"Run and Gun in the Missouri Hills"
by Tom Bax (Official Crow Guide for the B & K Hunting Club)

This Equipment

A quick pointing 12 or 20 ga. shotgun with modified or full chokes should be used for hunting in hill country. Since shells for other gauges are usually more expensive and you'll be shooting 3 to 10 boxes of shells, using the 12 or 20 ga. will cut down on the expenses for the shooters. Shooting will be fast at times and slow the next. Any type of shotgun action will work during the slower "action" times. During faster "action, a smooth pump or semi-automatic is needed to kill the multiple crows that will be in the air. The semi-autos do tend to heat up more during fast "action" since the shells are usually cycled through the shotgun faster. The shooter with the semi-auto also tends to go through more shells than the shooter with the pump. If the "action" is slow all day, no one will use very many shells. If you're expecting singles all day, a break-action, side-by-side, or over-and-under with work fine. Since our season doesn't open until November, many of the trees will have lost their leaves. Some of the shots may still be long but the shot path will be much less obstructed. High brass shells with 3.75 drams of powder and 1.25 ounces of either 5's, 6's or 7.5's will work the best. Early in the season, the later two sizes will work best. Late in the season, use the 6's for the first shot and the 5's for the follow-up shots. The smaller shot-sizes will have a denser pattern which will put more pellets in the crow. Since the crows tend to fly closer early in the season, the lighter shot will have plenty of "killing power" at that range. Later in the season, one crow will come in at close range with another holding slightly behind. The 6's will kill the first one and the 5's will be needed for the second. If the first bird is missed, the 5's will most likely be needed for the follow-up shot since the crow will be leaving at high speed. Complete camo is a must. The hills will have multiple tree types: oaks, hickories, maples, elms, wild cherries, persimmon, etc. I will be referring to these as "hard woods" even though technically some of them aren't. The most common evergreen trees are the cedars. The only pines or spruces you'll find are ones that owners have planted for wind breaks or decoration. Very seldom is there a place you can hide that your camo will completely match your background. Crows have good eye sight and the advantage of height which lets them check out a disturbance as they approach. If you are wearing one pattern of camo and it doesn't match your background from their point of view, then your human outline will show up and they'll peel away. I prefer to wear three or more patterns of camo at the same time. I will wear Advantage boots and pants and a Green Woodland vest over a Mossy Oak jacket. My cap, gloves and face mask will be a combination of other patterns. I prefer to use the electronic caller over the hand calls. I started with a tape recorder 15 years ago and I think I've had better luck with it over the years than I've had with the hand calls. I have hand calls but I seldom use those anymore. I know a fellow crow caller who uses nothing else but a hand call when he sets up around gut piles. I use two different fight calls and two different distress calls. The two fight call tapes I use are Fighting Crows and Crow/Hawk fight. The two distress call tapes I use are Crow Death Cry and Crow Death Cry with Hawk. I have other tapes but they are seldom used. Bring crow decoys. A minimum of 3 to 6. Some situations call for as many as 15 to 18. An owl decoy is NOT always needed. I very seldom set it out unless I'm in a real thick cedar patch and then I'll only use three crow decoys. Where I hunt, a map is not required. A topographical map may help you locate a hill with the right contours but it won't tell you about the property. Knowing the property lines and the owners is more important. If you don't know the owner well, you won't know who they've let hunt. Just showing up and asking for permission may get you another hunting spot but you may get in trouble with fellow hunters or family members who may be crow hunting, deer hunting, quail hunting, etc. In other words, don't hunt the first year on new property until you've been by to visit the family and met their friends. You'll learn a lot more about the place and earn some close ties.

