freaking crows

[wtnhunt]

Never had this problem with crows before. Guess I am gonna have to fix our scarecrow better or check with our game warden and see if he will let me get a nuisance permit to kill some crows.:gun1:

In the past day or two they have managed to either pull out sprouts with the seed or snip pretty well all our corn at the ground. So much for that early plot of corn.

[dbHunterNY]

best management plan for crows is a carcass and a punt gun. not sure if an owl on a post will work for crows. it does for ducks on a dock.

[RangerClay]

We have a huge problem with crows just a few blocks from where I teach.

Crow hazing continued in Watertown - YNN, Your News Now

Crows are extremely smart. I'm told that if you shoot a few and leave them hanging around and they should get the message and leave.

[wtnhunt]

Thanks for the info there Joe. Season on crows here is June to end of February. Waiting on a call back from our game warden, lady working in the office at the twra could not ok it.

[LETMGROW]

We have a huge problem with crows just a few blocks from where I teach.

Crow hazing continued in Watertown - YNN, Your News Now

Crows are extremely smart. I'm told that if you shoot a few and leave them hanging around and they should get the message and leave.

Joe,

That crow problem, not far from you, is right next to my shop. The crows come in every evening at dusk and roost in the trees alongside the river bank. We've snuk out the back door a couple times and peppered them with a paint ball gun. We throw a few balls in the freezer a few minutes before the crows come in and use them. Doesn't keep them away for long but sure is fun. That has got to sting some.

We have to pull customer's cars inside late in the afternoon to keep them from getting pooped on. Have washed a few before they get picked up. The parking lot is a mess at times. " slippery when wet "

Lynn

[redkneck]

Hahaha.... sorry to get a laugh William, but as soon as I saw the title, even before I saw the poster, I figured it would be dealing with you and corn lol.

They are a PITA. Seed corn is high enough without feeding the democrats of the bird family lol.

Hot bird shot wont stop them, but at least THAT particular bird wont be back. Hang them up and let the others get a long look.

[Shaun_300]

Crows are the biggest PITA bird on the face of this earth, I hate them! Shoot everyone I get a chance to. They are darn smart though, saw on TV they're the smartest bird in the planet. I believe it too, up at Gran's resort there's an issue with them cawing at 4:00 in the morning when the sun rises up here in the summer, wakes the tourists up. So we try and get rid of them in the off season. You'll see them up in a tree and can get close enough to spit on them, go in grab the 12ga, as soon as you open the front door they see the gun from 100 yards away and high tail it.

[wtnhunt]

Pretty sure I can pop a few, so long as the gw ok's it, was figuring on using my .223. Won't have to step out the door, just slide a window down.

Dunno if I will replant the corn or not.

[Tominator]

The problem with crows is the goofy game laws that protect them because of Mexico.

[Shaun_300]

Pretty sure I can pop a few, so long as the gw ok's it, was figuring on using my .223. Won't have to step out the door, just slide a window down.

Dunno if I will replant the corn or not.

Good idea too. I remember dad sniping a couple of them with the .22-250 off the porch at 150 yards away. Honest to God he shot one in the head at that distance, it was one heck of a shot! Bullet was going so fast it didn't blow the head off or anything, just put a .22 cal hole right through it. :clap:

[Hunt or be Hunted]

I pop a crow whenever I can, I hate them buggers! Good luck with it William!

[Adjam5]

Yes crows are quite smart William. My son Joe and I hunt them whenever we can. Killing the sentry is important to bring the rest of them in looking for that sentry. Then lots of #6 shot fills the air.

We have a bit wacky hunting law regarding crows here in NYS. Can only hunt them(when in season) Thursday- Sunday. I guess that is to let some of the migrant birds get through. I hope you get permission form the game warden to do what you have to.

Check out this site William. It may offer you some good info on dealing with them Democrat birds.

Crow Busters - The Complete Resource For Crow Hunting and the Crow Hunter

Here is a youtube clip of some crow intelligence.

It is trying to get food out of a tube with a wire in its mouth. When it finds out that the straight piece of wire wont work...it puts a hook on the wire and is able to retrieve the food in the tube by hooking it and pulling up out the tube.

[Stinger-Hunter]

There's a story about crows and how to trick them into getting shot. The funniest hunting story I've ever read. if i can track it down, I'll link to it.

There is a research study (amazing) about crows on Ted.com - I'll link to it here. It isn't the funny one, but if you get a chance to watch it, I recommend it. Amazing how they remembered the researchers years after they left the University.

TEDTalks : The amazing intelligence of crows - Joshua Klein - YouTube

Well worth the 9 minutes, guaranteed!

[brad dryden]

Here in Indiana crows are only out of season for 3 months or so.

