Crows and Pigeons

[GreenDrake]

Now that my NZ deer season is over, I will start hitting the crows and pigeons pretty hard. Flight crows have been heavy here. We shot 28 2 weeks ago set up a half mile from the flyway. Couldn't get closer due to time constraints. Not a bad shoot for 45 minutes. The pigeons will be hitting the grain bunkers heavily soon. They have been hitting a cut corn field in the hundreds at one of my spots, but guys are hunting deer there and I do not want to ruin their hunt by shooting up the place while they are enjoying their hunt.

[martin]

I can't wait to get out Crow hunting. Plan on going this weekend. Glad deer season is over.

[GreenDrake]

We killed 25 this afternoon. Hard snow. Heavy wind. Farmers grandson joined us.  New to hunting. Very safe and courteous but moved around a little too much. He will learn.  

[mlammerhirt]

What kind of setups are you guys doing? Fields? Edge of the woods for crows? We were out for geese today and had pigeons pass by just outta range and crows were all around. Are you decoying the pigeons?

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[GreenDrake]

I decoy pigeons heavily in the spring and summer in cut wheat or grain fields. Have 6 Mojo pigeons and 2 dozen assorted full bodies, socks and 8 flock flicks. In Winter we do not decoy them as they are usually going into corn bunkers to feed and onto silos to sit. We get them coming and going.

Crows I always decoy. I try to set up in low scrub areas in their flyways. Put some decoys in the trees and a few on the ground and call. They come over nice and low and present for easier shots. We killed 30 last Sunday in an hour.

[Fat Dan]

I have never tried crow hunting but should probably give it a try.  I have shot a few pigeons over dove decoys.  I have never managed to find any pigeon decoys. 

[GreenDrake]

One of our summer decoy shoots

[Lomax]

You should come hunt in Cayuga County for the crows.  The city of Auburn has roosts of crows in the winter over 30000 crows.  Perhaps 8 to 10 yrs ago it was like 60000 and National Geographic filmed a documentary.  They roost in the downtown area and it’s like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. They fly out in tremendous groups every morning and return each night.  I hunted them a few times and got a couple here and there but never more than a few and the whole flock would shift.  A local bar used to hold an annual crow shoot but think it eventually got shut down.  They are nasty scavenger birds that my lab wouldn’t even retrieve but fun to shoot at.  I have a call and that helped but guy who won the crow derby used an owl and crow decoys together with an electronic distress crow call.  He and his partner shot like 20+ in a day.   I was happy to shoot a couple.  

[GreenDrake]

I am very familiar with the Auburn birds. Awesome watching them come in at evening. Its close to that here as well. I hunt the flyways and get them coming out in the morning and heading back to roost in the evening. It took me several years to really figure them out and proper set ups and calls. We hit them pretty hard now. Drove me crazy for years. I became obsessed. Wife and I drive thousands of miles finding birds...their flyways...etc. they are tough but fun. Pigeons are just a slaughter-fest. 250 bird shoot averages. 

[Lomax]

I get thousands of them flying over my property every morning and evening.  They use my pines each morning and make a ruckus when I’m hunting deer.  When there are gut piles the crows can surpass a hundred or more in the general area.  The crows and the wuzzles wipe out a gut pile in a day.  There are just so many now not sure why but fun to shoot occasionally during winter weekends. 

[LET EM GROW]

My wifes family including my stepson go to their family barns and shoot pigeons every sunday out of the Cow barns. They enjoy it, good times good laughs, memories made. 

[GreenDrake]

13 hours ago, Lomax said:

I get thousands of them flying over my property every morning and evening.  They use my pines each morning and make a ruckus when I’m hunting deer.  When there are gut piles the crows can surpass a hundred or more in the general area.  The crows and the wuzzles wipe out a gut pile in a day.  There are just so many now not sure why but fun to shoot occasionally during winter weekends. 

What county and/or township are you located?

We have similar daily flights here in Oneida County as well.

[GreenDrake]

3 hours ago, LET EM GROW said:

My wifes family including my stepson go to their family barns and shoot pigeons every sunday out of the Cow barns. They enjoy it, good times good laughs, memories made. 

The should get a few decoys and set up about 100 yards from the barns. Shooting them over decoys is so much fun.

[Lomax]

1 hour ago, GreenDrake said:

What county and/or township are you located?

We have similar daily flights here in Oneida County as well.

Town of Throop and Aurelius is where I’ve hunted them along their northern flyway. North of Auburn.  Wary smart birds for sure.