Christian or Cheryl at Mack PW

[Cody Frazier]

Are the FFD Crows something that needs to be pre-ordered, or are they currently shipping??

I would like to get my hands on some ASAP.

Thanks for your hlep.:)

[Cheryl@mpw]

Cody
They are not currently shipping. They are due in July 20. It looks like we have quite a few on backorder right now. This must be another hot decoy. I wouldnt wait to long to place my order. We ship out on the oldest orders first. The item number is AVE7200 LKOUT for the Lookout and AVE7200 AGRCAL for the agressive caller.
Thanks

[Rob Jepson]

Thanks Cheryl!!

[Tom Matthews]

Cody,

Don't forget that there are actually crow seasons in most states if not all of them. I just don’t want you to go bangin’ away at the crows until the season opens! I'm not sure about Alabama, but I know Tennessee has a set season that ends in February or March.

Hey Cody, I have a request. Would you and a few other members of the Avery YFS get together on a project to educate ALL of us about typical crow seasons around the country and Canada? This report could and should include anything that the YFS feels is of importance and of interest with regard to crows, crow hunting and anything related to either subject. Crows are apparently one of the more intelligent birds out there, and I believe we can all learn a great deal about the art of hunting in general by studying them. We can certainly become better duck and goose hunters by honing our skills on crows during the off-season!

To do this project, you simply need access to factual information that is readily available right here on the Internet. You can quickly access the hunting seasons for each state by using the "State DNR Information" link on the home page. I am not suggesting that you list out each state's crow season, but it would be good to know the average time of year that most states allow crow hunting, if there are any states that do not allow crow hunting at all or if there are states that have year 'round seasons for crows. Other areas of interest might be bag limits, legal shooting hours, legal and illegal methods for harvesting crows, etc. I would venture to say that, as a group, we know very little about crow hunting; but the sport is growing really quickly so we should all try to increase our knowledge. Maybe you could enlist the help of the other members of the YFS?

One way to do this project efficiently is to:

1. Come up with a template (a standard form) that each guy will fill out when gathering information. This form should be something you guys can e-mail back and forth.

2. Assign a certain number of states to each YFS member on the project. This will cut down on the time required to do the project while spreading responsibility among the YFS members.

3. Set a deadline for all of the information to be sent back to you (or whoever the project leader is).

4. Create a concise report and send it to the members of the YFS for review and discussion. Encourage open and honest feedback from all members.

5. When everyone is satisfied and approves the report, you should send it to Paul for his review.

6. Once it is approved by Paul, it should be posted on the forum where the YFS can field questions from those of us who want to learn even more. We will also post it on the Avery website home page in the form of an article so more people will get the information.

Okay Cody, there’s a challenge. I would ask you if you are up to it, but I already know the answer. Let me know if you have any questions and do not let this project get in the way of your homework!

Thanks,

Tom


To all the members of the Avery Youth Field Staff,

Projects like this one are what we had in mind when the concept of a Youth Field Staff came up in our discussions over two years ago. We believe that there is nothing on Earth that posses more positive energy than the brains of young women and young men, and Avery wants to tap into that positive energy. You guys have the brains, and Rob and Paul have assembled your group so those brains can work together - let's channel the positive energy! Are you up to the task?

We are all looking forward to seeing the results of the very first Youth Field Staff project. Someday we will all look back and realize how important the creation of this team was!

Thanks in advance for your hard work and dedication,

Tom

[Bart Miller]

Cody
Just a little info to get you started

The true crows are in the genus Corvus. They are large passerine birds. All temperate continents (except South America) and several offshore and oceanic islands (including Hawaii) have representatives of the 40 or so members of this genus.

Crows in the genus Corvus appear to have evolved in central Asia and radiated out into North America, Africa, Europe, and Australia.

The latest evidence appears to point towards an Australasian origin for the early family (Corvidae) though the branch that would produce the modern groups such as jays, magpies and large predominantly black Corvus Crows had left Australasia and were now developing in Asia. Corvus has since re-entered Australia (relatively recently) and produced five species with one recognised sub-species.

They range in size from the relatively small pigeon-sized jackdaws (Eurasian and Daurian) to the Common Raven of the Palearctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia.

In literary and fanciful usage, the collective noun for a group of crows is a murder. However, in practice most people, and especially scientists, use the more generic term flock


Extra-specific uses of color in crow societies
Many crow species are all black. Most of their natural enemies, the raptors or "falconiformes", soar high above the trees, and hunt primarily on bright, sunny days when contrast between light and shadow is greatest. Crows take advantage of this by maneuvering themselves through the dappled shades of the trees, where their black color renders them effectively invisible to their enemies above, in order to set up complex ambush attacks. Thus, their black coloring is of great strategic importance to their societies. It is perhaps here where we find the greatest difference between ravens and crows; ravens tend to soar high in the air as raptors do, and like raptors, are usually the target of ambushes by crows. Crows do not appear to perceive ravens as their own kind, but instead treat them as raptors. [citation needed]

While hawks tend to be the primary daytime predators of crows, their most deadly predators, in many areas, are the owls that hunt by night, preying upon crows sleeping helplessly in their roosts. Presumably their dark color is particularly helpful in blending into nightime shadows. Crows also will often mob owls much more fiercely when they find them in daylight than they do hawks and other raptors. Frequently crows appear to "play" with hawks, taking turns "counting coup" while escorting the raptor out of their territory. Their attacks on owls, on the other hand, possess a definite serious quality.


