Depredation

[Labradorian]

R U sure the Crow Identified as a Crow and not a Hawk or sparrow just saying we don't want to offend and J-birds

Quite sure, I have a number of raptors around, they're not raven's either.

Just remember, crows have extremely good memory and can remember faces. Ammo up.

Yeah, I'll probably never get that shot again however they did return a while later. We've been playing this little game for over a month and they've stolen probably 8 - 10 eggs so far. It's taken me this long to figure out their MO and get into a safe lane where I could take a poke. I'm constantly trapping for coon, feral cats and rats too.

 

[tac]

What was the crow doing to deserve that? I love my crows.

We loves our crows, too.

 

[bbbass]

Can you hold this apple while I check my zero?

On my head? While you pattern your shotgun for 40yds???

 

[Labradorian]

On my head? While you pattern your shotgun for 40yds???

Relax, its a 22. I'm shooting subsonics so you wont even need ear pro.

 

[bbbass]

Relax, its a 22. I'm shooting subsonics so you wont even need ear pro.

Yeah, I wouldn't want my muffs to get in the way!!

Say, what's the drop of a subsonic .22 at 100yds?

Oh cool, if sighted in for 50yds, only 6.71" via one calculator.... that's not much diff.... then there's this chart:

 

[bbbass]

@Labradorian BTW, I changed my .22 sight in from 50yds to 75yds for .22lr Steel Silhouette and squeeks. Reason being that we started putting a 5th row of steel at 125yds, making the drop well over a foot (19") if sighted in for 50.

Thence I also discovered that there are better choices than Stingers...

 

[Labradorian]

Gosh that's a lot of math. I was just gonna wing it.

 

[bbbass]

Gosh that's a lot of math. I was just gonna wing it.

It's better if you shoot them in the head...

 

[gmerkt]

I leave "mine" alone. I'm not a farmer; around here they tend to go after things that are worse then they are. Crows during the day, owls at night. Help keep the rodents down.

If the crows had thumbs, they, not humanity, would rule the world.

 

[Labradorian]

ICrows during the day, owls at night. Help keep the rodents down.

There are a number of owls i can hear close by at night. I'm going to put up an owl box and see if I can get one to move in.

If the crows had thumbs, they, not humanity, would rule the world.

I, for one, would welcome our new overlords.

 

[nwwoodsman]

All those lazy crows watched the show until it looked like easy picking, then they intimidated the only one w/the gumption to do a little work, some friends huh?

Comment deleted...the devil made me do it.

 

[Labradorian]

I could have gone all day without this being turned into a political thread.

 

[No_Regerts]

Yeah, I wouldn't want my muffs to get in the way!!

Then shave it!

 

[Unicykle]

My dad fed a clan of crows for about 12 years and crows are amazing animals. He could hand feed them ( about 12 ) and i got to where i carried a pocket full of peanuts all the time. They would follow me on my morning walk of a couple miles swooping down the powerlines making funny little cooing sounds while i pitched them nuts. The leader who we called momma would sit on our picnic table with us most days and just chat making sounds youve never heard a crow make. As id work at different jobs within a hand full of miles from home cows would stop by and ask for nut, id pitch a peanut out and and it would immediatly get swooped up and i have to assume they were our clan stoping by to see wtf i was doing. Often when driving as we got in the neighborhood they would follow right by the driver window till we got home. Was enlighting to see how complex a social structure they have.

 

[Mikej]

My dad fed a clan of crows for about 12 years and crows are amazing animals. He could hand feed them ( about 12 ) and i got to where i carried a pocket full of peanuts all the time. They would follow me on my morning walk of a couple miles swooping down the powerlines making funny little cooing sounds while i pitched them nuts. The leader who we called momma would sit on our picnic table with us most days and just chat making sounds youve never heard a crow make. As id work at different jobs within a hand full of miles from home cows would stop by and ask for nut, id pitch a peanut out and and it would immediatly get swooped up and i have to assume they were our clan stoping by to see wtf i was doing. Often when driving as we got in the neighborhood they would follow right by the driver window till we got home. Was enlighting to see how complex a social structure they have.

I've heard some weird sounds from them.

A couple of years ago we had a pair (same pair now?) that had young in a nest of a good sized maple. One of the chicks got out of the nest, couldn't fly, and wandered into one of the apartment below the nest. Some folks got it out for her and set it on the ground by a fence. I came over to see what was up, and figured it should be up off the ground because of cats in the hood, so I put it on the fence. I picked that little one up, it squawked briefly, mom and dad started screaming at me while pulling leaves off the tree and doing crazy body movement. Quite the show. The little one quieted down and was perched comfortably on my hand. That crow chick had the most beautiful grayish blue eyes! In the following days the chick was around. He'd learned to fly just enough to get up to a small Jap Lace Leaf Maple about 4' high. A couple days later we found the chick dead on our front lawn.

I was afraid me touching it had something to do with the death. I was told by the Audubon folks that wasn't likely.

This last year our crows raised two chicks. The four of them are still regulars in the yard. I make the call like you would with getting a horse to 'Giddy up" I'll hear them call back, from somewhere and then here they come.

 

[Spitpatch]

Legalities:
Crows were included (biologically rightful) in the Migratory Bird Act (1970's?). They are protected. Calendared seasons came somewhat later.

When the law passed, and since a favorite pastime of we fellows on the High School rifle team was crow hunting, I made a point to call ODFW.

I identified myself (proudly including my team credentials)and the very friendly Game Commission guy on the phone read the Act to me, including "engaged in or about to commit an act of depredation." (Criteria for killing them.)

He followed quickly with, "We here at the Game Commission consider EVERY crow 'about to commit an act of depredation'. Have at it , boys!"
And we did.

Intelligence:
Shortly after I bought my property (30 years ago), I discovered it sat squarely in a "flyway" (where the crows would come up from the valley headed to the forested ridges to roost each evening and then back to the valley in the morning).

I killed a few with the shotgun. Shortly thereafter, I noticed when they cleared the ridge just before my house, they'd take literally a 90 degree detour out of range, then another 90 back to flight path when safely past.

30 years later, they are still doing it. If they were humans (and since ALL the crows witnessing the shots have to be dead by now), we would call this "Cultural Survival Information Generationally Conveyed."

I DO respect them greatly.

And because I have seen what they do to baby animals (the eyeballs go first), I kill everyone I can.

 

[Yotehunt]

I shot at a crow this morning and missed.

 

[Labradorian]

Just had an eagle try to steal one of my runner duck hens. My shotgun wielding, out the window yelling daughter managed to break up the ducknapping.

 

[Spitpatch]

Just had an eagle try to steal one of my runner duck hens. My shotgun wielding, out the window yelling daughter managed to break up the ducknapping.

Her Daddy needs to take her to breakfast.

 

[41mag]

I was told by the Audubon folks that wasn't likely.

so then....they told you it just .....crow~ked...???