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April, 2015
“These birds are smart!” I heard this phrase repeated many times over a 2-day period during my recent trip to Palenville, NY. Why Palenville? It’s the site of Rip Van Winkle Rod and Gun Club’s 5th Annual Crow Down crow hunting event.
I had visions of crows diving into our decoys with reckless abandon, but instead we faced the reality that these birds are not just smart, but they are wary too.
I traded glances with my hunting partners Eric Helmedach and his son Nicholas on a few occasions and we just shrugged our shoulders.
We tried a few different spots, we saw a few different crows, we even got a shot off on one bird that was a little too inquisi-tive, but even he managed to
contort around the pellets and elude us as well. We made the drive of shame to the club without a crow in the bag, but I knew one thing for sure – I was going to do this again!
I honestly have not been an avid bird hunter for very long. I chased grouse and a few ducks during my college years in Maine. I’ve also had limited success on turkeys in Wisconsin.
A couple of years ago I was invited to my first dove hunt and really enjoyed it. Watching the birds come into the decoys was amazing and I enjoyed the little morsels of meat I managed to bring home on occasion.
This crow hunting though, with the run and gun tactics, the
calling, and the immediate re-sponse was something I could get used to.
Crows are very vocal and their
caws comprise a language that is quite complex for the avian world. Certain calls ring the dinner bell, while others warn of danger. There’s even a call that indicates a crow mob is about to go crazy on an intruder. Send out the right message and the birds come immediately.
So, why didn’t we get any? Well that’s where the crow’s intelligence comes in. They can recognize when they’ve heard a certain call before, especially in a repeat location. They can also recognize when your decoys
don’t look quite right.
For our efforts we had two plastic ground decoys. In my mind I called them Heckle and Jeckle and they must have been throwing off sarcastic vibes because they weren’t inviting
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Crow
Hunting
The Tradition
Lives On
BY: Pete Gregoire
Photos by Pete Gregoire
Crow hunting partners Marty Pasek and Mike Yelmene sport matching ballcaps with crows mounted on top. Family, friends, and fun - the intangible benefits of crow hunting.
14 year old Nicholas Helmedach works to set up the decoys (left). After the FoxPro call belts out a simulated crow fight, Nicholas sits back and waits for some action.