Intra-specific uses of color in crow societies
Even in species characterized by being all black, one will still occasionally find variations, most of which appear to result from varying degrees of albinism, such as:

an otherwise all-black crow stunningly contrasted by a full set of brilliant, pure-white primary feathers.
complete covering in varying shades of grey (generally tending toward the darker side)
blue or red, rather than swarthy eyes (blue being more common than red).
Some combination of the above
The treatment of these rare individuals may vary from group to group, even within the same species. For example, one such individual may receive special treatment, attention, or care from the others in its group, while another group of the same species might exile such individuals, forcing them to fend for themselves. The reason for such behaviors, and why these behaviors vary as they do, has yet to be studied.


Intelligence
As a group, the crows show remarkable examples of intelligence. They top the avian IQ scale[1]. Crows and ravens often score very highly on intelligence tests. Crows in the northwestern U.S. (a blend of Corvus brachyrhynchos and Corvus caurinus) show modest linguistic capabilities and the ability to relay information over great distances, live in complex, hierarchic societies involving hundreds of individuals with various "occupations", and have an intense rivalry with the area's less socially advanced ravens. One species, the New Caledonian Crow, has recently been intensively studied because of its ability to manufacture and use its own tools in the day-to-day search for food. Wild hooded crows in Israel have learned to use bread crumbs for bait-fishing. Crows will engage in a kind of air-jousting, or air-chicken to establish pecking order.


Calls
Crows make a wide variety of calls or vocalizations. Whether the crows' system of communication constitutes a language is a topic of debate and study. Crows have also been observed to respond to calls of other species; this behaviour is presumably learned because it varies regionally. Crows' vocalizations are complex and poorly understood. Some of the many vocalizations that crows make are a "caw", usually echoed back and forth between birds, a series of "caws" in discrete units, counting out numbers, a long caw followed by a series of short caws (usually made when a bird takes off from a perch), an echo-like "eh-aw" sound, and more. These vocalizations vary regionally. The pattern and number of the numerical vocalizations have been observed to change in response to events in the surroundings (i.e. arrival or departure of crows). Crows can hear sound frequencies lower than those that humans can hear, which complicates the study of their vocalizations.





Even though they may be hated, they must also be respected. They are very aggressive birds, but they are also VERY wary. They seem to sense danger, and by the time you raise you gun to them they can be well and truly gone.

Crows can be found just about anywhere, from open wooded country, to sparse dry areas, to the middle of suburbia. They are adapted well for the Australian environment, and can survive in even the most harshest climates.

They eat just about anything, and live on grain, berries and carrion. They usually can be seen scavenging on recent road kills and other dead animals.

When hunting crows with rifles, you need a rifle that can shoot flat and accurate to be able to shoot such a small target at the long distances they are encountered at. This basically rules out the .22 long rifle, and I would suggest the .22 Magnum as a minimum caliber. More powerful centrefires such as the .17, .222, .223, .22-250 etc. are all better suited to drop the birds right out to the distances where they think they are safe.


Hunting crows with shotguns is all a matter of deception. It involves setting up what is called a 'hide'. Basically it is just a few branches thrown together with an area in the middle that you can sit and shoot out of. What you have to do is set up decoys, and try to bring the crows in by mimicking their call. There are crow calls that can make this a bit easier.

The shotgun would be an under and over (semi-auto or pump-action would be better if you can acquire a permit for one), and would be either a 12 or 20 gauge. Shot size would be around No.6-No.8 to ensure a good pattern.

[David Rearick]

Cool stuff. Thanks for the "crow" info. Never knew there were so many interesting facts. I have always found it interesting how crows very in size from area to area.

Tom, very good way to get the youth involved in the sport. My thumbs up to you and the Avery team.:D

[CS]

Here at the university a lady tags crow wings for info. I hear she is a tree hugger but may have valuable info for a report if you want it. It is amazing how many crows you see around here with those wing tags.

[Rick Frisch]

To me, that wing tag would be a lot like a bulls-eye.

Thanks for all the information.

[Mike Hungle]

I look forward to seeing the research results of the Youth Field Staff. I like chasing crows and am always on the look out for new information and gear as crows can be very humbling!

Here's my favourite crow decoy in action:

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b17/MFH1/DSC_6407.jpg

[tealtom]

In reply to Tom Matthews post, Alabama does have a crow season however there is no bag limit and it never closes. We can also hunt starlings and blackbirds all year long with the same bag limit.

[Jeremy Abbas]

We love crow hunting in our area, they are fun, readily availiable, and quite a challenge. Laying out in a finisher between the roost trees and their dinner plate is a blast. These crow decoys are going to allow us to even the score. Looking forward to the YFS report.

[Travis Loving]

We love crow hunting in our area, they are fun, readily availiable, and quite a challenge. Laying out in a finisher between the roost trees and their dinner plate is a blast. These crow decoys are going to allow us to even the score. Looking forward to the YFS report.

Abbas...and to think how much crap you jokers were giving me for putting in the Crow tape in Shenandoah:D

[Thráinn E. Skúlason]

Cody this sounds like a great project.
I am looking forward to seing the results.

Here in Iceland we don´t have crows but we have ravens.

[Jeremy Abbas]

I thought we just teased you about puking out the back of the finisher!! :) I like the new avatar Trav!!

[Travis Loving]

I thought we just teased you about puking out the back of the finisher!! :) I like the new avatar Trav!!

Hey....I was just making a bait pile for the Crows.....LOL!!!

[TxHonker]

I enjoy shooting crows on slow days in the field waiting on the geese !!