Crows in our sweet corn....

[Drm50]

Oh, don't mention shooting them, the PETA people will have fits. Try putting a few rat traps on top of fence posts. Drill hole and tie them to post with couple feet of slack. No bait needed.

 

[ussmanlovede36]

Crows are very smart and they recognize people faces. They never forget. We get a few here in the dead tree behind us and I like to watch them communicate with each other. No gardens around us getting robed.

 

[HarpHack]

In Louisiana crows are considered "Pest" and may be taken from Sept. 1 through Jan. 1 , with no limit ...
If crows are depredating or about to depredate ... any crops , ornamental plants , shade trees , agricultural trees or plants , livestock . wildlife , or when concentrated in such numbers as to be a nusiance and/ or the spread of West Nile Virus ... may be taken year round , no limit .
Gary

Same language as the Arkansas regs. Presumably we should employ binoculars to study their beady eyes and ascertain whether they are planning to depredate, spread a virus or be a nuisance. If not you have to let them go :Q

 

[Mike-AK]

Grandma just used to hang a few foil pie pans on beanpoles with bailing twine around her garden. Seems to have worked for her.

 

[mtgianni]

Crows have a sacred nature to some native tribes in Mexico and are protected by treaty if they migrate back and forth from there. This is why State laws vary so much. Even in the treaty areas they can be killed if traveling to or from an area of deprevation, which is legalize for "any time".

 

[Shibadog]

I live in a rural area but have neighbors close by. I don't use a shotgun anymore as the neighbors are more sensitive to gunfire than they used to be. All of them are newish from the pavement except one. I use a scoped model 36 RWS now. It kills crows about like a 22 short would (900 fps) but range is +/- 50 yards. Good from cover if you call them in. They know when you drop one and mark the area as hazardous to their health.

I know, buying a $400 air rifle isn't a solution for most but I've had mine since I lived in town which was about 27 years ago. I used to shoot rats and starlings with it in town and nobody knew. Silent and deadly.

Model 36 RWS will definitely work. I bought one for my Dad who lived in town and had an issues with Groundhogs. An RWS .177 pointed pellet @1100 fps will kill a whistle pig Right Now with a head shot. Dad took three in the backyard, shot from a bedroom window. That scoped "pellet gun" will break aspirins all day at 30 yards. OP may need to get out early and set up a ground blind near th varmints favorite tree. Taking them with shotgun on the wing is good sport. I shot one with the air rifle a few years ago at home. The whole murder went wild (like a scene from "the birds". Old Browning A5 nailed three more and they vacated they area and stayed gone. I used #6's.

 

[IAM Rand]

As was mentioned above, you might want to check out air rifles. These aren't your daddy's air rifles. Granted, as was mentioned, they can be pricey but, you can get combo rifles that shoot pellets and arrows. Not that you would want to shoot a crow with a rifle but, it gives options. I don't think that suppressed air rifles come with the same problems and a regular rifle or pistol. Check out Youtube and see what is out there.

 

[kbm6893]

My Gamo air rifle shoots .177 pellets at about 1100 fps. Way more than enough to do the job.

 

[kreuzlover]

I wouldn't want to get caught shooting crows, I believe they now are
a Federally protected bird! Only birds I know of that are NOT protected by
Federal law, are Starlings & English sparrows!

 

[charlie sherrill]

Crows Can't Count.

We used to hang around a large area of government land plinking, and just goofing off. We would see a large murder interested in something. Three of us would walk out there where they are and they would fly off stopping in trees where they could see us and fussing about the situation. Two of us would walk back to the truck leaving one of us hidden behind with a couple of loaded shotguns. After a few minutes the crows would come back to the spot and meet eight or ten rounds of bird shot before they could escape. This only works one time. I had an old eight track tape recording of fighting crows. We would see a few and hide the truck, put the tape on very loud, and wait. They couldn't stand it and would at least send a scout to check it out, sometimes more. I always plant at least twice what I think I'm going to need because the critters are coming. This year I got more corn and peas than I needed and even gave some away. The rest went to mice, deer, raccoons, birds (crow included) and even a mama fox. I was able to pop one coyote who let his guard down. I don't plant watermelons any more because I can't keep the coyotes out.

 

[jake1945]

When crows are on the ground feeding, there is always a 'lookout' high in a nearby tree to warn the others of danger. Get the 'lookout' first!

 

[raljr1]

Crows are considered migratory under some regs, that's why there is a defined season for them in PA. Fairly long season, but defined none the less.

And they are smarter than the average critter. Like some have said, you won't get more than a few an outing.

 

[Drm50]

In the old days a lard can full of broken bottles and jars over 1/4 stick of DuPonts finest - hung in roosts during the day and touched off at night, from a covered position put a world of hurt on the flock. Also kept them big riverbank sycamores pruned. Back in 60s bounty was .25 cent each.
If you did that today the bounty would be on you, the "eco terrorist".