Weekend hunt!

Since crow hunting in WI opened back up on the 18th of Jan. and the fishing in my area is a bit slow I thought I would do a little something different for a change.

I was out Sat. 1/22 for a couple hours right at the first crack of sunlight or should I say snowlight. With the winds blowing 20-25 mph and the snow falling fast I decided to set-up on the edge of a field with a feeding type decoy spread (six decoys). I guess it would of been more of a gathering set-up since we recieved 8″ of snow the night before, but either way I was ready to go. This sport is a lot like waterfowl hunting and I think that is why I am really getting into it more and more. I drive by this place on my way to work everyday, so I knew the birds atleast flew this area. As I was getting my caller set-up (with my back to the decoys) I was soon greeted with a loud caaawww-caaawwww and quick to turn around to see what the chatter was all about and there was a crow hanging in the wind about 15 yard up right over the decoys. I grabbed my gun only to fire 3 times and watch it fly away. I got the caller set-up and put in the decoy only to find out that after 10 min. of calling the battery went dead….Stuck it out without a call for 1.5 hours longer to shoot a total of 12 times and get 1 bird. Must of been seeing double still from the night before or something. I should of easly had 3 if not 4 for sure. Boy, with your back to a tree and woods behind you it doesn’t take long for them to sneak up behind ya. I think I am starting to get them figured out on some of there patterns, but I am sure there is plenty of ways out there.

Any advice would be great as I can give some if needed on what I think works.

Tell me a little about this Crow hunting I have never done it. What are you using for a gun? What kind of calls and decoys do you use?
I am curious because it sounds like fun. I have been slowly getting away from ice fishing because of all the crowds and really don’t enjoy panfishing as much as I used to. This year I have been spending more time in the woods than fishing.

Tell me a little about this Crow hunting I have never done it. What are you using for a gun? What kind of calls and decoys do you use?
I am curious because it sounds like fun. I have been slowly getting away from ice fishing because of all the crowds and really don’t enjoy panfishing as much as I used to. This year I have been spending more time in the woods than fishing.

AmWatson,

Like I mentioned before I think it is a lot like waterfowl hunting and that is why I am starting to like it more and more.

My supplies are just a shotgun with light trap loads. I figured out there is no reason to waste a lot of money on shells when it doesn’t take hardly anything at all to kill one. On a scale of 1 to 10 killing wise, I would say a crow is a 4 with a mallard being a 8. Doesn’t take much at all. For calls on my last trip I just hunted with 6 decoys (3-pack for $15 I think at Cabela’s). That seemed to be the cheapest place to buy them, but you might find a sale on them somewhere as well. I also will use a owl decoy depending on the spread set-up every once in awhile. For calls I have a mouth MAD crow call and a western rivers electronic call. I usually use the mouth call, it seems to work for me, but I didn’t have it my last trip so I used the electronic call, plus the hand call is a lot cheaper, but I do use the electronic call for yotes as well so I have it for back up. Some people hunt over a lot of decoys, but me I have only hunted over 6, but I was thinking about getting another 3-pack just to have around.

Pretty fun and exciting. I heard if you walk the river bottoms a guy can kill a few. Never done it, but that is a good place to start.

AmWatson,

Like I mentioned before I think it is a lot like waterfowl hunting and that is why I am starting to like it more and more.

My supplies are just a shotgun with light trap loads. I figured out there is no reason to waste a lot of money on shells when it doesn’t take hardly anything at all to kill one. On a scale of 1 to 10 killing wise, I would say a crow is a 4 with a mallard being a 8. Doesn’t take much at all. For calls on my last trip I just hunted with 6 decoys (3-pack for $15 I think at Cabela’s). That seemed to be the cheapest place to buy them, but you might find a sale on them somewhere as well. I also will use a owl decoy depending on the spread set-up every once in awhile. For calls I have a mouth MAD crow call and a western rivers electronic call. I usually use the mouth call, it seems to work for me, but I didn’t have it my last trip so I used the electronic call, plus the hand call is a lot cheaper, but I do use the electronic call for yotes as well so I have it for back up. Some people hunt over a lot of decoys, but me I have only hunted over 6, but I was thinking about getting another 3-pack just to have around.

