result a "squirrat."

http://www.impactlab.com/2006/01/10/...uces-squirrat/

As for shooting squirrels though, has the Her Majesty's government considered the enormous cost in bird feeders??? ::::::ducking:::::

[Suwannee Tim]

Originally Posted by 300 H&H

Pistol,

It's almost like they can read minds....I find I can kill them, if and only if I can keep my mind on something else while I prepare my rifle, and the shot. The more successfull I am at this, the more likely I am to shoot one! Some times I think of "nice" experiances with ex girl friends....I kid you not........Regards, Kirk

There is no question they can read minds, some minds. The closer a mind is to a crow mind the more readily they can read it. It seems they can read yours with alacrity.

[ckill1]

I will kill the "sky carp" when chance allows, for the damage done to my garden, and worse, the damage done to spring pheasant nests. Local DNR officer told me nothing hurt the pheasant population around my neck of the woods more than the common crow.

Chris

[Suwannee Tim]

Originally Posted by Pistolenschutze

Biologically, there is really not a heck of a lot of difference between rats and squirrels, Tranter. Indeed, there is some evidence that they can actually cross breed in rare instances, though that has not been proven. They call the result a "squirrat."

Squirrels love to get on the top of a distribution transformer, the kind that hangs on a pole in front of your house. They then try to climb the bushing and BOOM! Braised squirrel. It always burns all the hair off and in that condition they look much like a rat. Rats and squirrels are in the same order, rodentia but different families, muridae versus sciuridae, it is impossible for members of different taxonomic families to reproduce. As an example, humans and chimpanzees are of the same family, hominidae, though they cannot produce offspring. For a squirrel and a rat to produce offspring would be less likely but you cannot get less likely than impossible.

[Marlin]

Back during the early and mid-forties we used to hunt Squirrel and crows both at the foot of Hart's Mountain in my home town. Actually killed a few and loved the challenge.

I used either the Marlin model 39 or my Winchester model 67. Even though the 67 was only a single shot, it's 30" barrel was a little extra insurance.....