Innundated with Crows---What to do?

dfaugh · September 16, 2006, 07:31 AM

OK, I swear to God, that there are more crows per square mile around my house, than any other place on earth. They *&^%$%#%(* things woke me up AGAIN at 0 dark thirty this morning.

Now, they used to occasionally land in the back of my lawn, and I zapped a couple with my .22 (@almost 100 yards, kinda proud of those shots-DRT---yes, I have a BIG lawn. So smart F-ers that they are, they now will not land in my lawn any more. BUT, they keep to the trees surrounding me (the ones this morning were over in my neighbors trees across the street, which are only about 75 ft. from my bedroom window.

Now, I cannot safely shoot them outa the trees (with the .22) as there are roads/buildings/houses within a 1/4 mile or so, and I'd be shooting upward at between a 30 and 45 degree angle. Shotgun is no good as they'll never let me get anywhere near close enough.

My local Gander Mountain has crow "decoys", and I'm wondering if anyone has ever used these. I'd put 'em out in the back yard, and once the crows land, they get zapped (safe backstop there). Again, anyone ever tried this? Will they bring the crows outa the trees, to see what their "buddy" is doing?

TIA

Pointer · September 16, 2006, 08:02 AM

Decoys work a little...

The best decoy is a wounded crow...

Tie his feet to a spike and let him flap around... soon you will have more wounded crows to stake out...

An owl decoy will attract them too because they will buzz an owl and try to run him off if they see one...

Down on the farm the crows came in great numbers to eat the peanuts...
They would fly in every morning and go back to their rookery (A stand of trees) every evening...again in great numbers...

You could see them flying several abreast, in a straight line ("As the crow flies").

You could position yourself under their flight path with a shotgun and shoot crows all day long...

They would deviate their course around you for a short time and then, very soon, they would be flying straight over head again...

Many years ago farmers would hang dynamite from the trees in the rookery, and when the crows "came home to roost" they would touch off the charge and kill thousands of crows at once...

The Enviro-Nazis, and Bleeding-Hearts, have put and end to that...

Have fun!

Art Eatman · September 16, 2006, 08:55 AM

Yeah, an owl decoy makes for a lot of entertainment. Set it out in shotgun range. Leave the dead crows on the ground. Lotsa times, other crows come for the funeral and eulogies.

, Art

rem33 · September 16, 2006, 09:38 AM

Leave the dead one laying in the yard or better I have heard, hanging by a foot. We have a crow problem here this time of year. I began leaving a dead one laying in the yard wings spread out and the others will avoid my trees and ones close by. Doesn't completely eliminate the noise but stops the droppings all over everything on the patio etc. for a few days.

springmom · September 16, 2006, 11:22 AM

Or you could try the solution used by ...oh, shoot, what's his name, he played one of the originals in M*A*S*H and was the dad in "Steel Magnolias"...

At any rate, in order to rid his home of grackles prior to his daughter's wedding, Dad takes a cross bow and ties about a zillion firecrackers to it, lights the firecrackers, and then shoots the cross bow into an upper branch of the tree.

The birds took off when all those firecrackers went off at once all around them.

Seriously though...shotshells? That's safer than a .22 because they won't travel a mile....

Springmom

rem33 · September 16, 2006, 01:45 PM

Ok,yes, firecrackers work.
Once it is dark and crows are in the tree by the dozens we tape a small firecracker to a little rock or walnut and toss em up into the tree. Works great they can't fly away fast enough. One tiny firecracker is all you need.

Capt. Charlie · September 16, 2006, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Ok,yes, firecrackers work.

Yes they do, but they work a little better if you can place 'em right in the middle of the flock, and bird bombs do that pretty well. I've used them, and while they're a little expensive, they work great! Ever see a crow have a heart attack?

HARDCORE · September 16, 2006, 06:32 PM

If you have a field out back the house, put a 4x4 post in the ground so about 3-4 feet stays above the ground. crows love to sit on these posts. Range them before you put them in so you know where your shot will be dead on.