Scouting

In the hills, crows can be hunted from sun-up to sun-down. In one day, I will take a crew (5-6 shooters is best) to 5 sites before lunch and 6 sites after lunch. The early morning sites are stayed at longer because the birds are friskier and they will respond to the call repeatedly. The best hunting is when the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That means this is the best temperature for scouting. On warm winter days, crows won't move around much which means they won't be in the air much. Crows on the ground are not as noticeable as one's in the air. You may drive right by a ridge field and not see the crows just over the hump in the field. You'll miss the sentry because it'll be on a limb that's shaded by the trunk of the tree which means no sun shining off of its feathers to give away its movements against the dull background of the dark trees. The only weather crows don't like is rain, so don't go scouting in the rain. Snow and light sleet falling doesn't bother them. Heavy sleet fall is too much like rain and they won't stir much. Crows will stir before the bad weather so try scouting at that time in case the weather turns bad the day you want to hunt. If you've done right by the owner, you won't go scouting into an area "cold". You'll know where the crows are possibly roosting, where the grain fields are, where the feed lot is, where the hay fields and pastures are, etc. The owner will know where every "cedar ball" and "saddle" is on his place. He'll also know whether the cattle on the ridge are gun shy. DON'T hunt around gun-shy cattle. "Road kill" can be ignored. Many people down here do their own butchering. If this owner processes his own meat or some of his neighbors butcher their own, you'll learn from him where the "gut piles" are, especially if you helped with the butchering. Since I use a electric call, I try not to pick a site too close to the "gut pile". Since I know birds will be hanging around there, I prefer to call them away from it. As I said above, a fellow caller I know sets up next to the "gut piles" and uses only hand calls. He uses the feeding call and the come-back call. The crows this time of the year may appear to be scattered in groups of 2 to 5 but they're not. The murder will send out multiple scouts depending on its size. I've seen a small murder of 10 send one scout and a large murder of 100 send 3 groups of 5 scouts. The rest of the crows may be partially in cedars where you can't see them. Many of the one's you can see will be scattered in the grass on the hill or in the bottom and 1 to 5 sentries will be spaced apart in tree tops keeping an eye out for danger. If one land owner has over 400 acres you MAY be able to hunt from two sites. Early in the season, this is very possible. Late in the season, you will only be able to hunt from one site, so choose the best one. Any site chosen should ideally be at least a half of a mile to a mile apart. This will depend on whether the site was on a bluff overlooking a river bottom or whether it was a ridge "saddle" near a "hollow field". Since the site must be above where the crows are expected to come from, the sound will carry far. This will also depend on the neighbors' hunters. If their hunting site is within half a mile of where you are wanting to hunt and they've used it within the last two weeks, the hunting at your site will be poor. If I want good results, I'll wait four weeks before I use a site that has been hunted or hunted near. Hunting a site the same day or waiting to the next day is a waste of time. The hunting will be extremely poor.

