Crow Sniping: Silent Death Trap Dane Hobbs
Shooters Ridge Sasquatch Ground Blind.
.22 LR round had found its mark. The strong fortitude and strength of character enabled the crow to fl y a short distance before plummeting to earth. This was the fi rst blow in my battle against the crow population. Every fall, the ripening of pecans signals the return of marauding bands of crows whose only goal is to strip my trees of their succulent treasures. The cooling temperatures and falling leaves signal that
A
winter is fast approaching and Mother Nature instinctively lets its creatures know that they need to be stocking up for the coming cold and dreary days of winter. The number one source of nutrition in my area is pecans. These calorie- and energy-fi lled nuts are the lifeblood for our resident squirrels, ’coons, and crows. This past summer was one of our hottest and driest years on record. Although our pecan trees were fi lled to the brim with newly emerged pecans in the spring, the heat and drought of summer decimated their numbers. Fall would usher in a life and death struggle for the few pecans that remained. The crows, with their frequent fl yer miles, are at a distinct advantage when it comes to raiding dwindling food supplies. Their shear numbers coupled with their mobility allow them to strip all the pecans in an area and then they simply fl y away to seek other sources of nutrition. The resident squirrels and ’coons are left struggling, trying to fi nd additional sources of nourishment. The only alternative is to control the activities of these
invasive crows. In the past, I would set up decoys and with the aid of a FoxPro digital caller lure crows within shotgun range. The problem with that is that if you were not perfectly
Page 40 October — December 2011
dull thud and a scattering of feathers was a dead giveaway as the suppressed Winchester subsonic
Hunter's Specialties Boiler Room Ground Blind.
concealed the crows would spot you and veer out of range. In addition, after a few rounds had been fi red, the crows disappeared. Crows are extremely intelligent and soon wise up to a setup, no matter how well conceived and executed. Not so with a suppressed .22 LR. They literally don’t
know what hit them. Several times I had two crows fl y in and land in dead tree limbs. I would shoot one and the other crow would take fl ight. Within a few yards the crow would turn around and land back in the tree. I don’t know if the sound of the bullet hitting his fellow crow alerted the other crow, but I believe it was the motion of his falling comrade that tipped him off. His fatal mistake was coming back for a second inquisitive look. I can say that, without a doubt, shooting crows with a
suppressed .22 rimfi re is the most fun I have ever had. It is imperative that you use subsonic ammo in this endeavor. A high velocity rimfi re round, even in a suppressed rifl e, has a sonic “crack” which defi nitely would warn the crows of impending danger. It also goes without saying that you don’t fi re if you don’t have a clear backdrop. If you miss, the rimfi re round is capable of traveling great distances. Fortunately, I live in the country with plenty of open land and few close neighbors. For most of my crow sniping, I chose my newest ac-
quisition, a Tactical Solutions custom-built 10/22. I wanted to incorporate what I believe to be the fi nest 10/22 receiver made. Since Tactical Solutions has entered into the competi- tive 10/22 realm they have dominated the market with their innovative new products. They aggressively pursue new venues and always listen to the wants and needs of their
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