HARDCORE

osufanboy · September 16, 2006, 06:45 PM

Anyone here eat 'em? I hear they taste like duck (breasts only). Sure they're scavengers. So are crab, lobster, catfish, pig...

http://crowbusters.com/recipes.htm

swampdog · September 16, 2006, 07:08 PM

Possibly this link might help.

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

He describes using an owl decoy and even includes a sample calling sequence.
He also mentions staking out a tomcat as a decoy. I've seen crows dive-bombing cats, so I bet this would work. You better have a pretty understanding cat, though. I don't think either of mine would appreciate it too much.

22-rimfire · September 16, 2006, 10:26 PM

I would start feeding them shelled corn on the ground. After they get used to eating it, pop em as you can.

DonR101395 · September 16, 2006, 10:39 PM

Growing up my friends dad would buy two cases of shotgun shells in August and in Sept he would have 3-4 of us over for a couple of weekends of fun. We got practice shooting pigeons at his expense and he got rid of the pigeons from around his grain cylos. It was win/win and alot of fun. Do you have kids with friends? Cheap, fun and problem solved.

**JohnKSa** · September 16, 2006, 11:06 PM

If they haven't been hunted much, you can get amazing results with a crow call and a shotgun.

Dreadnought · September 16, 2006, 11:19 PM

Since it seems the OP lives at least in a slightly residential area, I think the shotgun idea is not a good idea. Thought about baiting some cheap meats with a ton of industrial rat poison? The silent killer...

Not too good when you've got a shytload of dead birds all over everyone's yards... Air rifles and some friends, maybe?

I interned at an outdoor chemical plant, we used recorded juvenile osprey distress calls and we didn't have a problem with birds nesting in the tank farms or the plant. But that noise can be just as annoying as the blackbirds...

Trip20 · September 17, 2006, 12:48 AM

Use .22short and don't miss.

Hkmp5sd · September 17, 2006, 05:34 AM

Electronic Bird Chase Ultrasonic Control System

UniversalFrost · September 17, 2006, 06:27 AM

bbguns when near houses with a crow decoy work wonders. For the long distance shots a .222 or .223 works wonders. (plus you know when you hit em by all the flying feathers "puff"!)

dfaugh · September 17, 2006, 07:35 AM

Quote:

I would start feeding them shelled corn on the ground.

Actually, I put out some corn (mostly to keep the deer in the area for later (hunting season)...and they ignored it completely(??????)

Again, I'm looking for:

A) a way to get them on the ground in the back yard (my woods start almost exactly 100 yards from my back porch.

B) get them into shotgun range, for safeties sake. I can safely shoot birdshot in almost any direction (although TECHNICALLY I have to be 500 ft. from an occupied dwelling) except directly in line with my house (which, besides peppering my house, might also land in the across-the-street neighbors.

I can safely zap 'em 10 times out of 10, from my back porch, with my .22, IF I can get em on the ground. But my property backs up to the NYS Thruway, about 1/4 of a mile away. So, a .223 or something similar is out of the question.

If I could attract them enough, I'd go sit in the woods (at the edge of my lawn, or 50-100 yards into the woods) and blast 'em with a shotgun (although TECHNICALLY still illegal as I'd be a little too close to the house(s). But I have an informal shooting range, about 250 fts into the woods from my houssse, and I've not had a problem with the neighbors. May try the crow call.

P..S. As I'm typing this, I can HEAR the SOBs out in back. I don''t know why they annoy me so much, but they DO.

ZeroJunk · September 17, 2006, 12:20 PM

Some of the electronic callers Cabelas and others sell have crow calls available.They work very well with decoys and you will have every crow in the neighborhood there.Normally you only get one good chance a day at them before they figure it out.

