What's the best way to decoy crows from a hide?

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What's the best way to decoy crows from a hide?

By Peter Theobald

Sunday, 02 November 2008

I know this has nothing to do with pigeon shooting but I wondered if you could tell me the best way to decoy crows from a hide?

I live in Fife, Scotland and we’re overrun with carrions and jackdaws – nobody up here appears to shoot them.

Pigeons
PETER THEOBALD says:
All the rules of pigeon decoying apply to corvids, except that crows are much quicker to react to danger.

This means your hide must conceal you completely when you turn your head or move to shoot.

Corvids respond very well to rotary machines carrying a couple of dead crows instead of pigeons and it sometimes pays to put a plastic owl out in full view because, given the chance, crows will mob it.

Funnily enough at this year’s Game Fair I saw that Shootwarehouse has brought in Hypa-flap crow decoys.

These are based on the ultra lightweight pigeon versions that have been so successful since their launch.

One important thing to remember is that, unlike woodpigeons, the best time to decoy corvids is at very first light.