Crow Hunting

[8SteelTown]

My buddy was scouting for quail a little while back. Said he saw crows swooping in on quail nests and eating all the eggs. Like quail don't have enough to worry about! Saturday, I'm bringing the pain. Many times at first light, I'll have upwards of 50 crow fly overhead in a reachable height. Time to start piling them up. Hope my local post office still accepts them, cuz I ain't eating the crows that fly around my areas! Typical that if I'm not hunting crow, there are hundreds and if I am hunting them, there won't be one for miles!! Anyone else planning to drop some garbage birds? No dove, no problem. I'll find ways to keep myself busy.

 

[TaftHunter]

I love calling crows! Once you shoot once though they're gone haha. Those birds are nasty creatures. Good luck Saturday!

 

[8SteelTown]

I love calling crows! Once you shoot once though they're gone haha. Those birds are nasty creatures. Good luck Saturday!

You using a predator distress hand call or an actual crow hand call? It's always crazy to see them flock to the predator call and predator decoy. I was going to try cotton distress hand call and see what comes in. Crows or coyotes... either one is a win. Would be nice if we could use decoys or e-calls.

 

[TaftHunter]

I use my cousins Gibson, plus he has some crow decoys. They work well, haven't been out in a while tho!

 

[Josh Pearson]

I use crow sounds on my FoxPro and some decoys.

 

[TaftHunter]

I love calling crows! Once you shoot once though they're gone haha. Those birds are nasty creatures. Good luck Saturday!

You using a predator distress hand call or an actual crow hand call? It's always crazy to see them flock to the predator call and predator decoy. I was going to try cotton distress hand call and see what comes in. Crows or coyotes... either one is a win. Would be nice if we could use decoys or e-calls.

You can use e-calls btw

 

[MJB]

Shoot the scout and the rest will come in........we have used some McDonald's wrappers and call them in......just make sure they are crows and not Ravens

 

[Suburban Adventuress]

I'd be surprised if they didn't scatter after shooting one... they are some of the smartest animals out there, forget about smartest birds. You ever see the puzzles they can figure out? Google "corvid puzzles" and get ready to be impressed. They can take whatever eggs they want around here for all I care!

 

[Aeon]

Ravens are the ones that can figure out complex tasks and puzzles. Crows not so much We have both here.

 

[Suburban Adventuress]

Ravens are the ones that can figure out complex tasks and puzzles. Crows not so much We have both here.

I beg to differ, Aeon!

http://www.cracked.com/article_19042_6-terrifying-ways-crows-are-way-smarter-than-you-think.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2590046/Crows-intelligent-CHILDREN-Study-reveals-birds-intelligence-seven-year-old.html
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/is-it-possible-super-smart-crows/

 

[NBK]

I know less than most and half as much as some - I read Bill's post and thought he had it backwards. My dad had a pet crow and he said it was more intelligent than most folks he knew.

What do I know.

 

[DanSanDiego]

I'm always seeing Ravens (seem to travel in groups of 2 or 3). Haven't seen too many crows. But I wish the Ravens were legal to hunt. They have eaten hummingbird eggs out of 3 nests in my yard (and live baby hummingbirds on another occasion) so I have no sympathy for them.

 

[Suburban Adventuress]

I know less than most and half as much as some - I read Bill's post and thought he had it backwards. My dad had a pet crow and he said it was more intelligent than most folks he knew.

What do I know.

NBK I would LOVE to hear more about your dad's pet crow! I've seen footage from people who have them and would love to have one myself. I've tried to lure our neighborhood crows to stay in our backyard just for fun when I see them (with peanuts and even cat food), but so far they are too wary. They take it, but only when they see I've gone inside and shut the door. I would love to have some nest where I could set up a webcam on them.

And of course I don't dog anyone for hunting them - anything legal is worth hunting and I respect anyone who does it. I just think they might be more of a challenge to hunt long-term... they aren't exactly dove or pheasant if you kwim...

