When going crow hunting, advance planning is essential; otherwise, you will most likely be wasting ammunition by shooting at crows when you should be concentrating on something else. Crows are extremely intelligent creatures, and sneaking up on them is unlikely to be successful.
It is because of this that they can be extremely difficult to hunt, especially if you are a novice hunter. Having the proper equipment can make all the difference, and a crow call is particularly useful. Instead of sneaking up on the birds, you can use a call to attract their attention and get them to come to you.
Various calls are available, ranging from the traditional mouth call to its electronic equivalent.
Of course, there are some considerations that must be taken into account. Certain electronic calls, for example, are not permitted in certain hunting areas due to legal restrictions.
Always double-check whether electronic hunting calls are permitted in your area before using them. After you’ve completed this step, you’ll need to determine what type of electronic cow call you actually require.
Some of the more common electronic crow callers will come equipped with a variety of different call sounds, ranging from fighting to distressed to attack, to name a few examples.
It’s important to note that not all of them will have this variety of sounds, so you should consider what it is that you specifically require as well as what tactics for hunting crows you will be employing before you attempt to purchase one of them.
Fortunately, we’ve taken a lot of the stress out of finding the best electronic crow calls for you by compiling this list and this buyer’s guide of the best electronic crow calls on the market today.
FOXPRO Shockwave Electronic Predator Call is an American-made electronic predator call.
Fox Motion simulates moving prey by fading sound from left speaker to right speaker, Fox Fusion Mix matches any two sounds of your choice, and Fox Fusion Mix mimics any three sounds of your choice.
Fox Pitch manipulates the “pitch” of any sound in an attempt to elicit a response; cast virtually hands-free calling with Fox Cast Sequence Files; and cast virtually hands-free calling with Fox Cast Sequence Files.
After you have discharged your firearm, Fox Bang will automatically map your caller to a predetermined location.
If you’re looking for a high-end hunting device that will give you a significant advantage when hunting game of all kinds, the Foxpro Shockwave Game Call is the only choice you should make. This is a beast of a device designed for hunters who want to get the most bang for their buck with their hunting equipment.
This device has an extremely long battery life. It’s a four-speaker system that already has 100 sounds pre-loaded into it, and what’s even better is that it’s only $50. It has the capacity to store up to 1000 sounds in total!
This device is equipped with every feature a hunter could desire. If this call took place in a classroom, it would be considered outstanding. It gives many other crow calls a run for their money on the market today.
Foxpro Shockwave comes with an extensive list of features that we are confident you will appreciate. For starters, it is equipped with an LCD display. Aside from that, it has the ability to run for 3–7 hours, has the ability to mix two different sounds together, and will store your data from the hunt. And that’s just the beginning of what it can do.
Additionally, it has an audio jack for connecting to external speakers, as well as a decoy jack and a USB port for downloading additional sounds onto it. As a bonus, you can make the fading sounds switch from one speaker to the next, giving the impression that the prey is moving around.
Furthermore, it comes with an easy-to-use remote control, which means you won’t have to worry about keeping your hands free while using the crow call to the fullest extent of its capabilities.
There is no doubt about the device’s excellent sound quality. If you live in an area where crows are common, you will almost certainly have a large number of them flocking to your location. It’s also relatively simple to adjust the volume, and the volume can be turned up quite a bit.
No matter how far away you are, you shouldn’t have any difficulty using this tool effectively. You also won’t have to be concerned about the sound becoming distorted at any point.
Because the phone is constructed of a very sturdy and durable material, you can rest assured that you are making an investment that will last for a long period of time. Even better, the product is backed by a five-year warranty from the manufacturer, providing even greater peace of mind.
The number of batteries required to operate this device is a little problematic, as is the size of the device itself. It requires a whopping ten AA batteries in order to function properly. While this isn’t as expensive as some of the other models on the market, it is still quite expensive when you consider how many of them are required.
As a result of its excellent battery life, you should be able to use it for an extended period of time before needing to replace the batteries. It might be worthwhile to invest in some rechargeable batteries to use in conjunction with it.
While this is significantly more expensive than a number of the other crow callers we’ve examined, the additional expense is justified in this case.
This is without a doubt one of the best electronic crow callers available, and if you’re looking to make a significant investment in your hunting equipment, this is well worth the money.
Pros
- There are numerous features to assist you in optimizing your hunt.
- Simple to understand and use.
- excellent sound quality, with an easy-to-use volume control
- a great deal of sound control
- The battery has a long life span.
- warranty for a period of five years.
- It has a storage capacity of 1000 sounds.
- With the USB connectivity, you can add new sounds to your collection.
Cons
It operates on ten AA batteries, which can add up to a significant amount of money in additional costs. The purchase of rechargeable batteries is definitely a worthwhile investment.