FirstFreedom · September 17, 2006, 02:39 PM

Thanks for the crow hunting link - that site is gonna help me get some of those nuisances. Though they're not as thick here as it sounds like they are up in NY! I've heard that if you get them good and worked up with a crow/owl fight or similar, and take them out one by one with a .22 CB cap or SSS ammo, being relatively quiet, the others will stick around - as Art & others have mentioned. I can tell you this - you have to have yourself completely hidden and still or they won't even land - they will just fly around. And once they figure out that it's a trap, no amount of calling will bring them back that same day. Can't wait to try to hunt them again with Bush/Ceiner .22 with Aguila SSS - that's the perfect quiet crow load out to about 65 or 70 yards.

UniversalFrost · September 17, 2006, 03:44 PM

Heres an alternative I just though about. What about shooting them out of the air with a good 12 or 20 gauge shotgun with a full choke. I mean when they are still flying over your property and within range. That should atleast get a few of them and scare away the rest, but the neighbors might complain

**JohnKSa** · September 17, 2006, 05:01 PM

Quote:

But my property backs up to the NYS Thruway, about 1/4 of a mile away. So, a .223 or something similar is out of the question.

A .22LR bullet can go 1.5 miles. I'd say if a .223 isn't safe, neither is a .22LR. In fact, a .223 would probably be safer than a .22LR if you use a light fast varmint load since the bullet will tend to break up rather than ricochet.

22-rimfire · September 17, 2006, 05:58 PM

I feed shelled corn at my bird feeder in my back yard, and crows routinely come to the feeder to pick up the shelled corn on the ground. I put the corn out for the dag squirrels, but they prefer sunflower seeds.

It takes a while to get them used to feeding and feeling safe.

springmom · September 17, 2006, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Ok,yes, firecrackers work.
Once it is dark and crows are in the tree by the dozens we tape a small firecracker to a little rock or walnut and toss em up into the tree. Works great they can't fly away fast enough. One tiny firecracker is all you need.

....wouldn't several strings of 500 be a LOT more fun????

Springmom

rem33 · September 17, 2006, 10:47 PM

wouldn't several strings of 500 be a LOT more fun????

YES,until the cops came. Unfortunately I live "in town" now.

My favorite idea, which will never happen is.
A M80 in the center of a small plastic jar filled with bird shot, raised 3/4 of the way up the tree. Sitting in the center of a 3/8 inch thick piece of metal with about a three foot diameter. set off remotely, would be 'bout perfect. Would kill a bunch of em but might be kinda hard on the tree.

September 16, 2006, 07:31 AM	#1
dfaugh Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 1,715	Innundated with Crows---What to do? OK, I swear to God, that there are more crows per square mile around my house, than any other place on earth. They &^%$%#%( things woke me up AGAIN at 0 dark thirty this morning. Now, they used to occasionally land in the back of my lawn, and I zapped a couple with my .22 (@almost 100 yards, kinda proud of those shots-DRT---yes, I have a BIG lawn. So smart F-ers that they are, they now will not land in my lawn any more. BUT, they keep to the trees surrounding me (the ones this morning were over in my neighbors trees across the street, which are only about 75 ft. from my bedroom window. Now, I cannot safely shoot them outa the trees (with the .22) as there are roads/buildings/houses within a 1/4 mile or so, and I'd be shooting upward at between a 30 and 45 degree angle. Shotgun is no good as they'll never let me get anywhere near close enough. My local Gander Mountain has crow "decoys", and I'm wondering if anyone has ever used these. I'd put 'em out in the back yard, and once the crows land, they get zapped (safe backstop there). Again, anyone ever tried this? Will they bring the crows outa the trees, to see what their "buddy" is doing? TIA __________________ "If you Listen to Fools, the Mob Rules" "No one has the answer, but one thing is true. You'e got to turn on evil, when its coming after you. You've gotta face it down,and when it tries to hide, you've got to go in after it, and never be denied. Time is running out...Let's roll. Let's roll for freedom, let's roll for love. We're going after satan, on the wings of a dove. Let's roll for freedom, let's roll for truth. Let's not let our children grow up fearful in their youth."