 

[ilovesprig]

Crows (square tail & smaller) and ravens (round tail & larger) are two of the biggest killers of song & game birds. I've watched ravens attack hens with poults many times......If it was up to me. There would be no limit and no season like there used to be on these two.....The best part about an e-caller is you have both hands available to shoot. Although, I've killed 100's with my hand held Lohman crow call......When I was a kid. There was a 15 cent bounty on crows......Boy, have times changed........ :

I hate these black devils..................

.

 

[MJB]

Yep Steve the good old days.....I cut my teeth on crow hunting for the corn farmers in GA. they would give us all the shells we could shoot. We would drive the area till we found them. Find a tree or good cover so they couldn't see us. We then give one short call with a low growl and wait for the scout to answer back. The hard part is if you miss the scout or tip him off your done find another stand and another set of birds.

Out here it's hard with so little cover you really have to be still and covered for the scout to get close enough for a shot. You just have to listen for their wings then pull up and shoot. Then after he's dead stay still and wait the others are on their way.

 

[ilovesprig]

My old buddy even had a live owl.......He was eventually shot while a crow was dive bombing him.

 

[8SteelTown]

Crows (square tail & smaller) and ravens (round tail & larger) are two of the biggest killers of song & game birds. I've watched ravens attack hens with poults many times......If it was up to me. There would be no limit and no season like there used to be on these two.....The best part about an e-caller is you have both hands available to shoot. Although, I've killed 100's with my hand held Lohman crow call......When I was a kid. There was a 15 cent bounty on crows......Boy, have times changed........ :

I hate these black devils..................

.

So these massive black ones are Ravens? Do Ravens typically group together in massive flocks? I'll have to check out the tails but the ones I've seen are absolute beasts! So if they are Ravens, that's a no-go? Always confused when it comes to non-game birds that aren't in the regs. Does that mean they're off limits if DFG hasn't established them as either game or non-game?

 

[8SteelTown]

saw this online....

"You can find crows in your garden, neighboring places, electric lines, and even in highly bustling places. But ravens cannot be found like that. They like solitude and privacy and hence are found in the woods and hills where human population is less or nil. Like the habitat, the food habits of ravens and crows also are different. When crows scavenge for fruits, vegetables, and other foods in groups, ravens hunt solitarily. So crows are never the friends of a farmer as it destroys the crops. Though both the birds are omnivorous and scavenge on carrion, ravens feed more on the carrions, especially sheep.

1. Crows and ravens differ in the size and ravens are bigger.
2. Ravens have a purple shiny tint on the feathers when sunrays fall on them, while crows have plain dark feathers.
3. Ravens have rounded beaks w/ triangle tail while Crows have flatter beaks and squared even tail
4. The life spans of crows (8 yrs) are very less compared to that of ravens (30 yrs).
5. Crows scavenge in groups while ravens hunt in solitude.
6. Crows can be found among the dwellings of humans, but ravens prefer to stay away in the hills and woods."

 

[MJB]

I have Ravens in my backyard daily......my youngest Jagd caught one this past summer in my strawberry barrel. Since then she hears or sees them and goes into full hunt mode.

The tail is the best way to ID them and you can thank Mexico/NAFTA for the crow/raven regulations.

 

[TaftHunter]

Crows (square tail & smaller) and ravens (round tail & larger) are two of the biggest killers of song & game birds. I've watched ravens attack hens with poults many times......If it was up to me. There would be no limit and no season like there used to be on these two.....The best part about an e-caller is you have both hands available to shoot. Although, I've killed 100's with my hand held Lohman crow call......When I was a kid. There was a 15 cent bounty on crows......Boy, have times changed........ :

I hate these black devils..................

.

So these massive black ones are Ravens? Do Ravens typically group together in massive flocks? I'll have to check out the tails but the ones I've seen are absolute beasts! So if they are Ravens, that's a no-go? Always confused when it comes to non-game birds that aren't in the regs. Does that mean they're off limits if DFG hasn't established them as either game or non-game?

Yes. yes. Ravens are a no go. If an animal is not in the regulations its a no go.