Should we be shooting crows...
- Thread starter Hepotter
- Start date
Thanks for that I say as I sit down to dinner. Figured someone would have to eat it but YUK!
I would have to be pretty hungry but if the need ever arises I am not beyond it. I don't care for duck much either.
Upvote 0
When I was about 10 years old I climbed up this tree and took one of the baby crows home. I raised it and fed it meat and mince in the mornings before school. When it (his name was Godfrey) could fly I made a roost for him on the back veranda. On school days he would fly above me when I was on my bike and go home after I reached school. In the afternoon he would meet me and my mates about a mile from home and would land on my handlebars and ride home with me.
I had Godfrey for about a year until he got into the bad habit of pulling all dads nuts and bolts and different sized nails etc out of dad’s workshop. My father was a carpenter. One weekend my brother and I stayed at our grandmothers when we got home on the Sunday Godfrey was gone. Dad said he found a girlfriend and flew off, somehow I didn’t believe him.
So yes crows imo are very intelligent and can make a great pet as well. Just keep them away from shiny things in your fathers workshop.
Gary
I had Godfrey for about a year until he got into the bad habit of pulling all dads nuts and bolts and different sized nails etc out of dad’s workshop. My father was a carpenter. One weekend my brother and I stayed at our grandmothers when we got home on the Sunday Godfrey was gone. Dad said he found a girlfriend and flew off, somehow I didn’t believe him.
So yes crows imo are very intelligent and can make a great pet as well. Just keep them away from shiny things in your fathers workshop.
Gary
Upvote 0
Just across the river in Illinois, it is specifically published in the hunting regulations to be unlawful to hunt crows with an airgun.
Upvote 0
We're not real fond of crows, ravens, or anything of the sort.
We had two large ravens work together to try to kill our cat this past spring. Almost got her. They quickly multiplied to five going after her, working two in one group and three in another. I spotted one very well hidden in a tree right outside her house, just waiting for her to come out. We had a tense three weeks here until they left the area.
I used to like them because I thought they were mostly harmless and they cleaned up our cat's leftovers, but not anymore.
We went through nine cats in three years, once. No predator of hers are welcome here.
We had two large ravens work together to try to kill our cat this past spring. Almost got her. They quickly multiplied to five going after her, working two in one group and three in another. I spotted one very well hidden in a tree right outside her house, just waiting for her to come out. We had a tense three weeks here until they left the area.
I used to like them because I thought they were mostly harmless and they cleaned up our cat's leftovers, but not anymore.
We went through nine cats in three years, once. No predator of hers are welcome here.
Upvote 0
Gary, I feel your pain, though. When I was around ten or twelve, I had a doberman named Max. He bit me in the face just before I went to boy scout camp for a week. When I came back home, he was no longer among the living. Life can really stink sometimes...
Upvote 0
Been a hunter all my life I can remember. I never shoot crows. That being said, I understand/agree if they're a pest they must go... But to generalize about an entire non invasive species 'that need to be shot', to kill an animal just for the sake of killing it, with no intention of eating it or at least Trophy mounting it, to me... is not what I want to do...
IIRR, they are part of the Migratory Bird Act that prevents them from being shot out of a local regulated hunting season. Of course like almost all other critters, if they become pests then their killing is regulated by local pest removal codes/regs.
For me and my garden they are good to have around imo, . For many years now a few of them have hung around here, they've never bothered my plants, other than ripping off a leaf with a hornworm on it then scratching/pecking the worm off the leaf and eating even large 4" long tomato hornworms whole. Have seen Crows do that numerous times. Large hornworms can strip my tomato/pepper plants almost bare in a day or 2. Those hornworms have an uncanny way to hide and blend in perfect with the plant, but from a tree 25 yards away, my crow spots them and eats them with gusto... unbelievable eyesight.
Have watched a local crow I kind of have a friendship with for years now. When I'm in the garden he sometimes will come right over and in a begging type crow voice, fluttering his wings a little,, begs for a peanut he knows i keep around for my bait station. He will catch the peanut in the air if I throw it to him...
Have watched him raid a squirrel drey in a big oak tree overlooking my garden, taking out the newborn pinkies. This crow knows when I'm about to take out a rodent. He sees me put out the bait station and makes a few loud crows till he sees me look at him and watches/waits in a nearby tree with eagle eyes. Almost as soon as the small rodent stops kicking, he sweeps in and grabs it.
