that came right in but the ones, say, 50 to 100 yards in back of them will spot you! In a taller blind when I stand to shoot the only thing exposed is my head and shoulders. Any birds 50 to 100 yards off don’t have that much of me to see, especially if I get down right away after taking the birds well within range. This is for fl yway and fi eld types of shooting where birds are coming into the area at spaced intervals. So, to recap here, your selection of blind style depends on the cover you are in and your style of shooting. BATTLE PLAN FOR DECEPTION You don't want to shoot in a crow
The blind here is constructed so the hunter can see to shoot crows over the top edge of the brush. For the most part, though, the hunter is hidden from the shoulders on down.
to sit or stand to shoot. I like to stand up to shoot so my blinds are built anywhere from 56 to 60 inches high. I’m 6 feet tall so I can stand up in a slightly crouched position in order to get set for the shot. I keep my head down below the top of the blind and look through the gaps to see them coming.
If you like to shoot sitting down, I
suggest building a blind four feet high, which works very well in situations where you don’t have much cover. The only thing the crows can spot is the muzzle of your shotgun when you take the shot. If you were to stand up in a blind this short you would kill the birds
roost because you: A. wise up too many, and there is also a fair chase issue. B. if you persist in this manner you will ruin what you have found. C. the crows will not roost there anymore and then you are done! If it’s a good-sized roost a smart
hunter will not risk blowing them out of there. Instead, he will either shoot them on their different fl yways leading to the roost or fi eld hunt them in their feeding grounds well away from the roost itself. If the crows feel safe at night they will return to that roost all season long. They might have to run the gauntlet before they get to the roost, but that’s OK. Once the survivors get past you they know they are safe when they get to the roost. If you are set up in a fl yway situa-
tion it’s best to have some trees in front of the blind with your decoys in back of you upwind. When you have the e-caller going with a good fi ghting or distress call the crows believe something big is going on and want to dive into the fi ght. This completes the deception because they are buying your setup, and that is what you want. You are, in effect, ex- ploiting the crows’ temper, which gets them into trouble if you have a good plan for deception! You can view all this in two DVDs,
one called “Crow Shooting” made in 2007, and the other is “The Art of Crow Hunting” made in 2001. CrowBusters. com sells these DVDs in the educational section of CrowMart, the store. Fur Harvester’s Trading Post in Michigan carries these products, as does All Predator Calls. Plus, FoxPro sells crow calls in digital.
It's all right to shoot crows at the end of the day as they head to their roost, but don't shoot them in the roost itself as they will soon abandon that spot.
Page 176 July — September 2011 Good Hunting!
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