A murder of crows

[JohnGalway]

Morning all,

 

Got out to where I wanted to be about 15 minutes late this morning (I'm not a morning person). The hoodies already had me in their sights, roaring at me over head as I walked to my preferred ambush site. Still, it was a half decent morning as the drizzle had stopped just before I left the house. I have with me the .22lr and the .223. I also brought a waterproof foam seat thingy that I got last year which is dead handy and comfy for lying down on, keeps you warm as well as dry.

 

So I got myself set up under a stand of furze bushes, in down behind a fallen stone wall. Perfect for a bit of sniping. Hoodies are coming in to an old ewe that popped her clogs, farmer said to take as much vermin from around her as possible before disposal. Who am I to refuse.

 

 

That's the set up. Rifles covered with scrim net which are held on by elastic bands, couple of holes cut out here and there for the scope turrets and lenses. My Nikon Prostaff 440 laser rangefinder is in the shot as well, and my stormkloth hood makes a nice dry spot for my elbow.

 

First hoodie wasn't long coming in, popped him off with the .22lr, which is all I've been using on them lately. A few ravens came and went (12 together at one stage!), I just watched them as they're protected, they had their feed and made a general nuscience of themselves before heading off to do whatever it is they do. Then the fun began. Hoodie number two came in and landed about 140 yards out on a safe fence post. Now, yesterday, that would have been a good idea. Not today though... Knocked him off the post with the .223, another landed almost right away at 60 yards out and he turned into a cloud of feathers pretty much instantly. A few minutes passed ans hoodie number four arrived 90 yards out looking around not entirely sure what the deal was. I dealt him his cards and down he went like the other three.

 

There's a reason they call it a murder of crows.

 

 

Been a while since I've shot the .223. I've missed it! Must remember to bring ear protectors next time though.

[millpool]

what a pleasent way to start the morning, beats a bowl of porridge, !!!! all i got to day this morning is walk the dog round the fields ,then on "dad " duty as my 11 yo is skiving of school ,something about a cough!!! nice setup

[JohnGalway]

Thanks Millpool, If I'd switched to the .223 a bit sooner I'd have two if not three extra hoodies in there. Nice to be out early in the morning even if it's a trial to get out of the warm bed lol.

[varminter]

Love the sniping setup!!!!! :)

Good going on the hoddies too!!!!!!!!!!!

All the best...................

RAY...................................

[6mmBR]

Nice one John, looks a good little set up you have there. I can see you reaching for the .223 a bit more frequently now

Nice shooting on those hoodies always nice to get one up on those black enamel b**tards

Cheers

Dave

[kip270]

Good shooting John, shooting vermin with the rifle is so addictive, it's just a headache when i open the gun cabinet, which one do i take

[Guest 308Panther]

Nice to know I am not the only one that suffers on multi gun decisons.

I often grab and drag both along...Big gun,little gun.

Nice set up.

 

308Panther

[JohnGalway]

As we all know, if you go out with the shottie, ya need the rifle, and if you have the .22lr you find you should have brought the .223! So if I had a third arm, or alternatively a third sling I'd have brought the shottie along as well lol. I managed to knock another off just before dark after I'd finished my work. Should have made it two but I was too slow on the uptake and something spooked him off.

 

Sniping hoodies is extremely addictive, and a very worthwhile thing to be doing for the local wildlife also. No one much bothers them around here so they've reached plague proportions. I've given the foxing a rest and am going to concentrate on corvids for the next while

[craigyboy]

Nice going John, Hoddies are my no1 enemy these days up here, I have been getting them at roost with the air rifle latley but much prefer them with .20 tac much more fun Do You have a big lot of hoodies at the minute? There seems to be a whole pile of them here these days, counted 16 in one field the other day, used to be 2 or 3 together was about as much as you saw, they are travelling in proper flocks these days.

[Vermincinerator]

Great ambush site John, it actually looks quite cosy nice shooting as well buddy.

 

Ian

[JohnGalway]

Craigyboy,

We have a heap of them. Like you it started out as two or three, then five, then ten, etc. Most I've seen together in one "flock" was 50+. I will need more ammo Lucky for me I'm using the cheap stuff, I just hope my supplier has it in, lol. Lots of magpies as well, but hoodies are number one on my list now too.

 

Vermincinerator,

It was bloody cold there this evening, I forgot my foam seat for my evening set and it was wet too! Hope the morning will be better and the crows dumber

[cooperman223]

Good shooting john, its great to get set up and just wait for the action to start.

[stag1933]

Hi all.

We don`t have the Hooded Crow here in the Lake District but plenty of the devious Carrion Crows instead.

Went out today and covered 52 miles around a few farms and got an odd shot here and there, five shots total for 1 Magpie and four Carrions.

07 total of Carrions now 143 plus 10 Magpies.

05 was 192, 06 was 152 so I may beat last years total yet !!!