When I pull in my driveway he is sometimes sitting in a nearby tree and crows when I get out of my truck till I acknowledge him with a look, like he is saying hi, its uncanny how smart this crow is. He is very large also, got to be at least 20" long. Absolutely a beautiful smart bird, in good light a slight iridescent bluish sheen to his black feathers. Actually, don't know if its a he or she, not sure how to tell, but he seems to be a loner...
Couple of Hawks frequent my property because of the doves here. Mr Crow harasses the hell out them, dive bombing them, pecking/pulling at there tail, crowing at them non stop till they leave the lake behind my house. Then it almost sounds like he's laughing at the hawk as it flys away. I swear that guy enjoys the hell out harassing those hawks...
So I agree, Crows are intelligent very intelligent, and not all of them are bad, imo.
IIRR, they are part of the Migratory Bird Act that prevents them from being shot out of a local regulated hunting season. Of course like almost all other critters, if they become pests then their killing is regulated by local pest removal codes/regs.
For me and my garden they are good to have around imo, . For many years now a few of them have hung around here, they've never bothered my plants, other than ripping off a leaf with a hornworm on it then scratching/pecking the worm off the leaf and eating even large 4" long tomato hornworms whole. Have seen Crows do that numerous times. Large hornworms can strip my tomato/pepper plants almost bare in a day or 2. Those hornworms have an uncanny way to hide and blend in perfect with the plant, but from a tree 25 yards away, my crow spots them and eats them with gusto... unbelievable eyesight.
Have watched a local crow I kind of have a friendship with for years now. When I'm in the garden he sometimes will come right over and in a begging type crow voice, fluttering his wings a little,, begs for a peanut he knows i keep around for my bait station. He will catch the peanut in the air if I throw it to him...
Have watched him raid a squirrel drey in a big oak tree overlooking my garden, taking out the newborn pinkies. This crow knows when I'm about to take out a rodent. He sees me put out the bait station and makes a few loud crows till he sees me look at him and watches/waits in a nearby tree with eagle eyes. Almost as soon as the small rodent stops kicking, he sweeps in and grabs it.
When I pull in my driveway he is sometimes sitting in a nearby tree and crows when I get out of my truck till I acknowledge him with a look, like he is saying hi, its uncanny how smart this crow is. He is very large also, got to be at least 20" long. Absolutely a beautiful smart bird, in good light a slight iridescent bluish sheen to his black feathers. Actually, don't know if its a he or she, not sure how to tell, but he seems to be a loner...
Couple of Hawks frequent my property because of the doves here. Mr Crow harasses the hell out them, dive bombing them, pecking/pulling at there tail, crowing at them non stop till they leave the lake behind my house. Then it almost sounds like he's laughing at the hawk as it flys away. I swear that guy enjoys the hell out harassing those hawks...
So I agree, Crows are intelligent very intelligent, and not all of them are bad, imo.
Upvote 0
Well if your not going to shoot based on the intelligence of a animal. You might not want to shoot starlings either they are plenty smart too. And how about a coon not a stupid animal trust me i know stupid and they aint one of us. Even a stinking rat is a fast learner. I say shoot what you want and if they give you a hard time about it just play dumb.
Upvote 0
Yeah, if they don't bother you, leave them alone. If they give you a hard time, take them out. Then: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up.
Upvote 0
I find it hard to blame farmers much for this. They have a business and a livelihood and a mortgage and a marriage and children to protect. Even though I'm one o' them softies, I can take a step back.
I love deer and bunnies and squirrels except when they are destroying the gardens I spent months of hard sweaty labor growing. Sometimes it takes all of a day or two and then it's over. You can't explain that to someone who hasn't been through it. Your time and your money and your life wasted away ... yeah, I get disappointed and worse.
Something is destroying everything you worked so hard to build up? I don't blame people for defending what's theirs. Even if it sometimes does give me the creeps or makes me a sad panda. It's not my problem, so I don't want to tell others how they should feel or that I am better than they are for feeling different. Pest control is a necessity.
I'm not sure laws are any better than common sense as a solution to this among reasonable people.
I love deer and bunnies and squirrels except when they are destroying the gardens I spent months of hard sweaty labor growing. Sometimes it takes all of a day or two and then it's over. You can't explain that to someone who hasn't been through it. Your time and your money and your life wasted away ... yeah, I get disappointed and worse.
Something is destroying everything you worked so hard to build up? I don't blame people for defending what's theirs. Even if it sometimes does give me the creeps or makes me a sad panda. It's not my problem, so I don't want to tell others how they should feel or that I am better than they are for feeling different. Pest control is a necessity.