September 16, 2006, 08:02 AM	#2
Pointer Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2005 Location: Utah Posts: 2,559	Decoys work a little... The best decoy is a wounded crow... Tie his feet to a spike and let him flap around... soon you will have more wounded crows to stake out... An owl decoy will attract them too because they will buzz an owl and try to run him off if they see one... Down on the farm the crows came in great numbers to eat the peanuts... They would fly in every morning and go back to their rookery (A stand of trees) every evening...again in great numbers... You could see them flying several abreast, in a straight line ("As the crow flies"). You could position yourself under their flight path with a shotgun and shoot crows all day long... They would deviate their course around you for a short time and then, very soon, they would be flying straight over head again... Many years ago farmers would hang dynamite from the trees in the rookery, and when the crows "came home to roost" they would touch off the charge and kill thousands of crows at once... The Enviro-Nazis, and Bleeding-Hearts, have put and end to that... Have fun! __________________ . "Political correctness is tyranny with a happy face." Charlton Heston 30-06 FOREVER

September 16, 2006, 11:22 AM	#5
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	Or you could try the solution used by ...oh, shoot, what's his name, he played one of the originals in MASH and was the dad in "Steel Magnolias"... At any rate, in order to rid his home of grackles prior to his daughter's wedding, Dad takes a cross bow and ties about a zillion firecrackers to it, lights the firecrackers, and then shoots the cross bow into an upper branch of the tree. The birds took off when all those firecrackers went off at once all around them. Seriously though...shotshells? That's safer than a .22 because they won't travel a mile.... Springmom __________________ I will not be a victim home on the web: www.panagia-icons.net (my webpage) www.nousfromspring.blogspot.com (Orthodoxy) "I couldn't hear you. Stop firing the gun while you're talking!"* Frank Drebin, The Naked Gun

September 16, 2006, 06:45 PM	#9
osufanboy Member Join Date: December 15, 2005 Posts: 93	Anyone here eat 'em? I hear they taste like duck (breasts only). Sure they're scavengers. So are crab, lobster, catfish, pig... http://crowbusters.com/recipes.htm __________________ There's a reason we separate military and the police: one fights the enemy of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.

September 16, 2006, 11:06 PM	#13
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,971	If they haven't been hunted much, you can get amazing results with a crow call and a shotgun. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

September 16, 2006, 08:55 AM	#3
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Yeah, an owl decoy makes for a lot of entertainment. Set it out in shotgun range. Leave the dead crows on the ground. Lotsa times, other crows come for the funeral and eulogies. , Art

September 16, 2006, 09:38 AM	#4
rem33 Junior member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Posts: 1,528	Leave the dead one laying in the yard or better I have heard, hanging by a foot. We have a crow problem here this time of year. I began leaving a dead one laying in the yard wings spread out and the others will avoid my trees and ones close by. Doesn't completely eliminate the noise but stops the droppings all over everything on the patio etc. for a few days.

September 16, 2006, 01:45 PM	#6
rem33 Junior member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Posts: 1,528	Ok,yes, firecrackers work. Once it is dark and crows are in the tree by the dozens we tape a small firecracker to a little rock or walnut and toss em up into the tree. Works great they can't fly away fast enough. One tiny firecracker is all you need.

September 16, 2006, 06:32 PM	#8
HARDCORE Member Join Date: November 22, 2005 Location: UPSTATE NY Posts: 44	If you have a field out back the house, put a 4x4 post in the ground so about 3-4 feet stays above the ground. crows love to sit on these posts. Range them before you put them in so you know where your shot will be dead on. HARDCORE

September 16, 2006, 07:08 PM	#10
swampdog Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2006 Location: Dismal Swamp, NC Posts: 338	Possibly this link might help. http://www.crowbusters.com/begtechn_dc.htm He describes using an owl decoy and even includes a sample calling sequence. He also mentions staking out a tomcat as a decoy. I've seen crows dive-bombing cats, so I bet this would work. You better have a pretty understanding cat, though. I don't think either of mine would appreciate it too much.

September 16, 2006, 10:26 PM	#11
22-rimfire Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 5,323	I would start feeding them shelled corn on the ground. After they get used to eating it, pop em as you can.