Keep an eye out for counterfeits that are being sold.
Although it can be expensive, it is well worth the investment for serious hunters.
It is possible to entice a springtime gobbler into giving away his location simply by making a crow-like sound with your voice. You can then get closer to the gobbler and try to entice it into your area of interest. The Crow Call is also an excellent tool for attracting and hunting crows in the wild.
Crows have a variety of vocalizations, similar to how people have a variety of voices. It produces the subtle, accurate sounds of crows with the Primos® Crow Call. This is the tool of choice for locating that monster gobbler or simply calling in the crows.
Aside from calling, the best thing you can do to increase your chances of attracting crows is to use decoys to attract them. Many variations exist on the theme of decoy placement, and each veteran hunter has developed his or her own unique method of placement. The methods discussed here, on the other hand, are a good starting point for developing your own unique technique (also see Advanced Techniques). The Friendly and Fighting decoy setups are the two types of decoy setups that can be used when hunting these birds, and they can be distinguished by their appearance.
Crow decoys are set up in the field.
The Friendly setup is designed to look like a group of feeding and foraging crows going about their business in a natural setting. It is recommended that this type of display be placed in an area where crows would normally be found feeding, such as a field, orchard, or dump.
Assuming there are any trees in the immediate vicinity, place a few crows as high as possible in the branches to give your setup a long-range visual appeal as well as to simulate the crows’ natural habit of posting sentries. The feeding decoys can be placed at random throughout the field, but they should be as far out in the field as possible while still remaining within gunning range, approximately 30-35 yards.
Placeing decoys around your blind will give the birds a reason to look in your direction, which will attract their attention. The number of decoys that should be used in this situation varies depending on the terrain and personal preference. However, this is the setup on which you would want to use your “Full Spread,” laying out as many decoys as possible to simulate a group of people who have discovered a delicious meal. Don’t be discouraged if you only have a few decoys on hand. Once the shooting begins, you can supplement your small collection of decoys with a few dead crows.
Owl Decorations
When a crow colony is in conflict with another bird, such as an owl or hawk, or with other crows, the Fighting setup attempts to simulate a situation in which the crows are engaged in combat with the object of their conflict. In this situation, the crow hunter will be able to make use of his “Ace in the Hole,” the owl decoy. Crows are aggressive toward all raptors, but they have a particular dislike for the Great Horned Owl. Hunters in the past used live owls and even staked out tomcats to attract crows, though this is no longer a common practice.
Today, with the proper use of an artificial owl, you can achieve results that are almost as good as the real thing. If you’re going to use an owl decoy properly, the most important thing to remember is to position it so that every crow in the area can see it. A fence post, the top of a small tree, or even a 10 – 20 foot pole can be used as a sign; the more visible the sign, the more effective it is. The majority of crows will make a beeline straight for the decoy as soon as they see it.
In contrast to the Friendly setup, you should place the majority of your decoys in the surrounding trees and brush. When it comes to a real owl-crow fight, ground level decoys are acceptable; however, the majority of crows that are not flying in the surrounding trees are found scolding the owl. In fact, some experts believe that a crow decoy should never be placed any lower than the height of an owl.
Crows Making a ‘Call’
Location, blind setup, and camouflage are all important factors in crow hunting, but the true art of crow hunting lies in the art of calling crows. Even though there are many variables that go into proper calling, one thing is certain: a knowledgeable caller can consistently call in and bag significantly more crows than an inexperienced caller. If you want to consistently be the most successful at this sport, it is in your best interest to educate yourself and practice this skill.
Always remember that calling techniques are a personal preference, even among members of the Crow Busters team. What works in one situation and one location may completely fail in another situation and location. Basically, when it comes to mastering the art of crow calling, there is no substitute for hands-on experience and a lot of trial and error. In light of this, the following section will cover some of the fundamental calls and calling techniques. See Advanced Techniques for a more in-depth look at crow-calling techniques.
Addressing Crows
Either electronic or hand calling is effective; which is preferable? It’s possible that this debate will never be resolved. Important to note, however, is the fact that this is not an either/or choice in this situation. Both are effective at times, and both will call crows, but using them in tandem can be extremely effective, and it allows you to be a more versatile crow hunter overall.
An Electronic Crow Caller is not difficult to use; in fact, because there is a wide variety of commercially produced sounds available, even a beginner can bring the calling sounds of a Master Crow Caller to the field with him. When using an electronic caller, it is possible to create combinations of sounds, such as multiple fighting crows, that are not possible with a single hand caller.
Moreover, they do not become fatigued after spending a long morning in the dark. The disadvantage is that an electronic caller does not actually communicate with the crows; rather, it communicates with them. This inability to actually engage in conversation with a crow may prove to be limiting, and it may also reduce the amount of flexibility a crow hunter has available.
