Goodsy Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 Hi, can anyone give me some advice, on crow decoying what patterns and equiptment ect. Thanx Goodsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 Goodsy.. I often go crow shooting when the weather is too bad for Pigeons.. They seem to fly in really apalling weather.. During the early season crows are very territorial and will generally come to decoys readily. I normally use 2 full bodied crow decoys and 1 flying crow decoy mounted on a springer. The first crow I shoot I usually mount on a flapper or on a single leg of my rotary and this is often very effective. I have also a crow call which brings them in well but although inquisitive they are very wary and extremely intelligent birds. The most important thing is concealment and the ability to keep perfectly still so pay a bit more detail to how you construct your hide and make yourself reasonably comfortable. Sometimes I use a dried out rabbit skin and place one of the decoys over it in a feeding position.. I generally use a 20 g with 1/4 choke and 25g of No 7... does the job well enough or sometimes I will shoot through the hide with a .22 silenced air rifle if I am in a more patient mood. You will find that the deeks will often bring in rooks and daws and the odd magpie. Good luck. FM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted March 22, 2004 Report Share Posted March 22, 2004 Goodsy See also Sporting Gun April issue.. Good article about Crow decoying.. FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodsy Posted March 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2004 Thanx for your reply Gents! the reason i ask, is that i have never decoyed these and on a recent visit to my land, there must have been hundreds in a couple of recently plouged fields. Also they could even have been rooks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digger Posted March 22, 2004 Report Share Posted March 22, 2004 they used to say if you see a rook on its own its a crow and if you see lots of crows together they are rooks. if there are loads would say they are rooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodsy Posted March 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Hi Digger I will have a better look on sunday, but i have a feeling they were Rooks. Would you use the same decoy set up for Crows, if decoying Rooks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapShot Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 A local farmer has just called to say he has a problem with rooks and crows on some bean drillings and just before i go and paint £40 worth of perfectly good pigeon decoys black does anyone have tips or tricks for this. Regards Crapshot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Mike Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 Crapshot Read the replies to Goodsys post of the same topic under this forum a couple of days ago. You may not get too much success with the Crows using painted pigeon deeks Ive tried it and they aint that bloody silly. very clever in fact. If you have no crow deeks, set up really early before first light where the birds are feeding... (Some times it can pay to build the hide the evening before) You will probably be able to bag a couple of early feeders before they realise what is going on. If you do mount them on a rotary or peg em out.. Peg out more as you shoot them so it looks as natural has possible. Good luck. Let us know how you get on. FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digger Posted March 23, 2004 Report Share Posted March 23, 2004 totally agree with above post,crow decoys will pull them in.in my experience the bigger the pattern the more birds will come in .rooks dont seem as wary as crows but they arent daft.hope you have a good day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadShotHoncho Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 (edited) Does anybody have tips on decoying crow with air rifle, I might get crow decoys in the future but right now I don't want to buy anymore kit. I have read tht split open birds and rabbits or mincemeat works well and also shiny things. Would mincemeat and/or glittery wrapping paper work and would I be able to hide just using deerhunter camo and a net, By the way as many people have said crows are very smart, walking around and see some on the roof of my barns go back in and grab my rifle come out and they are gone, didn't see me with gun they were just gone they had been there happily for an hour many thanks HSH Edited February 17, 2008 by HeadShotHoncho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesthomo_lanber12gO/U Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 hi guys, i do alot of rooks and crow shooting , i usaully sit just behind a dyke waiting on them to lift around dusk , they depart in three groups but when i fire the first shot the other two big groups will fly in a different route what would be the best option to getting shooting on all three groups ? cheers james Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 One of the best bits of equipment I bought for crow shooting was an electronic flapper, connected with an intermittent timer. Used with a Primos Power Crow call, I found this set up to be excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckytrigger Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 (edited) I use half a dozen crow deeks along with a dead crow on a flapper. First time i used this combination i shot 87 but since then even with changing my hide location ive struggled to nail half that many. They are seriously 'canny' but it does make them very worthwhile quarry :blink: Edited March 10, 2008 by luckytrigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadShotHoncho Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 (edited) Have now found a tree that at least 13 crows roost in so i am going to pop them off from a tree house with my air rifle (don't have any other gun), i will probably get a silencer for it cos then they'll probably mob their fallen freind Edited March 10, 2008 by HeadShotHoncho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprinter Posted March 20, 2008 Report Share Posted March 20, 2008 Right I have to have a bash at his over the next few days. They are consuming approx £2 of partridge pellets a day and it's getting a tad annoying. As this is my first time at the crows/rooks i'll tell you what i've done and going to do and see if anyone can pick holes in it for me. 1) Hide, just built a few mins ago. I don't have any choice where it goes and if the wind doesn't change i'm sitting facing the wind tomorrow so not ideal, but i do have a tree in shot range. I have built it against two round bales, masses of branches in front and smothered them with straw from the bales. From within i can't see out so a little adjustment may be needed tomorrow, if it hasn't blown away overnight. 