any tips for crow shooting ?

[lewis collins 4]

hi guys,

 

just got my first permission to clear some crows,

 

any tips to help me

 

e.g. shot positioning, stance,timing,some wounded etc.

 

thanks alot

 

lew

[Phantom 631]

Not sure what you mean by "Some Wounded"

 

As for tips? The entire Corvid family are bloody smart little beggers

So your best bet is to be very well concealed. Build a good hide if possible and use either some bread or a dead bunny laid out on the targeted field.

Avoid chest and other body shots unless you know the anatomy of the quarry and know where to put the pellet. Best bet is the head shot, so lay any bait out within your comfort range.

 

One thing to note is that it has been known for flocks of Crows to mob shooters if they see you as a threat.

 

Good luck with the permission

 

Tony

[darren watson 14]

a good recce of where they land, and try to get there before they do. a crow call might work for you and they're only cheap.

[markha 99]

Hide yourself well and keep movememnt to a minimum, find their favourite trees for sitting in, find where they sleep and kill them in or close to the nests.

 

Get an owl decoy, get one with the biggest shiniest eyes you can and place it near to their favourite areas and nests, they will go ballistic attacking the owl and you can drop them when they land.

As my mate Phantom says body shots are a no=no as they have tough ribs and wings, I have found neck shots are just as good as head shots as the impact trauma is massive and they drop just as quick.

 

if there a lots and I mean hundreds of them then just build a big drop trap with some cheap wood and chicken wire, put the owl decoy inside and away you go, make sure you follow the law to the letter with any kind of trap though.

[Tyla 3,179]

The owl tip is a good one, i used to hammer corvids round our laying pens using a stuffed toy owl. Worked just as well as the big plastic ones but alot easier to carry in a pocket.

[lewis collins 4]

thanks alot guys,

 

this has helped alot,

 

will update you all on how i did,

 

lew

[andyfr1968 772]

Don't take the Mick, folks but the best corvid lure I've ever used was a rather large Teddy bear....

 

An old keeper friend put me on to this and I thought he was taking the piss to begin with but the feckers mobbed it.

 

All of the above advice is good though, IMO. Best of luck.

 

Cheers.

Edited May 20, 2011 by andyfr1968

[Big bald beautiful 1,231]

Used to shoot over a ferret in a rabbit pen,seen magpies land on the wire and bounce about until I shot them.

[Ideation 8,216]

Bird of prey (decoy) with dead crow in it's talons / at it's feet, nothing else fucks a crow off more

Edited May 21, 2011 by Ideation

[Tyla 3,179]

Now's a good time to knock them off as branchers before they get too smart. I had four just fledged on friday night, waited out for the parents too but they had me sussed by then so they'll have to wait. Keep an eye on where the adults birds are frequenting, especially if carrying food and then have a good search for the nest and young. Not very sporting but its pretty much the only time of year you can easily put a decent dent in them

Edited May 22, 2011 by Tyla