Crow hunting becomes an art form through the use of hand calling, which is comparable to other types of game calling such as waterfowl or turkeys. After being shot at, a skilled hand caller can coax a crow right into the decoys and then coax him right back out again. Mastering a hand call takes some time and practice, but the rewards are well worth the effort, as it provides the crow hunter with access to all of the calls available in the crow’s repertoire.
Use a hand call effectively by placing it between your thumb and index finger and wrapping both hands around the end of the call to form a cup. The movement of these cupped hands opens and closes, which helps to regulate the amount of air that is exhaled. It is not enough to simply blow into a call, as if it were a party favor, in order to realistically imitate these birds. Make a growl by forcing air up from your diaphragm, almost as if you were clearing your throat, and then exhaling it.
Crow calling can be divided into two main categories: friendly and combative, with numerous variations on each. When crows are in conflict, fighting calls are used to denote the situation. Combat calls, rally calls, and distress calls are all examples of such calls. Warm and welcoming calls, such as the Attention Call and the Look Here Call, are more common. There is a call known as the Danger Call that does not fall into either of the categories above, but it is one that every crow hunter should be aware of.
This is referred to as the Danger Call.
This call is included in this list simply because it is the one call that you should try to avoid making at all costs. When out in the field, this is a call that most hunters, and certainly all crow hunters, have heard. “CAW-CAW-CAW” is a staccato series of rapid, high-pitched calls that sound like “CAW-CAW-CAW.” The majority of the time, you will see a crow perched high in a distant tree making this call to every other crow in the vicinity. At this point, your chances of successfully luring crows into your yard are greatly diminished. Obviously, this is a call that you should avoid making at all costs.
It’s Time to Rally the Troops
Essentially, this call is the crow’s way of saying, “Hey guys over here, something’s going on!” This call is easily made by enthusiastically repeating the words “CAAAWWW CAAAWWW CAAAWWW CAAAWWW CAAAWWW CAAAWWW CAAAWWW CAAAWWW CAAAWWW CAAAWWW” over and over. As soon as the birds respond and begin to move in your direction, you can begin the next call sequence in your repertoire of calls.
The Fight-Or-Flight Decision
A good analogy would be to compare a flock of crows to a street gang from the 1950s, in that they are always on the lookout for trouble. Crows are born troublemakers, and they can’t help but get involved in a group fight with an enemy, whether it’s an owl, a hawk, a fox, or a house cat. Crows are also known to be aggressive toward humans.
These types of fighting sounds can attract large groups of crows and keep them so enthused that they will ignore gunfire that is killing their fellow crow companions in the process. As a result, it is one of the few calls that any new crow hunter must learn in order to succeed. In order to produce this sound, the caller uses a frenzied combination of loud growling sounds and high-pitched screeches to create the sound.
When it comes to making use of this call, having multiple callers is extremely beneficial. This is where the electronic caller can be extremely useful for the beginner, as it can produce the sounds of multiple crows of varying pitches at the same time. The majority of commercial sounds available, such as “Fighting Crows,” “Crow and Owl Fight,” and “Crows and Hawk,” all use a variation on this theme in some way.
This is referred to as the Distress Call
This sound is intended to imitate the call of a crow that has been injured and is unable to return to his group of friends. This is what the crow is saying: “Hey guys, I’m hurting, and you wouldn’t abandon me, would you?” When crows are leaving the stand after a long and arduous battle under fire, this call is frequently extremely effective in attracting their attention.
The cries of a wounded comrade are enough to cause some or all of the flock to turn around and make another pass. This should be a pitiful, long-winded imploring call; the more pitiful the tone, the better. When you begin to feel sorry for the crow you are impersonating, you will know you have done something correctly. Commercial sounds for this call are typically labeled as “Death Cry of a Crow,” “Crow in Distress,” or “Dying Crow,” depending on the source. This sound will also be heard in the background of most of the fight tapes.
CALL FOR ATTENTION
This call, which is a curiosity/attention call, informs the crows that something interesting has been discovered and that they should investigate further. Once the crows get closer, you can use sounds like fighting crows or a crow in distress to scare them away. Normally, this call will elicit a response from the crows in the vicinity.
Take a Look Here and Call
This call, which is essentially a confidence/attention call, should be made by repeating a couple of quick “CAW-AW, CAW-AW” sounds at a medium volume several times. Using it sparingly and then following up with other exuberant calls as the crows approach is recommended.
In conclusion, the calls described above are only a glimpse into the complex communication system of the common crow. The most difficult aspect of becoming a successful crow hunter is figuring out the best combination and timing for the various crow calls available. It goes without saying that there is no substitute for practice and putting your calling technique to the test in front of the real judges, the crows themselves. Best of luck.