Pretty fun and exciting. I heard if you walk the river bottoms a guy can kill a few. Never done it, but that is a good place to start.

Alright crow hunting. If you have never done it I would advise you to do try it sometime. I have a couple full bodies and a lot of sils. that are homemade. The sils are light to carry and give you numbers. I use a mouth call myself. I like it because it is really light and just one less thing to carry. It can be a challenge. Some days I call more often than others. One thing I seen on tv is a comeback call. I can not really remember it but it worked for them. IF you know what I am talking about could you just remind me. Thanks. Oh yeah AMWatson, they make great coyote bait!!!!!!!!!

Alright crow hunting. If you have never done it I would advise you to do try it sometime. I have a couple full bodies and a lot of sils. that are homemade. The sils are light to carry and give you numbers. I use a mouth call myself. I like it because it is really light and just one less thing to carry. It can be a challenge. Some days I call more often than others. One thing I seen on tv is a comeback call. I can not really remember it but it worked for them. IF you know what I am talking about could you just remind me. Thanks. Oh yeah AMWatson, they make great coyote bait!!!!!!!!!

I love to crow hunt! I have a friend who also loves to crow hunt. We have an electronic (cassette) crow call with a horn speaker on it along with your standard mouth crow calls. We usually take a 3rd guy and he drives the truck. He will let us off and drive on up the road a half mile or so. We will set up usually around round bales or some other cover near the road. We have both crow and owl decoys and we wear white camo when there is snow. Then we turn on the call and the action starts. It never takes more than 15 minutes at any one stop and we move onto the next location. Great practice for you goose and duck hunters. Crows have fantastic eyesight so you have to wear some sort of camo and keep movement to a minimum. After you get a few shots off you may as well move on to the next location because it can take hours before you get crows to come back to where you were shooting. A typical Sunday afternoon hunt can yeild as many as a dozen crows between 2 shooters. 12 gauge with 4 to 6 shot. Most farmers are more than happy to let you set up along their properties. Just make sure you are not shooting over the roadway as it is illegal to do so. It is fast action to be sure. I wish I could hunt them right in my backyard. There is a huge red oak in the backyard where the crows congregate by the dozen every morning. I live dead center in the middle of the city and I have a cop for a backyard neighbor so hunting in the backyard is out of the question.

Eyehunter

I love to crow hunt! I have a friend who also loves to crow hunt. We have an electronic (cassette) crow call with a horn speaker on it along with your standard mouth crow calls. We usually take a 3rd guy and he drives the truck. He will let us off and drive on up the road a half mile or so. We will set up usually around round bales or some other cover near the road. We have both crow and owl decoys and we wear white camo when there is snow. Then we turn on the call and the action starts. It never takes more than 15 minutes at any one stop and we move onto the next location. Great practice for you goose and duck hunters. Crows have fantastic eyesight so you have to wear some sort of camo and keep movement to a minimum. After you get a few shots off you may as well move on to the next location because it can take hours before you get crows to come back to where you were shooting. A typical Sunday afternoon hunt can yeild as many as a dozen crows between 2 shooters. 12 gauge with 4 to 6 shot. Most farmers are more than happy to let you set up along their properties. Just make sure you are not shooting over the roadway as it is illegal to do so. It is fast action to be sure. I wish I could hunt them right in my backyard. There is a huge red oak in the backyard where the crows congregate by the dozen every morning. I live dead center in the middle of the city and I have a cop for a backyard neighbor so hunting in the backyard is out of the question.