2) I'm hoping to be set out at first light or just before, i am not sleeping very well at the moment so hopefully i'll have another bad night and will be stalking the house in the twilight before dawn raring to go. 3) I have 2 crow deeks (virgin bought today) I'm putting one by the feeder and taking an egg with me to put next to the other one about 10 yards away. I also have a magpie deek that i'll bung out 20 yards away from both crow deeks. While i am at it i have a little patch of rape off to my left so will peg out 5 dead pigeon to see if i can get the odd shot at them. 4) As i'll be facing the wind i have a feeling most of my shots are going to be going away at a range of 45-50 yards so i have a box of 2.5" 34g 4s to stick up the choke barrel of the old baikal, with some 32g 6s for anything closer. 5) As the hide is predominantly straw coloured, i'm guessing i can get away without a hat/ veil as the only one i have is green cammo and may show up more then my face, but i'm not sure about this - so i may smear a bit of mud around my fizzog if they are seeing me. That's all i can think of for now, could anyone that's done this before critique the above for me? ta! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traztaz Posted March 20, 2008 Report Share Posted March 20, 2008 Try this , my experiences over the last couple of weeks, scroll down thread. http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...showtopic=54654 Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted March 20, 2008 Report Share Posted March 20, 2008 Sprinter, how far away from your hide are the feeders ? Assuming the birds will be landing at the feeders and into the wind, you will need a good 40plus yards between the hide and the feeders to allow the birds room to come in. A hat and veil should be OK, even if they are green. Although it would be preferable to see through the hide, if you have your face covered and don't bob up and down too much, you should be OK looking over the top, as long as you are still below your background. It sounds as though you have all the other bases covered. :wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprinter Posted March 20, 2008 Report Share Posted March 20, 2008 (edited) Sprinter, how far away from your hide are the feeders ? Feeder(s) are 35-40 yards from the hide. I have moved them a little closer, but can always pace them out tomorrow and shift them again if needs be. Might even take the lil old air rifle with me tomorrow and have a poke through the hide with it if they settle. Edited March 20, 2008 by Sprinter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caeser Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 One of the best bits of equipment I bought for crow shooting was an electronic flapper, connected with an intermittent timer. Used with a Primos Power Crow call, I found this set up to be excellent. I totally agree with steve_b . Only need a couple of decoys and the flapper. Once you get the first one ,stick it on the flapper then get ready for some action.I always place the shot birds into the pattern, heads propped up. no set pattern, just random. I've had several bags of over 100 birds with this method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprinter Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 Well basically it was a bit of a nightmare :blink: Alarm went off at 5 and it was tipping it down, so rolled over and went back to sleep. By 7:15 it had cleared up so pulled out the air rifle to give it a charge and we seem to have sprung an air leak as the damn thing is hissing at me. Oh Well no air rifle it is then. Arrived at hide (what was left of it) and re-built it in the gale. Put out the deeks and waited. I couldn't get comfortable in the hide and was struggling to keep the barrels out of the sun. The first few came were saluted and left, the hide fell in on me and i was getting bits of straw blowing into my eyes all the time, spent more time rubbing my eyes than looking for crows. After a bit i got a little more comfortable and managed to scratch a few down, then winged one which led me on a two field chase (**&%*()%$%!!). The hide fell in again, flipping wind! and then i downed another, broke the gun popped another cart in and it wouldn't close. This took 15 mins to sort out in which time the blacks decoyed perfectly!!! Had an absolute massive gust of wind and the hide collapsed again, at this point i had a huge sense of humour failure packed up and ******** off home. Some days you just know when to call it quits Total 8 for 19 pokes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cole890 Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 ah well, you cant shoot anythin sat in doors now can you, you win some you lose some and remember theres always next time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadShotHoncho Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 What do they decoy onto and can you just bait the ground with meat (no decoys so far) and if you try with an airrifle (only type of gun i got at the mo) will they see you if you camo up 30-40yrds away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vagabond Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 How about trying a plastic owl deek! They are coming into breeding season and will attack owls as they fear their nest will be raided by the owl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadShotHoncho Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 would a stuffed one do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vagabond Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 If it looks the part...... It drives them crazy. Just sit back nail one and leave him where he's drops (make sure he's dead) It doesn't put them off, they just keep coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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