Site and Stand Location

In hill country, finding the right hill is more important than the type of cover. You'll find gently sloping hills with wide tops and some hills with tops that are narrow. Some hills will have slopes that drop off fast or may even drop straight down. The tops of these hills are called ridges and the straight-down drop-offs are called bluffs. Bluffs and narrow ridges are prime sites to place a stand. Find a stand that is higher than the area the crows are expected to come from. Crows flying up to you or flying straight at you have less time to closely inspect the disturbance. If you set up below them, they will be coming in high and with their excellent eyesight they can see your set-up. If they don't like it, they'll leave before they ever come into range. If they are curious, they have the advantage of height and they will remain there while they circle overhead. Only if it looks safe will they come down low enough to shoot. Usually before that happens, one of the shooters will let his gun barrel catch the sun light and the crow will leave quickly after seeing it. Do NOT set up a stand on the highest part of a hill. Every crow around can see the activity and they know what a wounded falling crow looks like from a distance. I've watched this myself. A crow that is solidly killed drops like a rock and seems to spook the crows less than if one is wounded. A wounded bird with one wing broke will try to slow its fall by keeping the other wing held out. This causes it to spin in circles as it drops. Dead give away. A crow with two broken wings will still try to use them to break its fall. This gives it a fluttering effect on its way down. Another dead give away. A diving crow does neither of these. If the crows are on a ridge or bluff and its higher than the spot you want to hunt from and the ridge behind you is the same height as the one YOU are on, move back to that ridge (if you have permission to hunt there) and set up the call there. The ridge between this new stand and the crows changes their flight pattern which, in some cases, obscures their "line-of-site" view. Crows will tend to fly down to the height of the trees on the in-between ridge. These crows will now be flying straight at you on the next ridge. The crows that didn't come right away to the call or the one's that lagged behind in flight will no longer see the crows profile against the sky. If the crows are on a ridge or bluff and its higher than the spot you want to hunt from but the ridge behind you is the same height or higher than the one THEY are on, set the call up right where you're at. The ridge behind you will keep the in-coming crows' profiles from being seen against the sky and these crows may circle once before coming in range so make sure the shooters have good cover. To pick the right spot on the ridge, I search for a "saddle" or "cedar ball". A "saddle" is a significant dip in the ridge. A "cedar ball" is usually near the end of the ridge or at the end of off-shooting point and is covered with cedar trees. The "saddle" should have some kind of trees for cover. The height of the trees doesn't usually matter unless they are cedars. If a majority of the cedars are over 20 feet tall, ask the owner if you can cut some or you will have to choose a different site. If there are few or no cedars but a majority of the trees are over 20 feet tall, look at the spacing of the trees. If none of the trees' limbs touch or the limbs that touch are less than 20 feet off of the ground, you can still use the site. I prefer a mixture of cedars and hard woods that are less than 12 feet in height and spaced apart with no limbs touching. The "cedar ball" will usually be all cedars but once in a while you find some hard woods that have survived. These are the best sites. Since a "cedar ball" is often a "point" of a ridge, it will slope downward. If the "cedar ball" slopes down and flattens out for 20 to 30 feet before it slopes down again, this is the best spot to set up. To pick the right spot on a bluff, find a spot were you can setup near the edge but where the rest of the hill doesn't rise more than 20 feet behind you. If the hill rises behind you too much, any crows coming from that direction will come overhead out of range and if they spot a shooter, they will warn the crows you're trying to call. You will need to find a hiding spot for your vehicle that is at least 250 yards from the call site. I've gotten by with less distance by driving my truck into some tall cedars. I would not recommend this to people since it is hard on paint jobs and can dent your vehicle if you pick the wrong trees. It's also a little "rough" getting out of the cab. If you have a good crew and a volunteer, the volunteer can park the vehicle while the others are putting out decoys and setting up the call.

Decoy Setup

There must always be at least one decoy in a tree that is highly visible. Any in-coming crows will fix on it quickly and this will make them less cautious. As crows get closer they should see at least two more decoys in a tree lower down that are facing the owl decoy. If you're not using the owl or you don't own one, then the decoys should be facing a thick cedar or a large "snag". The sound that the crows hear should be come from the tree the decoys are in or very near by. The crows will vocally respond to the tape and when they are in range, Bang. A "snag" is a bare tree trunk that the top has broken out of. The "snag" or the thick cedar are hiding places of owls. The incoming crows will think the decoys have found and cornered a resting owl. The above was a description for 3 decoys. If you have three more, hang one more in the tree with the two and put the other two in another tree and facing the same place. If you have 12 decoys, place 6 decoys as I described earlier. Place 3 on the ground around the "owl's hiding place" and put the other 3 in trees farther from the rest. I use 15 to 18 decoys when I hunt in cedar areas. There are fewer places the hang decoys so I have to put several on the ground the get the crows attention. Some will be put on the dirt but most will sit on stumps, large rocks, tall sprouts, fence posts, thick bushes, etc. I also use the above number of decoys in tall timber. I put as many as I can as high as I can the get the crows attention. I've gotten the attention of some crow so quick that they come dodging through the tree limbs on their flight in. I hardly ever use the owl decoy. I think the crows will circle longer when they can't see what the decoys are looking at. Their curiosity will give the shooter more time to pick a good shot. If I do, I make sure the owl is not facing the sun. Crow decoys can face the sun but not the owl. As you may have noted above, I have put crow decoys below, on an even level and above the "owl's hiding place" and I do the same thing when I use the owl decoy. I have watched crows and hawks fight and I have seen crows and owls fight. The crows don't always stay above the predator.

