# Crow hunting lower Mi



## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

Does anybody else besides my son and I into crow hunting? It is a blast and always looking to find places to go if anyone knows any. It is almost like waterfowl hunting put your decoys out and call and they come


----------



## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

I have no idea why they put a season on it??


----------



## shotgun12 (Jul 19, 2005)

over here crow shooting is great fun, we have millions here and can shoot them all year round no limet on them,went out at one time shot 94 on laid barley,and 145 on fresh drilled wheat, have fun,


----------



## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

> I have no idea why they put a season on it??


The season was put on crows to keep the Mexican government happy. The consider it a migratory bird.


----------



## 1ludman (Jun 26, 2012)

roger15055 said:


> Does anybody else besides my son and I into crow hunting? It is a blast and always looking to find places to go if anyone knows any. It is almost like waterfowl hunting put your decoys out and call and they come


 Knock on doors I've very rarely been turned down to hunt crows and state land works fine also.


----------



## Critter (Mar 3, 2006)

We crow hunt a good little bit. Try to get out at least once a week the during the winter season and August. Looking forward to the opening weekend, got a few new tricks to try to up our numbers.


----------



## Patman75 (Jan 11, 2012)

tried it last year and had a blast.

Can't wait for the Feb 2nd.


----------



## mfs686 (Mar 15, 2007)

I do most of my crow hunting up by my parents place in Oscoda but I have ben known to shoot a few at Pte. Mouille.


----------



## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

That is great to see others involved. I started making silhouette decoys a coat hanger and electrical tape, I seen it on the internet. Should work good i hope. that way i can carry alot more decoys.


----------



## bobberbill (Apr 5, 2011)

I like the crows here. A noisy PITA, but I never realized they keep the red tail hawks away. Funny to watch crows just pound on hawks. I feed winter birds and the crows really protect the feeder.. OK, I just put my hard hat on!!:lol::lol:


----------



## Patman75 (Jan 11, 2012)

roger15055 said:


> That is great to see others involved. I started making silhouette decoys a coat hanger and electrical tape, I seen it on the internet. Should work good i hope. that way i can carry alot more decoys.


I did that with hockey tape last year. It worked. This year I upgraded with some decoys but will still add the hangers with tape out too.


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

it does look like great fun, and i hear,,,breasted out you get a nice little medalion of meat. think i will work on learning more about it and give it a try. 
plus,, for an old coot like me,,,no big heave deer carcus to drag out of the woods


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

ok,,,you got me, just ordered an owl, two crow calls , and owl call,(for turkey season). and have a couple different silohette tracings to make flatty decoys with this weekend...come feb.1st i will get out and give it a try. seems like good cheap fun that can be had pretty close to just about anyones home. and i know a few farmers that would probably bring me lunch in the field if i would kill a mess for them.

how many flatties do you think i should make? half dozen to start? a dozen? will make them out of masonite i just happen to have ripped out during a renovation,,,,i love making stuff out of junk.


----------



## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

John , half dozen is fine, whatever is comfortable for you to carry with everything else you will be toting along. Youtube crow hunting and you can pick up alot of tips plus it beats the heck out of shoveling snow. It is a very cheap and fun time you will get hooked


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

i figure a nice camo duffel will carry a lot of flatties and an owl, and a good section of camo burlap for an expedient blind. doing some map scouting today i see some nice state game areas that are adjacent to fields of corn and such , about six good spots within ten miles of me. will be scouting them for trukey, crow, and maybe geese in the next week or so. these are areas i hunt squirrel a lot in, just never paid much attention to crow before, though i seem to recall watching some once and thinking,,,,hmmmmm!


----------



## Patman75 (Jan 11, 2012)

You only need a few decoys, once you drop a few you will have more. 

If you got an electronic caller save crow fight for last. They come from everywhere and then the party is over. Rabbit distress is a good one to start with.

Learn how to do a crow distress, sounds like saying EERRRRICCCCC into the call. Gets them to turn around after you miss them once maybe twice.


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

lol drop a few,,,you have clearly not seen me shoot....but i get it.
i will be using hand calls this year till i see if i even like it. then i may go electronic.


----------



## downrange (Dec 25, 2010)

Ive never crow hunted. Im gonna hafta give this a try. I just picked up some decoys (3 crows and an owl), and a hand call. Any tips would be great! Im wondering about decoy setup?? I seen a pic on here where a guy threw out some Mcdonalds trash and put dekes on it to imitate feeding. Also scouting. We can pattern these birds, right?? I know theyre super smart. 

Dont mean to hijack the thread, but help a brutha out! 


Sometimes life is greasy.


----------



## SL80 (Mar 5, 2012)

What do you guys do with the crows that you shoot? Do people eat them?


----------



## Patman75 (Jan 11, 2012)

Read up, great info for starters.

http://www.crowbusters.com/index.htm

When I explain crow hunting to people I explain it as try to shoot down an f16. As soon as you pull up on them and they see you they barrel roll and will turn on a dime. It is not like shooting pheasant that fly straight.

