How many crows make a really good shoot?

nhcrowshooter · Molted Crow

How many crows make a really good shoot?

Splash One · Elusive Crow

Well since I actually have a life and don't spend thousands of dollars and put millions of miles on my ****y old truck... I say if you knock down one crow an hour and are having fun (not freezing to death)... that's a good day. Anyone that tries to make you feel inferior to them is a special kind of Jerk...

nhcrowshooter · Molted Crow

First off when I am cold, I am not having fun no matter what I am doing. I do need some shots at crows to keep me interested. If I take a 2 hour stand alone I hope to get at least 10 to make it a good hunt in my mind. With two of us 20 or more is a good hunt. "Good" is a measure of how they are flying on a particular day. A great day is when I go over 30 alone or over 40 with two more. Some places/states have more crows moving about than others. I don't think you can apply the same measure of good between an agricultural state and non agricultural state. I agree there is a particular person on the other site who turns many threads to something about himself essentially trying to make himself look good or feel good by putting others down, even if indirectly. For most people 100+ crows a day whether alone or in a group is something to be celebrated, a great day indeed. Unless of course you are from Kansas

I'd be interested to hear what Gary thinks.

Splash One · Elusive Crow

Yeah a crow an hour is my bare minimum because at that point I am contemplating hunting other stuff. My highest solo was around 40 for a few hours hunting.. I don't hunt crows as hard as others seem too.. maybe that's why I'm not all hung up on killing as many as I can or measuring my status as a hunter by the yearly total I've killed.

I honestly wonder how someone can kill hundreds of them in every hunt they do for decades and still have the same kill ratios after 40 or so years.. one would think that if someone removed over 100,000 crows from a certain flyway that as the years went on survivors would teach the migrant birds to stay away from entire cities or towns. As for where this great white crow hunter racks up his biggest numbers... it's in the same town every single year.. I won't divulge where this town is... but I will say... it's written in plain English right on "that site's" main page.. only someone NOT looking for it would miss it.

I'm not sure where Gary is.. he's just busy I guess.. and with damn near zero participation most of which is members just waiting to win a call I don't blame him if he stops visiting the site... I have pretty much decided this is my way of sharing what I do outdoors... if people want to chat.. that's cool. I understand why people like "that site".. I use too as well... but I don't get how half the people dislike the pro on that site (The site is actually a fan page if you look at it closer), yet they stay there to be berated... I do understand how newbs get caught up in it... I think they have these false hopes that some day this pro might take them hunting with him... or have him tell them where to go to shoot like he does..

-- Edited by Splash One on Tuesday 12th of November 2013 07:16:58 PM

nhcrowshooter · Molted Crow

Splash I wonder the same thing about taking so many crows in a relatively small area. Since 2008 I have taken 3200 crows and my hunting partner has probably taken about the same. I have seen an effect especially in the pre and post migration period where we are shooting native birds. Most of our hunting locations seem to have dried up quite a bit unless we have birds migrating through. Bob does seem to time his hunts to the period of a migration.

Crow hunting is crow shooting in my opinion, we are not out to fill a freezer. I think if you measure your success by a yearly total you are setting yourself up for disappointment because the available population to shoot at is not under one's control. Getting out is the fun part but crow hunting is a shooting contest and whether it's 25 crows or 2500 it comes down to how well you are hitting them. I get a chuckle when people state crows are smart and difficult to hunt. They are easy to hunt when you figure out the basics.

I have noticed this year the other crow hunting site has been far less active. There are not enough newbs to replace the diehard veteran crow hunters that were participating. Seems most of the veterans and gurus don't post much any more, and I am sure it's for a reason.

corvid · Molted Crow

numbers dont come in to it, its nice to get a good bag of crows i admit, but to me its all the different places i hunt and to have them days when you pull off the spectacular shot and see them fall from the sky, also enjoying the day out with a like minded person who enjoys shooting crows as much as i do, sadly there are very few people where i live you target crow shooting as a sport, and im not complaining as i get on average 60-70 trips a year out shooting crows as well as pigeons, over here people just wont pay the price of cartridges just to shoot crows, the farmers i find just stick banger guns or scare kites etc to just keep crows on the move, on fields they dont want them on, but thats why we have a massive population of corvids as the numbers arnt kept in check.

