Show Notes:

When most people think about hunting, they don’t think about crows. Many lifelong hunters have never even attempted to go out after them. But crows are one of the most fun types of game to pursue, and may be the single best place for new hunters to get started. On today’s episode I give a brief overview on crow hunting, including why you would do it, why it’s so much fun, the basic gear you need, and the unique aspects of this type of hunting.

Take Aways:

• Crows are in season for around 10 months of the year, from July to mid April in  my home state of Pennsylvania, and they can be hunted on Sundays when almost nothing else can be.
• The two main seasons to hunt them are in the middle of winter and the middle of summer because there no other major hunting seasons and so few hunters in the woods.
• All you NEED is a shotgun and crow call. Camo or black clothing is better but you can get by wearing whatever you have.
• Crow hunting involves calling crows from high-ish ground and waiting for them to come in within shotgun range.
• You can hunt them any time of day, no need to wake up early or stay up late. 10:00 AM on a Saturday works perfectly!
• You don’t need absolute stealth. Sure stealth helps, but this can be a social hunt. You can whisper as you go.
• Crow hunting helps you scout and explore new places that you might want to hunt in other seasons.
• Crow hunting gets you outside and active at beautiful times of year.
• Crows are a pest and a menace animal, they eat crops, they make messes, they hurt farmers. Ever heard of a “scare crow” ? Famers use those to scare crows aware because there aren’t enough crow hunters. You are doing a public service!
• You do not need to field dress, clean, or do anything with the dead crows. Take a photo or pluck a tail feather and then dispose of them. Or if you make your own arrows or art, pluck a lot of tail feathers.
• You need no specialized skills for crow hunting, any beginner or group of beginners can do it. You just need a call.
• Here are some options for crow calls. Inexpensive hand call. Modest electronic call. FOXPRO electronic call (the one I use).