"Just Crows"
by The CrowSniper

At the end of a dull crow hunting story, the author's parting words rang a bell. Most hunters frown on sending a centerfire bullet at a crow sitting high in a tree unless you are in an open country state like Wyoming". Well, I've hunted central Wyoming since 1968 and crows there are as scarce as truth telling politicians. Here in the midwest crows are everywhere and you see dozens every day. Even here the chances of bullets coming down on something of importance must be in the billions.

I use a Ruger 77/22r in .22 long rifle to shoot crows and the chances of the little .22 bullet striking something is less yet. Just last week i was at a favorite squirrel hunting spot when two crows lit across a gully in a tall sapling that was swaying with the breeze. I use CCI mini-mag hollow point bullets that cost about three cents each, so shooting hopeless shots are of little concern. "must be at least 125yds plus" I mumbled, so i held the crows body far down into the heavy part of my Leupold scope's duplex. As the swaying sapling went to my right and stopped, I sent the 37gr hollow-point on its' way. If I'm lying I'm dying, that little bullet spun that crow out of that tree and down to the ground. The other crow jumped and began to circle that tree and soon a half dozen more joined in. I bet even today they are wondering what had stricken their pal. Sure I know that kill was an accident but accidents do happen which brings us to my next crow, lifetime crow number is 1151 with a .22 rimfire rifle. Four days before the end of squirrel season, I'm stalled at squirrel number 1999. Sure a lata squirrel but I've been hunting them for 50 years.

So I'm out on a dreary, cold cloudy day, standing under a big hedge tree praying for squirrel number 2000 to show up. Sixty yards away a big oak tree sits in a pasture next to a cornfield, a lone crow lands in the top of the oak. There is a six-inch square open spot in the maze of twisted hedge limbs between me and Mr. Row, 1 send a bullet through that hole and blackie flies out over the cornfield, "three cents gone" I muttered, as I watched him go. Crow makes a hundred yard circle and heads back for the oak. Going to land for another shot? No, he passes over the oak and begins the circle again. About fifty yards out he stalls and flutters to the ground. I crossed the fence, went out and picked him up. The bullet had creased this crow across the back just above the winds and it took that long for him to give it up. No squirrel that day, but 1 returned the next and got .22 rimfire squirrel number 2000, a big grey female. Try those seemingly hopeless shots. You never can tell, you might just get lucky.