Lots of laughs and lots of shooting. First time out with my dad we got 8 and went through about 100 rounds. We used an e-caller. It is a good idea if hunting with a group to sit together and have a pit boss to say when to shoot, like duck hunting.


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

downrange said:


> Ive never crow hunted. Im gonna hafta give this a try. I just picked up some decoys (3 crows and an owl), and a hand call. Any tips would be great! Im wondering about decoy setup?? I seen a pic on here where a guy threw out some Mcdonalds trash and put dekes on it to imitate feeding. Also scouting. We can pattern these birds, right?? I know theyre super smart.
> 
> Dont mean to hijack the thread, but help a brutha out!
> 
> ...


 do a webserarch and you will find tons of info.
heres what i have gleaned, as a game plan for me.
calls, i got two different crow calls, to allow for slightly different voice,,,and backup in case one freezes.
an owl decoy, depending on whats happening that day. i will set it up as high as i can, as crows hate owls.
i am making a half dozen silhoette crow decoys this weekend. these can be used alone or with the owl.
i will have one crow to attach up high as i can in a tree to look like a watch guard. the others i will spred on the ground as if thay are feeding.
for the moment as camo,,i will wear my camo carharts, and boots and pull over knit hood with camo net on the face. i will try to tuck into trees or brush as much as i can, and may augment this with camo burlap. if we get some snow i will figure something out in white,,,painter coveralls maybe?
as of today i will be practicing calls in the park near work every lunch break for the next few days anyway. i want to get down the feeding call, the come here call,the hey i need help call, and a fighting call.
my hunting locations i have to pick from about six spots for now all on the edges of state land and against farm fields. corn and beans mostly.
then i have to practice up my swearing for all the missed shots!

P.S. yes,, you can eat crow. you breast them like a goose, as thats about all you can get off them, two pices about the size of a slice of lime. taste wise its like just about any small game bird. and there are lots of recipes for them omn line. even though there isn;t much meat,,,,you can shoot as many as it takes to feed however many eaters there are. figure a couple or three per person?:coolgleam


----------



## 1ludman (Jun 26, 2012)

john warren said:


> do a webserarch and you will find tons of info.
> heres what i have gleaned, as a game plan for me.
> calls, i got two different crow calls, to allow for slightly different voice,,,and backup in case one freezes.
> an owl decoy, depending on whats happening that day. i will set it up as high as i can, as crows hate owls.
> ...


 If you are using a owl decoy don't place your crow decoys below them it's best to put the owl in the lowest position among all of your decoys. Just my 2cents from hunting them over the past 30+ years.


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

1ludman said:


> If you are using a owl decoy don't place your crow decoys below them it's best to put the owl in the lowest position among all of your decoys. Just my 2cents from hunting them over the past 30+ years.


 yes , thats my understanding, if using the owl a couple sentry type in the trees higher then the owl.:SHOCKED:


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

went ice fishing this morning,,i suck at that appairently,, so i decided to go scout a bit. found a nice cornfield on state land , got out of my truck and gave a few calls,, and got six crows fly to me and look me over...so i left so they wouldn't get edumacated. but it was exciting and i know where i will have my first crow hunt. as i looked over the field way in the back corner against the woods, is a dense pine tree with its lower branches maybe 6 or7 feet up, a nice natural blind,, and theres an even bigger one along the woods further towards the front on the other side.
i'm thinking snow coveralls, for the lower body, and camo face paint to blend into the pine boughs. a few deeks out with one as high a i can put it in a nearby tree.


----------



## SL80 (Mar 5, 2012)

This sure does sound like fun. I'm just not sure if I could bring myself to eat crows. Every time I think about it, I think of That 70s show when everyone when hunting and Phez cooked a pheasant on the camp fire. "Yes, beautiful black pheasant."


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

from what i've read it tastes pretty much like any small game bird, quail, partridge,,and the like. i like adventurous eating so i will give them a try. if it's good i will continue to eat them,,,if not,,,i'll have a hamburger.


----------



## ibthetrout (Sep 24, 2003)

I've got 3 decoys and hand call coming via mail soon. I am going to try a feeding setup with my **** skin, the crow decoys, and maybe some fake blood if we get some snow. The only electronic call I have is for coyote so I will put that out and use rabbit in distress. I'd like to pick up another hand call and maybe an owl decoy. Where's the best place to get an owl decoy cheap?


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

got mine on amazon for like 12 bucks or so got it in three days


----------



## Critter (Mar 3, 2006)

I got my hawk and my owl dekes at TSC for about $10 each in the off season.


----------



## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

I bought all my stuff at cabelas and went there saturday and bought some foam crow decoys. six foam decoys with clips for twenty five dollars.


----------



## monczunski (Feb 28, 2006)

I take a black sock and put it on a metal hanger. 


Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


----------



## Spartans8989 (Jan 28, 2009)

ibthetrout said:


> I've got 3 decoys and hand call coming via mail soon. I am going to try a feeding setup with my **** skin, the crow decoys, and maybe some fake blood if we get some snow. The only electronic call I have is for coyote so I will put that out and use rabbit in distress. I'd like to pick up another hand call and maybe an owl decoy. Where's the best place to get an owl decoy cheap?