Shooter Setup

If you're hunting a "cedar ball", you have multiple choices on where to put your shooters. This type of site will support 2 to 10 shooters and it may have other crows than the ones you're trying to call coming from multiple directions. That's why I like to have at least 6 shooters to cover all the directions these other crows may come from. If there are two shooters, they should be put between the decoys and the place the crows are expected to come from but not directly in the crows flight path. By doing this, they will be able to back each other up if a crow is missed. If you don't know where the crows are going to come from, place a shooter on opposite sides of the decoys where both can be in good cover. North-n-south or east-n-west makes no difference since a crow will usually come straight in "hot and bothered". If later you find out the crows are coming from the same direction, move the shooters as I first described but wait until it's time to change tapes. If there are 3 shooters, arrange them like you would for two shooters and put one in the flight path. When multiple crows come in, the side shooters should follow the trailing birds and wait for the flight-path shooter to shoot the lead one. Once he fires, the others should be ready to fire on the followers. Again, if you don't know the direction the crows are going to come from, place the hunters around the decoys and proceed as you would with two shooters. If you have 4 shooters, arrange them in 2 pairs at opposite ends of decoys. The shooters in each pair should be spaced about 10 to 20 feet apart depending on the cover. When multiple crows come in, the shooters in each pair can take turns shooting the lead bird while the other takes the following bird. If you have 5 or more shooters, arrange them in a circle around the decoys. If you're hunting a "saddle" with a lot of cover, you can set up like you would for a "cedar ball". Many "saddles" are cleared, so you will have to place your shooters on the sides of the ridge. If the "saddle" is cleared, it will only support 2 to 6 shooters. In either cover condition, the crows normally avoid flying over the high spot on each side of the "saddle". This means the crows will be flying straight toward you or they will fly along the hill and turn toward the decoys. That's why I like to have at least 2 shooters on each side of the "saddle" for good coverage. If you're hunting a bluff, your shooters will be placed in a line parallel to the bluff "face". A bluff will support 2 to 8 shooters depending on the length of the bluff. This is one place where very few decoys are needed. Crows will fly straight toward the bluff or come from the back side of the hill but not necessarily toward the call. Other crows may fly along the face of the bluff to check out the disturbance. Very seldom do crows circle above a bluff. The shooters on the ends will be killing the crows that are coming to the bluff but not going straight to the call. I believe these crows are wanting to land near by and listen to the fight because there's something that don't sound right to them about the call.

Calling

Since the season here doesn't open until November, you can guess what day is the best for calling. The crows have not heard a call since March and they have had a long time to "forget". I always start with the Fighting Crows tape. I turn the volume wide open and leave it there until I'm going to change tapes. I will play this tape for a minimum of 5 minutes before I switch to the another tape. As long as the "action" continues, I will keep it playing. When I say "action", I'm talking about crow activity. If it's been 3-4 minutes since the last crow has come to check out the call, then the action has stopped. If no crows come to this tape and the sun is out, I will try the Crow/Hawk Fight for 5 minutes. If no crows show up, we move to a new site. The crows at this site are either "call wise" or they have moved. If we've seen some action and someone got to shoot, I'll switch to the Death Cry tape when the action stops. It doesn't make any difference whether someone killed a crow or not. The crows know something happened at that spot and when they hear the Death Cry, they'll return to see what family member is hurt. When the "action" stops, I'll switch back to the Fighting Crows. If the Death Cry didn't get a response and the sun is out, I'll try the Crow/Hawk Fight. If the sky is cloudy, then I'll go back to the Fighting Crows. After I use the Fighting Crows a second time, we will move to a new site when the "action" stops or if there was no response. When I use the Crow/Hawk Fight, I play it for a minimum of 5 minutes. If I get no response, we move. If we seen some "action" and someone got to shoot, I'll switch to the Death Cry with Hawk tape. As with the Death Cry tape, no crow has to be killed. This new tape works slightly different than the others. I play it for a minimum of one minute and if I have seen no "action", I shut it off. That's when I have my shooters hold their positions. I've known more crows to come in when the tape is turned off than while it is on. I think they're are interested in getting one last "peck" of revenge for their dead family member. CAUTION! When changing tapes, turn the volume down slowly until it is turned down completely. When the power button is pushed, it will cause a squeak to come out of the speaker. If you eject the tape with the volume turned up, the call will ended abruptly and the crows will be spooked. With the power button OFF, put in the new tape and turn the volume back up. Now you can turn the power back on. Remember to wait 4 weeks for the birds to "forget". After 2 weeks, they will have "forgotten" what the danger was at a site but they remember that the spot is dangerous. They may or may not come to the call. If they do come, they'll be high in the air and they may only circle once. After 3 weeks, they'll remember the site as a place they were avoiding but they won't remember why. They'll approach low but they'll circle wide and use caution. After 4 weeks, they hear a fight at a familiar place. They'll approach low and circle around with less caution. Crows that have never heard a call or have had all summer to "forget will come straight to the call flying low and fast.

