Field Report Feb 21, 2010

[jonthepain]

The third annual NCPHA Crow Hunt was held last Saturday. We got sun and exercise, and even a few crows. But I think most of all we got some fellowship with like-minded men. There is something about hunting that helps you get to know people. I'm glad I got to know Chuck, Chip, and Tim, and I'm looking forward to meeting and getting to know the rest of the NCPHA guys, too.

We met at McDeath's in Hillsboro at 0700, talked some politics, and then hit the road. Our first stop were some dove fields that Chuck and I had luck in a year or so ago. Unforturnately, a bunch of bunny blasters were chasing their hounds around in those fields.

Tim with dove fields on either side of the alley


We decided to give it a pass for the time being, and come back later.

Next stop was a small knob on top of a hill; not a lot of cover but we could hear a bunch of angry crows all around, so we decided to give her a go.

Tim and Chip suit up


"Hey Chuck, do ALL ghilies come with mice?"


Chuck shows off the new paint job he gave his flambeaus.


We set up our spread and improvised a blind:


One shot; one bandit down. The lone scout fell to Chip's first shot. Must be his military background. Our two native Carolinians decided that maybe Yankees CAN shoot.
Not bad, considering Chip had never shot a crow before. One shot one kill, to use the old chestnut.

Chip with his first 'good' crow.


Onward and upward. We move out to a sizeable clear cut.

At the trailhead


Still some snow up in Caldwell County NC. Must be global warming.


We set out our callers in the clearcut:


Put out a sentry:


And hid in the pines at the top of the hill:




Here's the jonthepain's eye view:
Looking out towards the clearcut:


Tim's in there somewhere on my right:


Chuck and Chip on my left:


The first set of bandits came in from behind us.




Chuck took one of those.
Our fearless leader at the top o' the hill:


We called in several others that circled, but failed to connect.



Tim and Chip pose with another 'good' crow:


That's it for this stand; on to another.
(cont'd)

[jonthepain]

Chuck and, I think it's Bigfoot, head back down the trail:


Our next stop was a steep hike uphill to this spot, where we put out our dekes in the trail and slipped in to the adjoining trees.

Chuck just can't seem to lose that Sasquatch:


Sentry's out:


We only had one bandit come in to this setup, but boy did he come in hot! Screamin' all the way. Jonthepain smoked 'em.


We moved on up the trail, and Chuck blasted one after switching to Full Choke. Poof! nothing left but a black cloud of feathers. Thus no photo.

Back on down the trail now, as we could hear a murder of very ticked off crows just on the other side of the tree line. Chip learned a valuable lesson, one that I've had to learn the hard way: either keep your head up or keep your head down when hunting with Chuck, cuz he'll drop one right on top of you if you're not paying attention!

Chuck dropped one almost on Chip's head, and Tim hit one that took that long, slow glide of death, till he finally flipped over and folded up.
Chuck with bird #3


Back down the hill, and then to lunch.


Camaraderie and hunting go together like Peas and Carrots.


Where do bird hunters go for lunch? yep, Bojangles. Luckily Chuck left his Foxpro in the truck.

"What are you guys huntin'?"
"We're huntin for a good place to eat around here." lol.
Thanks Bob A. That's a great line. Use it all the time.

Off to the last stand; back to the first spot, where the rabbit hunters were.
Now by this time the sun felt pretty good, we had eaten our fill, and, well, even hard core NCPHAers need a break now and then.

Especially at our age:




Not Chuck though. He's having none of it.
You should have seen the disgusted look on his face:


He did note how well that grassland ghillie blends in this time of year.


We thought we had a pretty good spread and a pretty good spot,
but alas, "the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley" as my ancestors used to say.

end of the day


Time to pack it up and pack it in.




Tim, Chip, and Chuck


And me!


Thanks for reading!
jonthepain

[DarkSkies]

Great shots, man!

You have a good eye for framing the shot, and the pics and commentary make for a cool story for the day. Looks like you all had a great time even though the crows didn't cooperate that much.

[nitestrikes]

Back on down the trail now, as we could hear a murder of very ticked off crows just on the other side of the tree line. Chip learned a valuable lesson, one that I've had to learn the hard way: either keep your head up or keep your head down when hunting with Chuck, cuz he'll drop one right on top of you if you're not paying attention!...
"What are you guys huntin'?"
"We're huntin for a good place to eat around here." lol.
Thanks Bob A. That's a great line. Use it all the time.