 
I got on owl decoy from Walmart, cant remember how much it was but it had a crack on its ear so I think I got a deal on it.


----------



## laterilus (Mar 18, 2006)

E-caller is ready,pick some dekes location is a lock,just gotta decide o/u,semi or pump. Looking forward to some trigger time.


----------



## football12 (Dec 3, 2009)

I find the electronic call works well, I got a set of Johnny Stewart CD's with the different calls, rabbit, Crow fight, etc. Crow fight with an Owl is the goto, they come in fast and hard ready for a fight. It doesn't take long for them to get educated. After 45 min to an hour of daylight and they will stop coming to the calls. 
The best crow hunting I have ever experienced was southern ontario, just south of amerthsburg, harrow area. We would run out of shells. Anyplace on the lake-lower river between Canada and the US can also be incredible. We hunted off of ford yacht club on the ice, snow camo. Pointe Moulie, out in front of erie metro. In canada no BS 300-500 birds in a morning, not saying we got emm all but man did we shot the daylights out of them. I live in Livingston county now and if I get 20-30 birds to come in its a good day.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## jem44357 (Jan 27, 2011)

Interesting I just talked to a buddy of mine about this. I kinda want to use my 223 Contender, more for the challenge then for food. For many years now I have been able to call them in during Turkey hunting with my mouth call. I do a fighting call and man do they come in fast a furious and true as stated as soon as they spot you... twist and shout and they are out! I have knocked them out from tree tops with my 22LR Contender.

BTW John Warren my experience is they are born educated!

Jim


----------



## Big Honkers (Dec 20, 2008)

football12,

You are right about across the border in Ontario. Lots of birds. 

BUT

It is illegal for non-residents of Canada to hunt/shoot crows. Its true. I can shoot pretty much anything in Canada from small game to a gosh dang polar bear but I cannot shoot a crow. Go figure. To bad too, I'd be over there multiple times each year chasing the black bandits. 

Im not sure how long ago you shot crows in Ontario and maybe the rules have changed since then but nonetheless I thought you might like a heads up.

BH


----------



## ibthetrout (Sep 24, 2003)

roger15055 said:


> I bought all my stuff at cabelas and went there saturday and bought some foam crow decoys. six foam decoys with clips for twenty five dollars.


I had a Dick's gift cert that I needed to use. Sounds like the decoys at Cabelas are even less than Dicks. I might make a trip down there this morning.


----------



## JBIV (Jan 29, 2004)

Crow hunting is a lot of fun! I would rig up a few decoys with the green or black line you would use for tip-ups. Tie one end to your decoy and the other end to a shotgun shell or something small and heavy. Throw the shell over a branch as high up as you can and then pull your decoy up. I thought it gave the decoy spread a good look to have a few up high looking like sentrys. I kept the line wrapped around the shell while moving from place to place.


----------



## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

roger15055 said:


> I bought all my stuff at cabelas and went there saturday and bought some foam crow decoys. six foam decoys with clips for twenty five dollars.


 good price on those, if i get near caelas i'll grab some. six seems to be all you need, and will tote in a small duffle bag pretty easy. i am cutting out about ten flatties tonight, two different poses so i can try some this weekend. i just tore out some old flooring and have a bunch of used masonite,,, so i can make flatties as long as that holds out,,,lol i guess 50 or 60 anyway


----------



## football12 (Dec 3, 2009)

Big Honkers said:


> football12,
> 
> You are right about across the border in Ontario. Lots of birds.
> 
> ...


Lets see it was 1986 thru about 1996, so it was a while ago. Back when crossing the border was no big deal.


----------



## hunterrep (Aug 10, 2005)

You guys inspired me. I picked up 6 decoys from Cabelas last night too, $25. I've never tried crow hunting but it sounds like a blast.


----------



## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

Well i went out today and had a blast had three down in less than twenty minutes,but luck would run out soon my caller broke no clue what happened put new battereys in and nothing then every so often i could get it to work. Emailed the johnny stewart people hope they get back to me. I am thinking of taking a few days of vacation before its over How have you guys been doing any good stories?Used my mouth call and:yikes:


----------



## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

Well hows everyones season been? It's the last weekend i will be out all weekend Well like i said the people at johnny stewart did nothing so i got on line and typed in electronic callers and came to allpredatorcalls.com and called and talked to a guy named chad and he was a world of knowledge so i ended up with a foxpro wildfire and wow it is AWESOME! We have been having a blast to say the least:yikes: So bummed its almost over,but on the bright side time to get the mirrocraft out and hit the river. Let me know how everyone did. We should think of putting together a crow club or something of that nature. I really met alot of people in the woods this year that are really into it. I also traded a 22 for a winchester 140 semi, first time out with it in the morning still bringing my citori just in case. Hope to see guys out this weekend if not see you on the water.


----------



## Deerkiller11 (Sep 9, 2011)

I will be out all this weekend! I hit up one spot this morning by myself and killed three. Gunna be out tomorrow with a friend or two hope to kill some more. good luck this weekend. go get em!!!


_Posted from Michigan-sportsman.com App for Android_


----------

