Crow Shell Decoys

[Deako]

Not pigeon shooting equipment, but best section to pose the question:

 

Do you think there is a market for a good quality flocked crow shell decoy?

 

(obviously, at the right price )

 

Thanks Chaps...

[henry d]

I use the plain plas type and i`m sure that there is a market.I use mine for both pigeon and crow shooting.

[cooke103]

i think there will defentally be a market for them.

it would be loads better carrying 50 crow shells than 50 full body crows.

jake

[Quercus]

I'd probably buy some.

 

Q

[Deako]

The problem is the cost of the injection moulding set-up...bloody thousands of £'s

 

Been testing pigeon shells flocked black; cheap, and they work really well too, so this is something that's going to happen in the New Year, and if sales go well we may have a 'proper' crow shell produced later in the year.

 

Deako.

[dazza]

I'd buy some

[mallinson]

if you add a couple of these near to your pigeon decoy pattern does it give the pigeons more confidence, if it does i may well be interested in some.

[cooke103]

if you add a couple of these near to your pigeon decoy pattern does it give the pigeons more confidence

yes i think it does, if you put them near but not too close.

jake

[red_stag88]

Deako,

 

Yes there is. I certainly would buy a handful, as apose to the £8 full bodies. However, crows and rooks are smart creatures, so they may take abit more tricking than a few dodgy looking pals on the floor. Again, however, the increaced number of the shells (due to hte lowered amount allowing more to be bought) could instill more confidence.

 

Worth ago,

 

Red

[Deako]

Simple, but very effective...watch for the review in one of the major shooting mags in the next couple of weeks:

 

http://www.##############/?page=show-item&item=129

 

[millo2]

Hey Deako,

 

They dont look like crows close up, but I dont think it will make any difference in regards to pulling the birds in from a distance, and hopefully when they are close enough it will be too late for them to realise

 

[Deako]

not wrong fella...wait till you read the review, which was done during a full day in the field in a bloody blizzard!

[millo2]

not wrong fella...wait till you read the review, which was done during a full day in the field in a bloody blizzard!

Which mag mate? I dont buy one up here in Newcastle as I cant find anywhere which stock them

[Deako]

Millo,

 

not allowed to say yet until copy date is confirmed in the next week or so.

 

As soon as I have it, I'll let you know.

[shawn9914]

i use full bodied crows i put 1 or 2 around 50 -60 yards out from the hide and find that they give the pigeons confidence

 

regarding crow shells i would definatly try them i have some land where the farmer has litteraly hundreds of crows and asked us only yesterday if we would reduce the numbers for him (shot 6 in an hour after speaking to him)

 

so as soon as you know more keep us all informed

 

cheers shawn

[MARK 1]

shaun there already on sale mate just click the link that deako posted earlier in this thread

 

cheers mark

[Country Boy]

Hiya,

 

Just like to add my twopenneth on corvid decoys / decoying crows and rooks.

 

Forget most of what you know about pigeon decoying tactics and lots of plastic crow / rook deeks / magnets / bouncers or peckers are not needed.

 

Start with one decoy, I prefer a whole-bodied plastic, flocked or shiny black it matters not, but better the crow shape than a black painted pigeon(I suspect it's the beak!).

Now lets assume you are trying to decoy them over emerging corn, make sure you are out early, if you can pick a day go when its wet and windy, choose a place where you've seen them grubbing and you can get your back to the wind, then set him out on length of stick so that he sits about a foot off the ground fairly close to where you are hidden (that's really the key word - hidden - if you think your typical pigeon hide will suffice, think again, at the very least put a top on it) you should easily be able to shoot the first two or three that come to check him out but don't leave the dead ones out just yet, when you have at least three dead ones bring in your plastic specimen and sit the dead ones out, but, place one on it's back nearest to you about 10-15feet from where you are hidden, that will be the fatal attraction, sit up the other two as far from the first one again and more and more will continue to come but don't shoot at them until they are over nos two and three. Add the next newly shot ones into the pattern immediatly you retrieve them and concentrate them on the one on it's back, don't leave any others on there backs or flapping and when you have about twenty five sat out don't add any more to the pattern but bring them in as you shoot them!

 

Obviously others will beg to differ and rightly so but, during 2002 I shot over three thousand rooks and crows this way, many days I had over 100. I always use a Beretta semi-auto 3-shot with short barrel/cyl.choke and Rio Trap 28 carts in 6's.

 

You can use similar tactics over laid corn.

I sell the dead corvids to a local hawking centre and its contacts, they prefer them to rabbit meat for their chicks because there is more protein.

 

Don't waste time trying to shoot both pigeons and crows at the same time you won't get a decent bag of either and there is no need to sit crow deeks out in your pigeon pattern or vice-versa - it's an old wives tale!!

 

Cheerio,

Jimmy :}

 

p.s.

Some advice applicable to most forms of shooting: angling shops are only there to catch the fishermen!

[stirky]

Totaly agree with CB, ive shot more crows by putting a small amount of decoys out and placing a dead bird on its back (wings open). As other crows see the dead bird they get excited by trying to mob or attack or just out of interest i dont know but they will hang in the wind above it giving the alarm call. If there are more crows in the area these will also come for a look to see what all the fuss is about giving you the chance to get a tripple if using a s/a. But dont leave the first bird too long or it will ****** off. Ive also had good results using a johny stewart pc3 predator call, its actually designed for foxs but if you only bite the call with little preasure it sounds just like a crow in distress. Once you have a crow homing in on you or the deeks put the call down, its important not to overdo it with the call, use it only as an attractor for passing birds.

john.

[The Sniper]

Country Boy and stirky,

 

Thanks very much for those very informative replies.

 

I have never really tried the " black boys", but have always meant to.Your input has given me the ideas now.

[crowstopper]

I would buy some as long as they were not too expensive as I can get the normal ones very cheap.

 

 

 

crow

[MARK 1]

countryboy well put post but out of forty or so hawk men i personally know both single bird owners and big breeders dealing in thousands of pounds of birds of prey all legal i might add NONE OF THEM would ever feed either the adult birds nor the chicks on any type of shot meat .

this is due to the proven fact birds have died from lead poisoning when fed on shot meat.

whoever you supply is a foolish boy