Thanks for reading!
jonthepain

Murder of crows? Well I guess I learned a new one there. Liked the hunting for a place to eat joke too, good one.

[jonthepain]

thanks, Dark.

and yup, they're officially called a murder of crows.

[Pebbles]

It is amazing how much you guys blended in to nature.

I was wondering why you hunt crows? I am asuming you can eat them. What do they taste like? Do they have a strong or mild flavor? Just wondering, thanks.

[jonthepain]

Why hunt crows? I hunt them because I like songbirds, ducks, wild turkeys, pecans, corn, watermelons, and lots of other wildlife and crops.

I don't like West Nile Virus.

In agricultural areas, be it the pecan plantations of the south or the cornfields of the mid-west, crows continue to account for extensive crop damage, including the nasty habit of pulling up sprouting grain in the spring. Western crows have the worst reputation for crop damage, especially because of their habit of congregating by the thousands to feed on cultivated fruits and nuts. Often, they end the day by raiding a nearby watermelon field in order to save a trip to a distant watering place. Under such conditions, total crop loss can occur.

Where their ranges overlap, crows severely impact the annual waterfowl populations. When the hens begin laying, crows break open and eat the eggs. Later they will return and devour the fledglings. In the 40's a biological survey was conducted that really shows the damage crows can cause to the waterfowl in the Canadian "Duck Factory". It was shown that crows in close proximity to duck nesting areas took an average of 110 to 120 eggs or fledglings per crow per year, approximately 20,000,000 ducks. During the same year, sportsman only took 11,000,000 ducks. A common slogan of the time was "Kill a crow, Save a duck". At a time when waterfowl seasons are being dramatically reduced and even canceled, the survival rate of waterfowl at their breeding grounds is paramount. Shooting crows can make a real difference. Crows also take a heavy toll on upland game birds, including direct responsibility for at least 4 1/2 percent nest depredation on ruffed grouse and in California crows have been implicated in the endangerment of the Mojave desert tortoise. They also prey on small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels and have been known to kill prey as large as newborn lambs.

In the past twenty years, there has been a crow population explosion in the suburban areas around the country, especially the East. It is now common to awaken to the call of crows in many suburban backyards where only a few years ago, it was somewhat rare. In fact, many large roosts are forming within the beltways of major cities. Besides the nuisance factor of torn open trash bags and backyard droppings, the effect on the local songbird populations is incalculable.

And no, I don't eat them, but some people do.

[Pebbles]

I had no idea how bad crows could be. I do know that the population in the east has grown just by seeing the amount of crows that land on our property. In fact yesterday I saw about 200 in the neighbors yard.

Since I have never given much thought to crows your comments got me more curious. What I learned is that they can come by the thousands. Not only can they do the damage that you mentioned but they can also attack and kill baby calves, pigs, goats and lambs.

I also learned that they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Federal government does give the states permission to have crow hunting season.

My suggestion to hunting crows is to not bring our "mascot SOS Dark" along. He might think your hunting swans instead.

Thanks for all the info and happy hunting.

[jonthepain]

You're welcome, Pebbles.

The protection of crows came about thru the 1972 amendment to the 1936 Migratory Bird and Game Mammal Treaty with Mexico which amends the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which did not include crows. A concession was made to the country of Mexico, because of their religious significance there. Previously Americans were paid bounties by the various states because of the extreme depredations that crows cause, and crow hunting was an exceptionally popular sport. Crow populations did not explode until the midwest was settled and turned into an agricultural powerhouse, so people needed to ameliorate the problem that they had caused. Unfortunately, the treaty with Mexico curtailed that to a great extent. Today, crow hunting is an obscure and often ridiculed pastime, but I can tell you that farmers really appreciate us.

The feds restrict the states to allowing crow hunting to 124 days per year; in NC where I live, it is allowed Wed, Fri and Sat from June 1 thru Feb 28. Every state is different, and Alabama, which at least has some sense, allows hunters to pick which 124 days out of the year in which to hunt crows. Who the heck is going to hunt crows for more than 124 days a year?

The Federal government does give the states permission to have crow hunting season.

the all powerful feds. that just sounds wrong for some reason.