Location Tips

If there are eagles in the air where you are wanting to call, leave the call off until they are gone. I have never had a crow approach with an eagle around. If there is a single hawk in the air where you are wanting to call, you can use the Fighting Crows tape and get some crows to come in, but if the hawk doesn't leave, your hunting will diminish quickly. Changing to one of the other tapes may bring the hawk closer. If a crow sees this, it will warn the others to stay away. If there are multiple hawks in the air where you are wanting to call, you need to go somewhere else.

Calling Tips

I like to put my speaker as high in the tree as the decoys are hanging, if possible. If I can't climb the tree, I put it as high as I can reach, or if I have a tall shooter along, I'll let him put it as high as he can reach. I pick a tree in the middle of the decoy spread or at the edge of the spread to hang the speaker in. Don't put the speaker on the ground. You want the sound to carry out to the crows. If the crows have been responding to the Fighting Crows tape but the action has slowed, try turning the speaker in the opposite direction. The crows will think the fight has moved which sounds more realistic and that will cause them to return. If you are setting up closer to the crows than you normally would and you're afraid of spooking them. Point the speaker straight down and turn the volume half-way up. Once the crows have responded, the volume can be turned up all the way. If it is windy the day you're hunting, you can place the speaker with the wind so the wind will carry the sound farther. Just remember the above two tips. Place the call speaker high in a tree. I try to use a cedar tree near the decoys. If I use a hard wood, I try to put the speaker on the shady side, if it will leave the speaker pointed in the right direction. DON'T place the speaker straight up. The crows can pick it out of the decoys easier and they'll not come back. Several hunters like to have the call right next to them, so they use a speaker extension cord to put the speaker farther from them. From what I've seen, the cord drops the volume more than I like. I put my call below the tree the speaker is in, ask if everyone is ready and then turn it on. My hiding spot is seldom more than 8 quick steps away. If you have two electric calls, play Fighting Crows in both of them when you start and when the "action" stops, switch one of them to the Death Cry.

Shooting Tips

As the crow is coming in, shoulder and raise your shotgun SLOWLY. Crows will spot any quick movement and spook away. I've stood in front of a cedar with nothing between me and two in-coming crows and killed them both using this approach. Your shotgun does not have to be camouflaged. It does help, but if you keep the barrel in the shade so there's no sun reflecting off of it, the crows will ignore it. I have never put camouflage on any of my shotguns.

Miscellaneous Tips

Hunt on a day that is slightly breezy. The breeze will put movement in your hanging decoys and this makes the crows more confident when they approach. Calm, low talking between shooters will not spook crows. If you see crows coming make sure the part of the your crew nearest you knows they're coming. They may be watching a slightly different direction and not know the birds are coming. They may also have a cedar obstructing their long-range view, which means the crows will surprise the shooter when they come in view. A surprised shooter will throw the shotgun up too fast and scare the crows. He'll panic shoot and the crows won't come back. So, warn each other and say what direction the crows are coming from. I can never get a decent sentry decoy in short brush. I heard a story about a fellow hunter who put a decoy on a length of conduit pipe. He painted the pipe flat gray to keep it from shining. I've never tried it, but the idea sounds good. If you're in an area with a lot of hawks, keep your eyes open. A hawk may try to snatch one of your decoys. I keep my call in a camo backpack. The camo backpack covers the call and hides the little red "play light". By carrying the call on my back from site to site, I can carry my shotgun with two hands which is more safe in heavy brush. In the bottom of my call backpack, I have a styrofoam pad. When I set the call on the ground, the stryofoam keeps the cold ground from weakening the call battery. On days when the temperature is above freezing, it's not always needed but I have it anyway.