arnold c · Crow Egg

Hi Guys! Been a while since I have been here. Good to see the usual suspects are still around. I do on occasion check out the "other" site. Seems the biggest problem that most guys including myself have with the forum is the "guru" using the site as his own personal web page. Yes he shoots a ton of birds and there is no doubt that he can shoot. but damn the way he talks down to new guys is redicoulus!!! I crow shoot to have fun. If I kill 5 a day I have enjoyed myself!!

nhcrowshooter · Molted Crow

arnold c wrote:
Hi Guys! Been a while since I have been here. Good to see the usual suspects are still around. I do on occasion check out the "other" site. Seems the biggest problem that most guys including myself have with the forum is the "guru" using the site as his own personal web page. Yes he shoots a ton of birds and there is no doubt that he can shoot. but damn the way he talks down to new guys is redicoulus!!! I crow shoot to have fun. If I kill 5 a day I have enjoyed myself!!

Arnold, the other site was set up by Gordon Krause, so you ever see him posting. The other site is a tribute and promotional site for said guru. Yes he makes himself bigger and better by talking down others, we all know people like that unfortunately. Just let it roll off you back so to speak, it's almost always a sign of insecurity and or a disordered mind. It's supposed to be fun, but sometimes obsessive behaviors take control of those so inclined and the fun turns into one frustration after another when things don't go just right; weather, shooting, lack of birds, work schedule etc.

-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Thursday 16th of January 2014 07:58:27 AM

corvid · Molted Crow

i used to a member of the 'guru tribute forum' put a few posts up got 'put in my place', and never been back, hell i just enjoy shooting crows, one or a hundred makes no difference, just being out there whacking crows is my idea of fun.

Killembad · Crow Egg

Hanging out with good friends having fun in the truck and shooting a few crows along the way. Shooting big numbers by yourself or with folks you dont like isn't my idea of fun. It doesn't matter how many you shoot as long as you tried your best and had fun with friends.

in our area I think an all day hunt should produce 50 + birds if properly set up and executed. That's for 3 people......we average quite a bit more than that which requires more effort in several categories.

I must say that if you love shooting this is one awesome sport..... ducks and doves are a distant second

Gary · Dances With Crows

NH ,Splash, Corvid ,& Killembad Good to see a new face on board.
Great question NH, The answer lies within each hunter. Thank God we are all different. As you know from all my reports in the past I am somewhat spoiled on the numbers. I have hunted with Skip for 25 years and it has always been about the numbers. This is not a bad thing. We have always tracked each hunt into an archive to set benchmarks for the next hunt or even the next year. I believe it helps drive us to hunt harder and be sharper. I am different in one regard from reading everyone's post. I do not like to hunt crows alone. In the 25 years of chasing them I might have gone out 10 times by myself. We only hunt Jan. & Feb. each year, one or two days a week. This year has been a good year with our average over 150 for each hunt. We are fortunate to have a decent migration of birds. We have down years like everyone and just make the best out of it. For the average crow hunt, one to three hunters, anything over 100 has always been our benchmark. Many times we have hunted and came back with small numbers of kills, but the key as a few have mentioned, is, it is who you hunt with not the number of kills. Being with a good friend or friends is priceless, as I get older the time spent with these guys is just simply precious. Key in on friendship and the rest will fall into place regardess of the numbers.

Killembad · Crow Egg

Well said Gary..........

Friends don't hog hot spots and step back to let team mates catch up with the bird count.

Friends shoot an occasional bird with hopes a little blood or the entire bird hit their buddy......LOL

Friends work together to make sure we all kill birds and have fun.....alternative behaviors never make it long term and folks go home with negative thoughts.......

Friends laugh at their buddy if he hits the deck in a pile of briArs and brush

Friends laugh at thir buddy when he dents or scratches his truck.....LOL

I know these things because it's how a normal crow hunt goes for me and I would not change a thing