I'm not sure laws are any better than common sense as a solution to this among reasonable people.
Upvote 0
As a kid, we used to hunt crows in the orange and walnut orchards. They were considered a varmint then, with a fifteen cent bounty on each head turned in to Fish and Game. Our freezer was generally full of crow heads...plus venison and bear meat.
As has been said, crows are incredibly intelligent, plus they can see in color! They have their own language, and my dad spoke it well. On rare occasions, we could get them turnin' and burnin' above us, and we would shoot down quite a few. Dad had these 'duck chaser' shells, and he would launch them into a gang of crows cruising by a couple of hundred yards away! Great fun.
We shot down a crow, and he lived, we took him home and kept him as a pet. We named him a non-political correct name, Sambo. He was a lot of fun...never got him to talk. But he as a smart guy...fed him dog food. After my mom passed away, a neighbor took him in...don't know if he's still alive, they live for many, many years!
We have quite a few crows in the neighborhood. I leave them alone, along with the doves (delicious!), red squirrels, rabbits, and any other critter than rats. Open season on rats all the time!
As has been said, crows are incredibly intelligent, plus they can see in color! They have their own language, and my dad spoke it well. On rare occasions, we could get them turnin' and burnin' above us, and we would shoot down quite a few. Dad had these 'duck chaser' shells, and he would launch them into a gang of crows cruising by a couple of hundred yards away! Great fun.
We shot down a crow, and he lived, we took him home and kept him as a pet. We named him a non-political correct name, Sambo. He was a lot of fun...never got him to talk. But he as a smart guy...fed him dog food. After my mom passed away, a neighbor took him in...don't know if he's still alive, they live for many, many years!
We have quite a few crows in the neighborhood. I leave them alone, along with the doves (delicious!), red squirrels, rabbits, and any other critter than rats. Open season on rats all the time!
Upvote 0
Many years ago my wife had a pet duck. Almost every day a crow would come visit it. She still has a picture of them together about 55 years ago. Somehow her family came to find out the crow was a pet that belonged to a family that lived in their town about two or three miles away. No idea how the relationship was kindled. I know how it ended. My wife's "Linda" got hit by a car.
Once I shot a crow out of a walnut tree with a .22 RF. A great shot from an old chicken house leaning against the doorway. I walked out to see it. It was still moving so I put the barrel right by it's chest and fired. A few seconds later it flew away. Astounding!
Once I shot a crow out of a walnut tree with a .22 RF. A great shot from an old chicken house leaning against the doorway. I walked out to see it. It was still moving so I put the barrel right by it's chest and fired. A few seconds later it flew away. Astounding!
Upvote 0
They are smart I’ve shot one few week back .. man the others got pissed started carrying on makeing all kind of crazy ass crow noises.. I felt bad and kinnda freaked me out !!!
Upvote 0
A couple distress calls on a crow call and they all answer and come flying in. Never let them see you with the call. Don't do it often. They get wise. A trick is to adjust the tone on the call next time.
Upvote 0
A few years back we were constantly being woken up by crows cawing in our tree. I tried throwing sticks and rocks at them to no avail. One day while mowing the lawn I noticed some fur in the lawn under the "crow tree". A rabbit had a nest and a little one was torn apart just outside of it. A couple days later we awoke to cawing and I saw a single crow had a baby rabbit pinned under it. A single shot to the back of the crow from an upstairs window and it was drt. The other crows in the tree went nuts. Another landed next to their fallen friend and it too fell to a single shot. I shot 4 crows in less than 5 minutes and finally the others flew off. It wasn't until the next spring that the crows returned and started up again. This time as soon as I cranked the window open, they flew off. Each time they came, I tried to discreetly open the window, but they would leave. For some weeks after we kept the window ajar, and they stopped coming. Since then the amount of songbirds, and rabbits, have greatly increased.
Upvote 0
I personlly think CROWS are very cool birds. I'm not inclined to shoot them.
(Pigeons are on the other extreme of the cool-scale...! Oh, ARE they plump and ugly
, dumb-sounding and dirty and infectious-disease-spreading...! 
)
However, thank you for the plenty of reasons to shoot Crows anyway, if the need and opportunity arises.
Matthias
(Pigeons are on the other extreme of the cool-scale...! Oh, ARE they plump and ugly
, dumb-sounding and dirty and infectious-disease-spreading...! ) However, thank you for the plenty of reasons to shoot Crows anyway, if the need and opportunity arises.
Matthias
Upvote 0