"The Art of Crow Hunting - Part 2"
by Sr. Field Advisor Bob Aronsohn

Types of Shots

Overhead Shots:

Up to this point we have been talking primarily about side shots on wild birds. Now we can talk about overhead shots. The best part about overhead shots is that all of the bird’s chest and wings are exposed and highly vulnerable to good wing shooting. I have to tell you that I love overhead shots since your lead is cut way down on "the high ones" because of the angle of the shot that is being presented to the shooter. If you get the shot off while the crow is at a 45 degree angle to your position, you don't have to be in front of him very much in order to connect with him. Just blot him out and shoot! Once you find your "natural rhythm" and I want to emphasize that everyone’s is different, you will start to become better in the art of wing shooting!

When shooting crows at a 45 degree angle that are coming over your blind, be careful one doesn’t hit you in the noggin! A one pound crow falling from a height of 35 yards is traveling at 82 feet per second; that is very close to 60 MPH! It takes 2.6 seconds for a crow to fall 105 feet or 35 yards, providing he is dead in the air with his wings tucked in tight on his free fall! This will vary with crows whose wings create wind resistance "drag" when their wings are not tucked in tight on the way down. A 50 yard overhead shot that is dead in the air takes 3.05 seconds to hit the ground, with a velocity of 98 feet per second. That is over 60 MPH! I have had dead crows hit me when I was shooting, mainly doubles. After you bag the first one, you take your eyes off of him and are concentrating on hitting the second bird. About a moment after you kill crow number two, you "get smacked by crow number one", so be careful!

Long Shots:

A very precise method for shooting long shots is "the extended lead" which is executed by getting what you think is the proper lead and holding it there "without stopping your swing". If you have ever shot running game (deer, coyote etc.), the extended lead is very deadly. It is a much more deliberate technique than the "swing through method”. On long shots you have to be more deliberate in order to connect with the bird. The time when I will use an extended lead on short to mid range shots is when I'm backing someone up. I just hold on the exact lead for the bird and if the bird gets missed by the fellow I'm backing up, I'm ready an instant after he gets his shot off! This is an outstanding method for those who have to wait for someone to shoot first!

Quartering Shots:

These types of angles are not as hard, it is the sight picture that you have to be aware of in order to take the mystery out of it. You have to keep your face buried into the comb on any type of shot, but especially this one. On a Quartering shot going away from you to the right, you would hold like you would want to hit the bird on the right hand side. On crows (which are like no other bird flying straight away or quartering away) you have to sometimes hold low and to the right if the bird is falling off (which crows are notorious in doing)! Just remember that because of the angle of a quartering bird, it will look like you are leading him sideways no matter which way he is quartering away from you. Most game birds come up and are rising when they are either quartering or flying straight away, not so for Mr. Crow! This makes a good case for getting geared to the particular type of bird you are hunting and the tactics he will use in order to evade you while in flight. I have to sometimes remind myself that I do this for recreation and if I blow a shot here and there, I just tip my old campaign hat to Mr. Crow and say "I salute you sir for having the aerial ability to evade my shot string".

Straightaway Shots:

If the bird is very close you can blot him out and shoot. If he is trying to get out of Dodge in a hurry and is past the 20 yard mark, you want to have a low hold in order to connect with him. All that is required is to see a bit of daylight under your target. The higher angle you have on a straightaway target the more you have to "hold low" in order to hit him!

Decoy Shots:

This makes for great shooting especially if you like to implode your target at close quarters! Decoy shooting is a combination of straight on shots, side shots, overhead shots and straight-aways. This is my type of shooting because I think that anyone who wields a shotgun loves the excitement of seeing a well placed shot! I'm ready to grab my shotgun and go right now; I love it so.