At 74 getting out and about is more important than the cost of the petrol.

 

HWH.

[foxing2night]

Nice setup there john,

 

Good write up aswell !!!

 

Good fun shooting them bloody crows and addictive, Whether with a rifle or with a shotgun??

 

Both are good fun, But i think that you cannot beat a rifle????

 

I like your setup!!! I bet them buggers did not know what hit them???

 

All the best darrel

[stag1933]

When I had shot the fourth Carrion Crow yesterday I had only just got the rifle back in from the car window when a Buzzard and its sibling of the year swooped down to re-cycle the dead bird.

I was hoping for some nice pics. but unfortunately the shepherds wife decided to come down the narrow farm road and spooked them both.

 

[JohnGalway]

Nice to see the Carrions getting a bit of a beating Stag, they're only starting to move into my area. Still not too local between 4-5 miles away from me yet. I've only shot one of them this year (starting 1 September) compared to 43 greycrows and 11 magpies I think. We don't have buzzards here, just some type of hawk, nice to see somehting different.

 

Foxing2night, with the .22lr if you take one (safely) off a fence post you can almost see the look of surprise at what's just happened lol. With the .223 it's just crow one second, big puff of feathers the next. Am using hollow points at the moment as they were doing well on fox and in my rifle. For real corvid spectaculars ballistic tips are devastating (too expensive for corvids in my mind though).

 

Cooperman, I find you can be waiting a good while but when the action does start that three or four can be knocked down in quick sucession. One thing I've been thinking about it recording their calls (no, not for use in the field, that's illegal) but to get a mouth caller and see if I can tempt more greys in. I did notice a grey making three slow longish calls one day which brought up quite a few of his friends, think I'd be ok with that legally.

[stag1933]

Hi.

I didn`t realise you were in the Republic.

Some years ago I shot a fine old Feral Billy Goat on the mountains at The Burrens, not too far from Galway Bay.

It made a Silver medal.

 

One of my Irish friends once shot a Hoodie off the back of a grazing sheep at about 150 yards range whilst it was pulling out wool. [5.6x57 Steyr rifle.]

I don`t know about the sheep but it nearly gave me the `runs`.

Unruly lot some of my friends over your side of the water !!!!

 

HWH.

[stag1933]

Blencathra, one of our Lakeland hills yesterday.

Carrions now 148, only 5 to beat last years total and still 19 days to go !!!!

 

HWH

 

HWH

[riflemanread]

You can do it stagg very nice pic.

Andy

[JohnGalway]

Good man Stag, give'em hell Lovely photo that!

 

I had a magpie in my sights a couple of months ago, he's hop from the head of one ewe to the head of another. Could have shot him many many times with the .22lr but not exactly fair to the sheep.

 

There were a few wild goats in this area a few years ago but someone came and cleared out the lot, shame really.

[stag1933]

Plenty of Goats at The Burrens. One lot we saw had a monster Billy.

We tried to get permission for a shot after calling at a nearby farm but the land was not his.

I still do not know if we were poaching where we were as we had permission off the farmer but he probably only had grazing rights and not sporting rights.

Anyway my pal and I got one each and we escaped without being arrested although our Irish companion was acting a bit `shifty`!!!!

 

The limestone walls around the lower fields were impressive. It is the first time I have seen walls made of vertical limestone slabs.

From the mountain tops the view was remarkable.

We have stone walls everywhere here in the Lake District but built in the conventional horizontal manner.

 

HWH.

 

It may be a decent day tomorrow, I checked my rifle today and made a couple of adjustments after missing two longer range Carrions this week.

[JohnGalway]

...a bit shifty!!!...

 

Ye definately were poaching if yer guide was acting shifty Wouldn't worry about it, no harm done sure, impossible to know when you're not familiar with the place yourself. Only the local gun club that'd get bent out of shape over shooting rights, farmer would most likely be delighted to see the goats thinned out a bit.

[stag1933]

Went out today, cold [5C.] and dismal, got 2 longish shots and missed one very near to me. Very few birds about.

At one farm the farmers wife heard the shot near the yard and ran out to present me with a bottle of Scotch.[annual occurrence there, free shooting through the year and a bottle each Xmas.]

150 Carrions and 10 Maggies now, 3 more Carrions needed to top last years score, should be easy with 18 days to go !

 

HWH.

[stag1933]

This fiendish device is 1 hour ahead of me ,it is 11-40 at the moment.

 

HWH.

[Guest steyrman2]

hi john have u info on the magpie and gray crow shooting season in ireland in the last few days the minster john gormaly from the green party would not sign the paper work for everyone to shoot them at anytime of year the nargc has informed the gunclubs that it is illegal to shoot them now as there will be a season on them just you could lose ur firearm licence i have just being told this today looks like the green party are trying to stop us doing our vermin control ????????????????