Top Tips For Crow Hunting Every Beginner Should Know

Flying crow at the lake scene | Top Tips For Crow Hunting Every Beginner Should Know | featured

Crow hunting is a fun, exciting way to stay on top of your bird shooting game all year round. However, don't make the mistake of underestimating them. As with any other game, you won't be able to bring home even a single crow if you don't come prepared.

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9 Crow Hunting Tips Beginners and Seasoned Hunters Should Know

1. Go Hunting on Early Mornings or Late Evenings

Winter hunting at sunrise | crow hunting videos

You can go crow hunting and call out these birds at any time. However, we advise planning your trip early in the morning or late in the evening when crows are most active. They usually just roost or forage for the majority of the day.

2. Understand the Different Crow Calling Techniques

duck hunter | crow hunting season

Seasoned bird hunters are no newbies to the idea of bird calls. Basically, it's a technique where you mimic the sound of the bird you're targeting in order to trick them into coming near you.

There are two ways to make the call. First, you can use a whistle or electronic device. This is a modern, generally more efficient way to produce accurate bird calls.

Second, you can project the calls yourself. Yes, using an electronic caller is easier, but for many old-fashioned hunters, shouting bird calls is part of the overall hunting experience.

Either way, you'll have to experiment with vocalization. See how the birds you're hunting react to the different sounds you or your tool produces.

3. Set Up a Few Crow Hunting Decoys

A Murder of Crows | crow hunting decoys

Crows are very visual animals. They heavily rely on sight when it comes to danger assessment, so no matter what top-notch secret bird calling techniques you use, it's highly unlikely for these birds to flock together in your shooting range alone.

A good solution here is to set up crow decoys. These are exactly how they sound: inanimate objects designed to look like crows.

The idea is to set them up strategically in areas where your target can see them. Crows will have more confidence flying in areas where there are other birds as well. The presence of multiple birds indicates the absence of a predator or threat.

Pro Tip: Look for motion crow decoys. Crows aren't easy to trick so making your decoys as realistic and life-like as possible is definitely a plus.

4. Know Where to Look for Crows

hooded crow | crow hunting with rifle

Your goal would be to identify their routine flyway. The technical approach here is to familiarize yourself with the migration tendencies of birds to effectively locate where they are at specific times of the year.

However, most find this approach is boring. Instead, opt to talk to the locals!

Farmers have detested crows since the beginning of time because these birds are one of the worst crop destroyers. With that in mind, most will be more than happy to help you pinpoint their location.

Once you have a general idea of their flyway, you can proceed with the scouting. Scan the perimeter one or two days before the trip to check how the crows behave. See where they roost, eat, drink, and rest.

Also, crows love to bathe. Make sure you take note of all shallow puddles and bodies of water—as well as holes where water might pool up—around the area.

5. Come Equipped With the Proper Weapons

Hunting period. Male with a gun, rifle. | crow hunting pa

Crows are very fast and agile. They move from one place to another in just a matter of seconds, and in most cases, they won't even land on the ground. Getting a clear shot is very rare.

That's why you need a powerful weapon capable of killing your targets with just one shot: a shotgun. Most hunters choose to load light, fast shells into conventional shotgun options such as a 12-gauge, 20-gauge, or .410.

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6. Wear High-Grade Camouflage

Teenager hunter with face mask and gun during duck hunting season | what do you do with hunted crows

As we said, crows are very visual creatures. If they spot you, an unknown being carrying an unknown weapon, their senses will tell them to stay as far away from you as possible.

That's why you need camouflage. A full-body camouflage suit that blends with your hunting area's landscaping would be extremely beneficial.

Don't forget your glasses and face mask! Your skin and eyes are dead giveaways of your location, so make sure to cover up properly during the trip.

7. Read up on State Laws Regarding Crow Hunting

No Hunting sign along a nature path | crow hunting in the woods

Most areas allow hunters to shoot crows all year round. Also, unlike with ducks, pheasants, and turkeys, there are no limits on how many crows you're allowed to take home. You could take down an entire murder if you wanted to.

However, bear in mind that hunters may still need to abide by certain regulations. The most common restriction when it comes to hunting crows is regarding the time at which hunters are allowed to actually hunt.

While you can hunt crows all year round as often as you want, you can only shoot at specific hours of the day. This is to prevent hunters from shooting crows 24/7. Stray bullets are quite dangerous.

8. Understand Bird Nature

crows in a tree | shooting crows

Crows are very intelligent creatures. In fact, they're so intelligent that human hunters have to go through the trouble of wearing camouflage and setting up decoy birds just to trap them.

However, their behavior and nature are not impossible to understand. Once you get a better feel of how they respond to various stimuli, you'll be able to lure, bait, and trap these birds much more efficiently.

9. Keep Practicing

Man hunter carry rifle blue sky background | crow hunting with air rifle youtube

Crow hunting is open all year round. There's no reason for you not to go shoot down a few of these pesky varmints every now and then.

Check out this video by The Handy Hunter where they explain crow hunting and share tips on how to properly set up, call, and clean:

Crows might not be as valued as other birds, but they're definitely one of the most exciting to hunt. Unlike with other birds, you are free to shoot as many as you want. Use this freedom to sharpen you're shooting skills, improve tracking abilities, and better understand their nature.

To make the most of your crow hunting session, do your shooting near farms and ranches. Crows have been despised by crop farmers since the beginning of time. Apart from getting your daily fix of bird hunting, you'll be able to help protect the local community from crop-destroying birds.

Have you tried hunting any of these animals before? Share your varmint hunting experience with us in the comments section below!

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