Bows for Crows

Bow and arrow for crows… you must be crazy! Crazy…no, but I am always looking for a challenge and the right to say, “Yea, I’ve killed a crow with a bow”. This same desire drove me to go after pheasants and Canada geese on the Eastern shore of Maryland with a recurve and homemade cedar arrows years ago. It can be done and you CAN do it. Dare to give the old black bandit a try with the bow? Read on and you’ll learn about the proper equipment and discover some techniques that will help you immensely, I hope. You certainly won’t be able to boast of any 100-bird days but you will be able to say, “been there…done that”.

Equipment

Equipment is extremely important. In my opinion, the bow needs to be short, lightweight and preferably one that you don’t have to sight. The recurve fits the bill perfectly although a compound can be used. In wing shooting with a bow, you’re hand eye coordination will kick in and, much to your amazement, bingo...you start hitting the target. Just look at your quarry with both eyes open, draw and send the arrow on its way. This technique is the same as a quarterback uses to hit his wide out with a pass as he streaks across the middle. He doesn’t have to make any distance or speed calculations.

The army used to teach shooting by using this hand eye coordination method. Coins thrown in the air were shot at with a BB gun. After a while you could “darn-near” hit it every time. With practice you can develop this skill with surprising accuracy.

Flu-flu arrows are necessary for bird shooting unless you don’t mind loosing arrows and have plenty of time to chase them over hill and dale. Feathers, the arrow’s guidance system, need to be oversized so that they will cause a lot of wind resistance. This will allow for fast arrow flight the first 20-25 yards before they start slowing down. These arrows will generally fall within 50 yards depending on the elevation. (See the photo to view the two different types of flu-flu fletching) Bright fletching will help you to find the arrow easier after the shot unless it’s in the bird. (Be careful as the crow can pick up bright colors quickly). Cedar, aluminum or carbon shafts are suitable.

(right) - traditional flu-flu.
(center) - standard arrow (non flu-flu).
(left) - special flu-flu - slows down arrow better than traditional.

There are a couple of theories to consider when deciding what to put on the “business” end of your flu-flu. Birds will succumb by shock, bleeding or a combination of the two. The following heads are all used:

Broad heads, both fixed and expandable and field points will penetrate the bird. With big game, a pass-through is desirable. With bird shooting, you want the arrow to stay in the bird. An “ADDER” or a rubber washer behind the head will cause drag to keep the arrow in the body cavity.

Judo Points are a favorite with bird and small game hunters. These points feature small spring arms that will slow the arrow down and provide some shock.

Bludgeons, large rubber and plastic points, provide a great deal of high-shocking power which will knock birds out of the air quite readily.

Snaro Bird Points are very popular among avid bird shooters. They consist of three to four inch wide wires arranged like a shamrock. The loops greatly increase the area that can impact the critter and prevent arrow loss on the ground.

(bottom - left to right) - grabber, grabber, rubber blunt, rubber blunt, field point.
(top - left to right) - Zwickey traditional, broadhead, homemade one-blade on 38 casing, steel blunt.

We even tried homemade broad heads that provided shock and cutting properties. These were made by welding a triangular piece of band saw steel onto a 38 special shell casing. This, in turn, was fit onto a cedar arrow. After trying most of them, I still prefer the broad head with the rubber tubing on the shaft. Expandables work great with my favorites being the lighter weight Rockets and Wasps.

Technique

Practice is important. Pick a large open field and get a friend to throw the practice discs for you. Thrown at different angles, they will duplicate what you will experience on your hunt. Styrofoam discs are made for flight practice or you can use Frisbees. Draw a two inch, black dot on them as this will help you to concentrate on the target.

As with all crow hunting the blind is very important. Make sure it is wide enough to allow for maneuvering the bow and make it high enough to shoot while standing. You need to be able to move and swing freely. Full camo is necessary especially on the face and hands. Make sure to practice with this gear on.

When bow-shooting crows, the set-up, in my opinion, is the most critical phase and can make the difference in your being successful or not. The blind needs to be located near one or two trees with limbs where approaching crows can attempt to perch. A decoy needs to be pulled up high in the tree where it can be visible for a long distance. A few other decoys can be placed on lower branches or on the ground.

With this set-up, you can call to the birds using your favorite calling method. When bow hunting, I like using hand calls the best as I can stop calling when they get close to the set-up and not draw undue attention to the blind. The crows will often slow down their flight when approaching the tree and try to perch. This is the opportune time to attempt the shot. Slowing them down like this is essential and gives the bow hunter his best chance to connect with our favorite bird. Don’t get discouraged if you miss a few. Remember, this is a feat not many can boast of.

Okay all you avid bow hunters. Get out there and give it a try. We at Crow Busters expect to get a photo of your bow kills. Look out gun hunters, …the bow hunters are coming!

It can be done! click for video


Special thanks to Crow Busters Co-founder Doug Wigfield for the information in this section. Doug is a lifelong bow hunter and has used the techniques listed above to take crows, waterfowl and upland game birds with a bow.