I suppose if you can get a late pre-em Kerb application when its colder then it is an advantage.Drilled ours around the 15th Oct as deep as a disc drill with put them so about 3” and they’ve been up a long while in the row. Is there any advantage to have them come up so late?
They were at ours too as well as a late field of wheat. I invested in some crow decoys this year - my goodness they are some job.Ours drilled early nov are coming through nicely but the crows are being a pia as now the stems have thickened up they have realised they can pull the whole 3-4inch bean out to get at the seed, bloody things
I’m a complete novice at it (have had moderate success with pigeons in the past) but the crows seem to be a walk in the park so far. As the the crows fall, I go out periodically and arrange the dead crows so they appear to be sitting eating the crop amongst the decoys. Even those clever, horrid grey crows are a relatively easy shot as they are particularly nosey.Well done that man. I haven’t ever really decoyed crows successfully or know anyone that has.
All seems like a lot of work to me! Stick a gas gun out there insteadI’m a complete novice at it (have had moderate success with pigeons in the past) but the crows seem to be a walk in the park so far. As the the crows fall, I go out periodically and arrange the dead crows so they appear to be sitting eating the crop amongst the decoys. Even those clever, horrid grey crows are a relatively easy shot as they are particularly nosey.
You can see the odd wiser crow flying at a distance but most come right in close for the shot. They land into the wind.
Crouching or using a camouflage fence is important so they don’t see the human standing silhouette.
I have a camouflage veil over my face too.
The bodies are then torn up and scattered across the field, job done.
They really get the message from what I’ve seen so far. Pigeons on the other hand will keep coming until the last one is shot.
I remember hearing years ago about the importance of not letting them see the human silhouette - to prove the point, a shooter once wrapped himself in that red plastic netting that you see on road works. It was bright red but disguised his shape and the pigeons kept flying in.
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if the gas gun was that successful, I’d have one of the 3 here out there. Crows get wise to it very quickly. Beans here are a 44ac field, a gas gun might keep them off a small part of it.All seems like a lot of work to me! Stick a gas gun out there instead
Well done, for decoying crows try a dead fox, I know it sound daft, but it works.They were at ours too as well as a late field of wheat. I invested in some crow decoys this year - my goodness they are some job.
Things have changed from where I might knock one or two unlucky crows to where I might actually make an impact on the local crow population.
in just 4 hours one morning I despatched 64 of them at one spot, they haven’t come back since.
I've heard that to, but never tried it. I bet a dead buzzard would work wonders! I'm sure the crows round here can see the whites of your eyes .Well done, for decoying crows try a dead fox, I know it sound daft, but it works.
What good service does a Rook bring?Rooks are smart they used to say they could count to 3 and if you were to go shooting them 4 of you would walk into the roost wood and one walk out leaving 3 to shoot . i think that is right what an old boy told me years ago .
At times they can be doing you a service and then at other times damage . Find that a few dead ones hanging on sticks helps keep um away .