Sure Fire Way To Bag Plenty Of Crows?

[DIDO.1 22,840]

Round here on the edge of the moors you will really struggle with plastic deeks and a pigeon shooting type net hide. I build a hide in place with nets, pallets, branches even old farm machinery a week or two in advance. Then pick a windy over cast day and use flocked decoys, the next time I shoot I will use dead birds then change to a dead lamb with 1 bird on a floater in the wind then next time maybe use a call....you have to keep trying a new approach as you wont fool em twice once they have seen/heard someone shooting in the area. The main thing I find is a good hide spend a good afternoon building hides in different areas, plenty of branches over the top of it. Sometimes I'll try and be in a crow hide before first light as well.

 

Iv decoyed crows on arable fields and they were much easier than these wild things on the lambing fields, you will never shoot of these.

[andrew macmillan 8]

Let us know how u get on as I may be buying one if they work fine

Will do polish pete....fingers crossed pal.

[andrew macmillan 8]

Round here on the edge of the moors you will really struggle with plastic deeks and a pigeon shooting type net hide. I build a hide in place with nets, pallets, branches even old farm machinery a week or two in advance. Then pick a windy over cast day and use flocked decoys, the next time I shoot I will use dead birds then change to a dead lamb with 1 bird on a floater in the wind then next time maybe use a call....you have to keep trying a new approach as you wont fool em twice once they have seen/heard someone shooting in the area. The main thing I find is a good hide spend a good afternoon building hides in different areas, plenty of branches over the top of it. Sometimes I'll try and be in a crow hide before first light as well.

 

Iv decoyed crows on arable fields and they were much easier than these wild things on the lambing fields, you will never shoot of these.

Cheers DIDO.1

Sound advice which i will try to put into place as the farms i shoot on have plenty of the things you have mentioned.

[andrew macmillan 8]

often can depend on what other people have used in the same vicinity, if they've been decoyed often it doesn't take them long to catch on. Best decoying I find with corvids is if you can get them coming over the top of you from behind that way they are always looking over you at the decoys, when coming in from in front it's easy to come up too soon and then they flare

Cheers brucemyster

[andrew macmillan 8]

I wouldn't embariss myself by going public with my bags RemyBolt. Lets just say 8 would be a great day i don't have the flocked type of crow just the normal ones which i will now change! I will also try to build a couple of decent hides.

 

Many thanks to one and all for the great advice....

 

Andy

[andrew macmillan 8]

Had a blat on the weekend with my new semi 3shot, still not into double figures but a good day all the same, sat behind a barn door and had some good shots for three hours until the buggers got clued up and stayed well clear! yet to build a hide but will on my next trip

[Haggis81 147]

Had a couple of good days on them, I try shoot them at good range normally I get them coming in for a look and try shoot them before they get suspicious.

 

I use 6 flocked decoys a few pigeons and a magpie decoy, sit one on the crow up on a fence post, normally they always have one acting as a lookout

[Ratsmasher 36]

i don't have the flocked type of crow just the normal ones which i will now change!

 

dont bother with crow decoys - black socks over pigeon decoys - works a treat and the fabric doesnt shine in the sun when wet

 

crow decoys are properly expensive and i dont know why - surely they must be cheaper to make than pigeons cos theyre only black so dont need painting

[andrew macmillan 8]

All this advice is much appreciated gent's, the more info i get the better really as i'm dead set on a big bag of crows!!

[Ratsmasher 36]

to be honest though mate the only sure fire way to get a big bag of crows is to get out and at them as much as possible cos you'll learn a whole lot more sat out in field trying then off the internet

 

Enjoy your shooting

[rob reynolds uk 3]

You need a good camo net the type like this and not the british army ones, crows dont like them and can see one a mile away. get your self under a tree or over hanging cover, get the sun in your back and find the flight lines into the field the day before if pos.set your decoys out at a range of 25 yrds and then each one of your decoys at least 7ft apart and make them look alive like you see in the fields and put two together like you see a mother feeding her young and maybe a magpie or two on the fence post to the left or right of the patten. crows can see color unlike pigeons. crow sounds is very good it gives the crows more faith, you can buy the tapes and they do work well but cant be used in the UK to call birds in to shoot with a gun, only with a camera ) so take one with you a camrea that is if you aint got no gear just a gun then shoot one crow hide your self in the hedge but first have the crow by its self on its back with its feet in the air and its wings out ...stay still till the vey last moment ,then move and shoot ..once a crow has been shot hide the one you shot and carry on with the one bird...setup in the field before the crows get there so you need to setup in the dark. Crows are the first in to the field and last out ..let me know how you get on

 

 

camo net

eBay item number:

161323694072

Edited June 6, 2014 by rob reynolds uk

[Tozer 385]

I agree with the hide thing, I've done good numbers withte air rifle. The come in and mob the first one dropped then you have got until you miss one.

 

With the shotgun the main thing is getting the hide right. After that I put out every bird shot. With a big pattern you 'll see them turn from the horrizon. At least my way.

 

They don't come in to land like woodies though.

[Ratsmasher 36]

crow call does a lot of good too

[WILF 47,013]

I use old pigeon shell seeks painted Matt black, they just commit suicide if I'm honest.......couple of blasts on the caller if they are unsure.

[MIK 4,763]

Have to agree wilf ive found rooks very easy to decoy