[Tominator]

The Migratory Bird Treaty (Weeks-McLean Migratory

Bird Law), passed in 1913-14, ratified between the United States and Great

Britain (for Canada) in 1916, went into full effect as the Migratory Bird Treaty

Act in 1918. This law gave federal protection to most birds in North America,

but did not extend protection to crows, and crows continued to be shot as

"varmints" over most of their range. In 1936 Mexico was included in the treaty,

but still crows were unprotected. In 1972 amendments to the treaty extended

protection to 63 families of birds common to both the United States and Mexico,

including birds of prey and crows. As a result, at least theoretically, all

native birds in the United States are protected by law, but special permits can

be obtained to deal with cases of nuisance birds causing damage or annoyances.

This act makes it illegal "to possess, transport, or export any migratory bird,

or any part, nest, or egg of any such bird." (That means you cannot legally have

feathers from any local non-game bird!)

Crows, although not technically "migratory game

birds" (like ducks) can be hunted in similar fashion in some states. The U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service regulations, 50 CFR Chapter 1 20.1 extends regulations

to the hunting of "migratory game birds, and crows." The Act allows states the

rights to establish hunting seasons on crows, with the exception of Hawaii where

the only species present is the severely endangered Hawaiian Crow (Corvus

hawaiiensis). 50 CFR 20.133 allows states to set their own seasons, bag

limits, and methods of taking crows subject to certain limitations, namely that

"1) Crows shall not be hunted from aircraft; 2) The hunting season or seasons on

crows shall not exceed a total of 124 days during a calendar year; 3) Hunting

shall not be permitted during the peak crow nesting period within a State; and

4) Crows may only be taken by firearms, bow and arrow, and falconry" (so no

dynamite, poison, or traps).

Many states that have crow hunting seasons, like New

York, allow hunting only 4 days per week. This action stretches the 124 days out

so that the season may extend nearly eight months. No state that I have yet seen

has a bag limit on crows.

Interestingly, the New York season violated the

Federal guidelines for several years. The season for 1997-98 ran 15 September

through 14 April. In my study of American Crows in central New York, from

1989-1995 I observed or calculated (based on hatching date or size of nestlings)

the start of incubation for 289 nests. The range of incubation-starts in this

data set runs from 24 March through 1 June. That means that eggs can be present

from 20 March through 20 June (based on an average of four days of laying and 19

days of incubation). Bull (1974, Birds of New York State) gives New York eggs

dates for American Crows as 30 March to 14 June, in general agreement with these

dates and indicative of the overall generalizability of the data for the state.

80.5% of all nests were being incubated before the end of the New York hunting

season on crows, in clear violation of 50 CFR 20.133. Nesting had begun at least

a week or two before this time for those nests. Nest building can begin in the

first week of March, but usually is concentrated in the last two weeks. I

personally don't consider the first few attempts at getting a twig in a tree

real nesting, but certainly the laying of eggs and onset of incubation must be.

I provided these data to the NYSDEC in April 1997, and they were going to change

the season for 1998-99 to end on 31 March (15 September - 31 March; Fridays,

Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays only). The 1998-99 NYSDEC hunting regulations,

in fact were printed with a 31 March termination date. (Score one for the age of

reason, or so I figured.) Apparently, however, some complaint from a crow hunter

resulted in a tabling of the change and DEC personnel were informed not to

enforce the printed season closure. The 1999-2000 hunt still extended into the

middle of the breeding season! I recently received word that the 2000-2001 dates

will be (barring unforeseen changes) 1 September - 31 March. So they finally got

the hunt out of the main part of the breeding season, and added the two lost

weeks into the fall.

In addition to hunting, crows may be taken (i.e.,

shot) without a permit in certain circumstances. USFWS 50 CFR 21.43 (Depredation

order for blackbirds, cowbirds, grackles, crows and magpies) states that a

Federal permit is not required to control these birds "when found committing or

about to commit depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops,

livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner as to

constitute a health hazard or other nuisance " Provided: a) that none of

the birds killed or their parts are sold or offered for sale. b) That anyone

exercising the privileges granted by this section shall permit any Federal or

State game agent free and unrestricted access over the premises where the

operations have been or are conducted and will provide them with whatever

information required by the officer. c) That nothing in the section authorizes

the killing of such birds contrary to any State laws and that the person needs

to possess whatever permit as may be required by the State. In New York state

landowners or those cultivating lands may take without a permit "common crows

…when the wildlife is injuring property or becomes a nuisance."

Got that from Cornell's website.

[stevebeilgard]

you got it, chris. we don't shoot crows and mexico only shoots 10 ducks a day. once again, our politicians sold us out.

[Adjam5]

Thanks Chris...that explains NY's 4 day crow season.