My journey as a crow hunter is one filled with seasons of obsession and other seasons of indifference. Some years I was all about hunting crows and other years I had more important things to do. But still, 35 years later, I still get excited about crow hunting! In fact, I think I’m more enthusiastic about these intelligent birds than ever before!
Over the years I’ve tried to learn from my mistakes… “Tried” being the key word. I still over-think my set-ups and bring way too much gear to the blind, and let’s not even talk about my shooting… I’m still amazed at how I can have a bird within 30 yards or less from my position, flying low and slow and still miss him like he was teal buzzing by my decoys at mach 10.
But I digress. Here are some tips that might help you if you’re trying to find something to do to keep your skills honed till turkey season arrives!
Camouflage Is Paramount:
Crows, like many birds have extremely sharp eyesight. Just ducking inside the edge of the woods isn’t going to cut the mustard. You must have a facemask, gloves, and plenty of brush to hide behind.
Shot Size And Selection
When I first started I believed I had to have something close to a pheasant load in the high brass 6’s range to take down a crow. “Nonsense” as my good friend and veteran cr. A crow is tough but not tough enough to carry a load of 7 1/2’s to 8’s dove load back to his roost. Your left-over light loads from opening day are all you need to kill crows.
Electronic Calls And Decoys:
Electronic calls have come a long way from the loudspeaker, car battery, cables and Johnny Stewart Crow Fight cassette tape screaming into the air. The latest digital calls like the Foxpro Hellcat or Shockwave have made things a lot simpler and easier. I mix my mouth calling with the electronic calls as they can be a deadly combination. They both work well independently but using them together can help you be more successful.
How Much Lead?:
The great mystery of how much lead to give a crow is a difficult one to answer but I’ve found that a couple of feet in front of his beak typically does the trick but as always it depends on how far out and the angle he’s going. Know your gun and it’s pattern and don’t rush the shots.
Final Advice:
No doubt I will continue to fight my natural instincts to improve. And that means I’ll battle to keep my crow gear purged of unnecessary items and technology. Easier said than done. But if you can... Please take some advice from a humble veteran of the crow hunting fraternity. “Keep it simple stupid!”
-CD-
