Friday, January 22, 2010

Quantico Crows

LZ Falcon was about 120 x 350 yard in size. We set our blind on the northwest side because we wanted the wind and rain/snow/sleet to our back. To start, we really didn't know what direction the black bandits might come in from.
Me, JFC, 1940 Browning A5 12 gauge.
RPC is ready, Stevens, pump 12 gauge. Photo is looking Southwest down the length of the LZ. We had our back to the woods.
We used burlap camo from Gander held in place by 60" tall, green garden stakes and wire ties from Lowe's.
We started with 5 decoys set out about 30-35 yards. The other side of the LZ was all 6-10' pines. We met at 1 pm in heavy rain/sleet/snow mix but decided to go for it anyway. Just as we got the decoys set and the blind in place, about 1:45, it stopped raining. Before we could get in place and shotguns loaded we heard and then saw two separate flocks of crows heading out from their roosts across the LZ from us. I managed a high passing shot on one with no luck. About 2:30 - 3:00 we heard one from our back. I started calling with the H.S. Strut Hammerin' Crow Call and he was heading our way. Bob and then I ended up with a shot as he came in right to left heading for the decoys. Crows 2 - RPC/JFC 0.
After our second encounter it got pretty slow. I retrieved one decoy and put it up about 15 feet high in a tree, off to our right. About 4:00 we heard one calling from across the LZ. I started calling back and in he came. RPC caught sight of him first and said, "you take him this time". "Where?". I said. "Straight ahead, just above the decoys" Crows 3 JFC 0. Keep you head down fool, I thought to myself. And that was it for the action. We bagged everything up at sunset 5:15 and headed back to the cars. We both decided that it had been WAY TOO LONG since either of us had been out in the woods and plans are afoot to go after the black bandits again.
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