The Art of Crow Hunting

The Art of Crow Hunting

By Steve Weisman

For the past 20 years, Rick Kilpatrick from Estherville and his sons Josh and Travis have hunted waterfowl, pheasants, partridge, turkeys and – are you ready for this – crows! Yes, that black beady eyed bird that makes that annoying caw, caw, caw sound. Rick, himself, began hunting crows back in the 1960s, when John Brunskill, a grizzled old bird hunter introduced him to the sport. “That was back in the day when there were no regulations or seasons governing crows. We knew there were predation issues. It’s been documented that crows can have a negative impact on nesting waterfowl and upland game birds by breaking and eating the eggs and also the newly hatched birds. They will also predate on other birds’ nests. So, we think that by harvesting crows, we are helping keep their numbers in check.”

However, there is one more reason. “After learning some of the crow hunting tricks from John, I was hooked. Then when Josh and Travis were really young, they would come along, and they, too, became hooked on the sport. We have a lot of fun hunting crows and have learned over all these years, little tricks to tip the odds in our favor.” Things have changed over the years, though, and there is now a split crow hunting season in the state of Iowa. This year, the first season runs from October 15 through November 20 and the second season runs from January 14, 2020 through March 31, 2020. You must possess an Iowa hunting license and habitat stamp, but there is no daily or possession limit. Let’s learn some of the tactics for a successful crow hunt.

First off, crows are plentiful and can be found all across the state. If you begin to look for them, they are pretty much all over. Of course, over the years the Kilpatricks have learned the best areas in Emmet County and just know the crows will be there. “State or public ground is some of the best places to start. Obviously, they relate to timber and shelterbelts, and you will also find them along river corridors. In Emmet County, we have a lot of river ground with the Des Moines River. Plus, they can often be found around marshes and sloughs. We have shot a lot of crows while duck hunting on a local slough.” It often works well if you can locate a spot near a cattle lot, hog confinement or land fill, but remember you must set up 200 yards away from an occupied dwelling, domestic livestock or a feedlot.

With these areas in mind, Kilpatrick suggests scouting…just driving around and observing where the birds are located. It won’t be long before you will have a good idea of where the population of crows are in your county. “We’ve also found a lot of private spots to hunt by going up to a landowner’s house and knocking on the door to ask if we can hunt crows in their shelterbelt. They’re surprised that we want to hunt crows, but we don’t get turned down either.”

The game plan
To be successful, you have to develop a good game plan. You will actually be decoying and calling the crows in, which makes the hunt even more fun. First off, though, know that crows have great eyesight and any unusual movement will spook them off. Plus, Kilpatrick notes, “Use the wind to your advantage. Play the wind and put it to your back. You can draw crows from 2-3 miles away. Our best hunting days are nice sunny days without a lot of wind. Make sure to wear camo clothing and blind up so the crows won’t notice you. Blend into where you are hiding. However, don’t set up where the crows can see you setting up. If they can see you, you are done. Now, if you go over the hill where they can’t see you and set up, you’ll most likely get some action.”

Decoys and calls work
Decoys, you ask? You bet. Crows are gregarious and will come to crow decoys. Plus, there is one decoy that they will come to and attack: the great horned owl! They flat out hate owls. So, put the owl decoy in a spot that crows can easily see, like on a fence post, top of a small tree or even a tall pole will work. Then put the crow decoys in the trees and brush around the decoy.

Next comes the call. Kilpatrick has used both handheld mouth calls and an electronic call. Obviously, the hand call is the cheaper option, using a call correctly requires a lot, and I mean a lot of calling, which can definitely be tiring. So, for Kilpatrick, the electronic call is the way to go. “I bought my first electronic caller in 1977, and I shot thousands of birds over it. Now, I like the digital Primos Alpha Dog electronic call because it can produce the sound of many crows at once (a flock of crows is called a murder), or the sounds of a fight between a bunch of crows and a great horned owl. Plus, it has a loud, clear sound.”

Shot gun and ammunition
According to Kilpatrick, it’s easy to use the shotgun you use for hunting waterfowl and pheasants. “You don’t have to buy a special shotgun to shoot crows. Plus, even though we hunt both public and private land, we have found it simpler to just use steel shot. If you get the crows in the kill range, you don’t need to have heavy shot. They kill pretty easily. We actually like to use six shot on up to 7½ shot. We have found that you don’t let a crow come into shooting range and let it go. You want to shoot the first one, not wait for the rest to come. That just doesn’t work.”

What do you do with harvested crows
It is important to take care of the harvested birds. Collect them and dispose of them or put them where other predators will eat them. There is also a website called Crow Busters, and, yes, it is all about crows. Some pretty interesting information there, but one link is entitled “Recipes.”

Yes, there are people that actually prepare and eat crow! This link takes you from field preparation to the table. Some recipes include “Summer Crow Kabobs,” “Country C Medallions,” “Pan Fried Crow,” “Crow Creole,” “Crow Casserole,” “Crock Pot Crow”…just to name a few!
Crow hunting is one of those under the radar hunting opportunities. For the Kilpatricks, it’s something they’ve done together for 20 years, and even though Josh and Travis have their own careers and don’t live in Estherville anymore, they still get back as much as they can to do a little crow hunting. I wonder if Dad misses a shot, if Josh and Travis make him “eat crow?”