Owl crow decoys

[thepasty]

So I was in the gunsmiths yesterday and my boy latched onto an Owl decoy, he was dead set on bringing "chilly" home (he names things quick ).

 

So me thinking why the hell not I dished out the £15 and went on our way. Now I'd read many a post on here saying not to bother with them but I took it down to my fields (which had been plough a few days ago so not much around for birds), put it in the middle of the field with two crow decoys, retreated to a corner (in a truck) and let out a few distress calls with the crow caller.

 

In less then a minute I had a load of birds come in for a look, many of them continued to circle and call until I moved the truck a few minutes later... impressed I packed up and headed off to tell my brother my findings.... we went back a few hours later to to demonstrate Chillys crow appeal and yet again the birds came in from all directions.

 

Seemed to work for us!

 

What about you guys? good or bad results?

 

cheers

 

Steve

Edited April 15, 2014 by thepasty

[kent]

Might have well put a Tupperware box in its place, my mate though was convinced it would work (he gave up after about a year)

[thepasty]

Might have well put a Tupperware box in its place

 

ok, I'll try that tomorrow.

[Dead-Eyed Duck]

Hootie always works for me.

 

I tend to use him at first light when the crows are on their way out, and they cannot resist having a go at him.

[eccles]

Only time owl decoys any good is in the evening. Loft the decoy with a few crow decoys up in the trees that the carrions roost in the winter and when no leaves on the trees.

No good this time of year as carrions always nest away from these sites. You might pull in a few on fields this time of year with the owl decoy but you better of just decoying them with just crow decoys. atb Terry

[Dead-Eyed Duck]

Not my experience, but if it works for you.....

 

I used Hootie a fortnight ago on a newly drilled field. 6 crows in 1.5 hours was OK for me. I put the owl decoy 30 yards out with two crow decoys 10 yards away.

[eccles]

It work bud. not using owl in daytime work too last 4 trips out !00+ 34 -100 + 62 with just crow decoys. atb Terry

[kent]

I don't get the Numbers that eccles seems to get nowadays as we have them in check now but I don't think very much beats a rifle at long range for picking off the wary stragglers. Dead roadkill pheasant placed out this morn before light, no decoys (don't use them with rifle full stop now dead birds or plastic ones) if the bird on the ground don't caw back they don't land, no bird no caw and jobs sorted with just a bait. Its amazing how they observe from a distance before finally and cautiously coming in to a bait.

Wasn't stunning only got 1 for 1 shot as they really are down in numbers now but one made me laugh it landed and I was just sighting up on it and one of the Curlews I was out to help came at it and chased it off. Perhaps I saw 5 but could easy have been seeing one bird 5 times

[thepasty]

I'll try the same experiment later with just crow decoys and see what happens, but I will say that I've never had blacks come in as quick as they did yesterday, I could have popped a good 20 birds in the few mins I ran the test over.

 

I thought the blacks would think the owl decoy as a generic bird of prey rather than specificity an owl, hence their daytime reaction.

 

If a buzzard sits on a leccy pole or the like around here the blacks will swamp it in quick time, especially in summer, its common to see a buzzard sat with 30-40 blacks keeping it in check.

Edited April 16, 2014 by thepasty

[Nuke]

I use a stuffed Goshawk to good effect, a dead crow in it's claws draws then in really good. I would really like to use an Eagle owl too but they are both expensive and very hard to come by legally in Sweden at least.

 

Have you pimped it out with feathers etc or are you just using it as it is, plastic?

 

/Markus