September 16, 2006, 10:39 PM	#12
DonR101395 Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2005 Location: NWFL Posts: 3,031	Growing up my friends dad would buy two cases of shotgun shells in August and in Sept he would have 3-4 of us over for a couple of weekends of fun. We got practice shooting pigeons at his expense and he got rid of the pigeons from around his grain cylos. It was win/win and alot of fun. Do you have kids with friends? Cheap, fun and problem solved.

September 16, 2006, 11:19 PM	#14
Dreadnought Senior Member Join Date: August 3, 2006 Location: Willy Posts: 320	Since it seems the OP lives at least in a slightly residential area, I think the shotgun idea is not a good idea. Thought about baiting some cheap meats with a ton of industrial rat poison? The silent killer... Not too good when you've got a shytload of dead birds all over everyone's yards... Air rifles and some friends, maybe? I interned at an outdoor chemical plant, we used recorded juvenile osprey distress calls and we didn't have a problem with birds nesting in the tank farms or the plant. But that noise can be just as annoying as the blackbirds... __________________ "NO YELLING ON THE BUS!"

September 17, 2006, 12:48 AM	#15
Trip20 Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2005 Posts: 2,181	Use .22short and don't miss.

September 17, 2006, 05:34 AM	#16
Hkmp5sd Senior Member Join Date: December 15, 2001 Location: Winter Haven, Florida Posts: 4,303	Electronic Bird Chase Ultrasonic Control System

September 17, 2006, 06:27 AM	#17
UniversalFrost Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,300	bbguns when near houses with a crow decoy work wonders. For the long distance shots a .222 or .223 works wonders. (plus you know when you hit em by all the flying feathers "puff"!) __________________ Lifetime member VFW and NRA "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead) -Red Green

September 17, 2006, 12:20 PM	#19
ZeroJunk Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2006 Location: Browns Summit NC Posts: 2,589	Some of the electronic callers Cabelas and others sell have crow calls available.They work very well with decoys and you will have every crow in the neighborhood there.Normally you only get one good chance a day at them before they figure it out.

September 17, 2006, 02:39 PM	#20
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	Thanks for the crow hunting link - that site is gonna help me get some of those nuisances. Though they're not as thick here as it sounds like they are up in NY! I've heard that if you get them good and worked up with a crow/owl fight or similar, and take them out one by one with a .22 CB cap or SSS ammo, being relatively quiet, the others will stick around - as Art & others have mentioned. I can tell you this - you have to have yourself completely hidden and still or they won't even land - they will just fly around. And once they figure out that it's a trap, no amount of calling will bring them back that same day. Can't wait to try to hunt them again with Bush/Ceiner .22 with Aguila SSS - that's the perfect quiet crow load out to about 65 or 70 yards.

September 17, 2006, 03:44 PM	#21
UniversalFrost Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,300	Heres an alternative I just though about. What about shooting them out of the air with a good 12 or 20 gauge shotgun with a full choke. I mean when they are still flying over your property and within range. That should atleast get a few of them and scare away the rest, but the neighbors might complain __________________ Lifetime member VFW and NRA "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead) -Red Green

September 17, 2006, 05:58 PM	#23
22-rimfire Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 5,323	I feed shelled corn at my bird feeder in my back yard, and crows routinely come to the feeder to pick up the shelled corn on the ground. I put the corn out for the dag squirrels, but they prefer sunflower seeds. It takes a while to get them used to feeding and feeling safe.

September 17, 2006, 10:47 PM	#25
rem33 Junior member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Posts: 1,528	wouldn't several strings of 500 be a LOT more fun???? YES,until the cops came. Unfortunately I live "in town" now. My favorite idea, which will never happen is. A M80 in the center of a small plastic jar filled with bird shot, raised 3/4 of the way up the tree. Sitting in the center of a 3/8 inch thick piece of metal with about a three foot diameter. set off remotely, would be 'bout perfect. Would kill a bunch of em but might be kinda hard on the tree.