Eyehunter

That first crow that comes to a stand is ussually a scout. If he sees you, kill him or he’ll rat on you. If he hasn’t spotted you, let him go and he’ll bring friends. If you can get under a normal flight pattern, one they use daily, you can have shoots in the mornings and the evenings. If you can find a roost, you found heaven.

That first crow that comes to a stand is ussually a scout. If he sees you, kill him or he’ll rat on you. If he hasn’t spotted you, let him go and he’ll bring friends. If you can get under a normal flight pattern, one they use daily, you can have shoots in the mornings and the evenings. If you can find a roost, you found heaven.

Herb,

Does that really work you think or have you tried it? I only do it one way I guess, if it is close enough to take a shot it will be dead or atleast shot at. You are the second person I have heard that from, but I have been burned on that type of thing a thousand times in duck hunting, so I just never give them the chance anymore. Thanks for the advice though…

Herb,

Does that really work you think or have you tried it? I only do it one way I guess, if it is close enough to take a shot it will be dead or atleast shot at. You are the second person I have heard that from, but I have been burned on that type of thing a thousand times in duck hunting, so I just never give them the chance anymore. Thanks for the advice though…

I’ll always try like heck to kill the scout. To bring it down wounded is a lot better. Live decoy yelling for help. If you can set an owl decoy on a fence post or someplace high, and set that wounded crow out aways from it——–well, you can just picture what is going to happen.
But all in all, the best methods are to get under their flyway coming from and going to roost, or find the roost and set up inside it. I have another method that gets them madder than hell, but might be frowned upon by readers on this site.

I’ll always try like heck to kill the scout. To bring it down wounded is a lot better. Live decoy yelling for help. If you can set an owl decoy on a fence post or someplace high, and set that wounded crow out aways from it——–well, you can just picture what is going to happen.
But all in all, the best methods are to get under their flyway coming from and going to roost, or find the roost and set up inside it. I have another method that gets them madder than hell, but might be frowned upon by readers on this site.

It is fun to sit a 200+ yards away and try to kill them with a varmit rifle of some sort when they are out in a field feeding….. or so I’ve heard

It is fun to sit a 200+ yards away and try to kill them with a varmit rifle of some sort when they are out in a field feeding….. or so I’ve heard

Krisko, how long will they sit for you after the first shot?

Krisko, how long will they sit for you after the first shot?

Not saying you hunt crows in WI, but I know it is illegal to hunt crows with rifle here. I know you used to be able to shoot crows with a rifle, but I never got the chance. Just a little piece of advice that I am sure you already knew.

Not saying you hunt crows in WI, but I know it is illegal to hunt crows with rifle here. I know you used to be able to shoot crows with a rifle, but I never got the chance. Just a little piece of advice that I am sure you already knew.

Good point buckmaster. That brings me to ask this, aren’t crows in the migratory bird treaty, meaning migratory birds can’t be hunted with rifles?

Good point buckmaster. That brings me to ask this, aren’t crows in the migratory bird treaty, meaning migratory birds can’t be hunted with rifles?

I am a decoying man myself. Always looking for tips though. Whatever will help is always useful right!

I am a decoying man myself. Always looking for tips though. Whatever will help is always useful right!

In my understanding, crows are actually classified as Upland, not migratory. Therefore they are not federally regulated. That is why you are able to shoot them with a .22 cal or smaller in IA and MN(I think) and not in Wisconsin. For me, the thrill is to see 3 or 4 crows swooping the blocks, after calling them in and busting down a couple with the scatter gun. I am sure that is why I like it so much…..very similar to hammering hovering mallys over the decoys. Just my 2 cents.

In my understanding, crows are actually classified as Upland, not migratory. Therefore they are not federally regulated. That is why you are able to shoot them with a .22 cal or smaller in IA and MN(I think) and not in Wisconsin. For me, the thrill is to see 3 or 4 crows swooping the blocks, after calling them in and busting down a couple with the scatter gun. I am sure that is why I like it so much…..very similar to hammering hovering mallys over the decoys. Just my 2 cents.