EP47 Best Guns & Ammunition For Crow Hunting

When it comes to crow hunting, you have a lot of flexibility for shotguns and shells. There is not really a wrong combination for the task, but there are certainly guns and ammo that are better than others. On today’s episode I talk about what new hunters need to know when it comes to the best firearms for crow hunting.

Picking A Shotgun To Hunt Crows

Crow hunting is a shotgun sport. I have not seen any other viable method for it. The best shotgun for new hunters is the one you already have or can borrow. The second best is the one you can buy used. Reason being, you do not know if you like the sport yet and you do not know what features and qualities of a shotgun you value for hunting crows.

Once you get some field experience you will be much better prepared to buy a shotgun that complements your style and preferences.  Save your money and wait until you have some experience so you can be sure you will like what you buy. If you buy a cheap used shotgun you can likely sell it and get your money back out of it and put it towards what you really want.

After that, most people should get a 12 gauge shotgun for crow hunting. The 20 gauge shotgun is very popular today, and it can be very effective for crow hunting. But I recommend a 12 gauge for new hunters for one main reason, ammo availability. When ammo is scarce, 12 gauge is often the only think you can find. And when crow hunting you tend to go through alot of ammo.

A 20 gauge is a good option for people who have a lighter frame, or if is going to be a gun shared with children. In this case, get an adjustable stock so everyone in the family can shoot it well. A 20 gauge is not a child’s gun by any means, but it does have reduced recoil, which is the tradeoff for ammo scarcity. I wouldn’t hesitate to use a 20 if ammo was easy to come by,

A 16 gauge, 28 gauge, or .410 are all viable options, especially for smaller or younger shooters. But they are less common and there is less ammo variety available for them. Indeed a 16 gauge used to be among the most popular and it is certainly effective. Ammo is the only reason the 12 gauge is kind.

In my opinion .410 should only be used by small children, adults would be handicapping themselves with such a small load. There just aren’t enough pellets in there to give a good effective range for new hunters.

The ideal action would be a semi-automatic shotgun so that you do not need to worry about mastering one more skill when it comes to operating a pump action. But you cannot go wrong with pump shotgun, and they are cheaper, and readily available, and proven. This point is purely based on preference. I prefer a semi because it requires less skills to master when cycling. And semi auto shotguns have reduced felt recoil compared to manual actions.

Choke Tubes For Crow Hunting

When it comes to choke tubes for hunting crows you do not need anything special. Your factory modified choke is plenty to get started with. Most crow hunters use a modified or full choke unless they have a great setup that can get the birds in really close. But if you are a newer crow hunter you will likely be taking further shots. A factor choke will do the job just fine. Do not spend extra money on special chokes.

Now if you already have the basics covered and you want to up your game, a good extended choke can improve your pattern density and pattern distribution. I’ve done a few tests and I’ve seen a modified Carlson’s Sporting Clays Choke get as much as 20% more pellets in a 30″ circle at 40 yards compared to a factory flush mounted modified choke. The improvement isn’t always that noticeable. But a good sporting clays choke can be a perfect way to level up your setup. But you do not need to buy one to get started, whatever you have from the factory will work just fine.

Picking Crow Hunting Ammunition 

The best shells to use are target loads. There I said it. Target loads that are #7 or #8 shot. I typically use #7.5 shot because its readily available. Target loads are cheap, provide great patterns, and are absolutely effective at regular range. But since you go through so many, it is almost financially not feasible to use anything fancier.

If you cannot use lead then I would recommend Kent Fasteel #4 or BOSS copper plated #5 bismuth in 2.75″ shells as the best loads for the money in the steel and bismuth categories. Yes they make finer shot but I think the power in these shot sizes with the non toxic loads is ideal because new hunters tend to take longer shots.

High brass, express loads, or pheasant loads are not needed for 4 reasons.

    1. Crows are not as sturdy as people like to think, it doesn’t take much to knock them out of the air.
    2. Most high brass shells come with larger shot and fewer pellets per load, that trade off is worth it shooting pheasants, but not crows. You want as many small pellets as possible when using lead.
    3. You are going to shoot a lot of shells, target loads are something like 400% cheaper than more robust shells.
    4. You are going to shoot a lot of shells, you could injure your shoulder shooting 25+ high brass shells in a day. But 25 target loads wont bother you at all.

More Episodes On Crow Hunting

Listen to this podcast episode to get all of the details.

EP46 Intro To Crow Hunting

Show Notes:

Crow hunting is one of the most overlooked parts of our sport. 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 gave you an introduction crow hunting, including how you can get started and some basic tactics.

Take Aways:

  • Crows are in season for around 9-10 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.
  • Having some decoys can be helpful because it gives crows something to see other than you! But you can hunt without them. Here are the crow decoys that I use.
  • 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 chat 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 eat turkey and duck eggs and will attack and kill baby turkeys and ducks as well as many other game birds and song birds.
  • 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 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).

EP32 Crows Are The Best Game To Start Hunting

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).

 

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