The Crow and Diana

The local crows and I had an understanding.  They stay outta the feeders and the trash and I stay outta their business.  I think someone else around here shoots'em, cause in the past all I've had to do is show the gun to the window and they'd leave promptly.  We're in a rural coastal environment, so we usually only get crows in small groups, not the flocks that plague places inland.

Well, for the last few weeks, a group of 3 crows has taken it upon themselves to break our agreeement.  Trash has been vandalized, and the feeders emptied onto the ground, a favorite crow trick.  Y'all know what happens when one side reneggs on a deal, right?

Yesterday morning the wife and daughter were at church.  I was making coffee, when the 3 fellows settled into the back yard.  I showed them my .177 model 34, and they flew to the tops of the spruce trees bordering my lawn.  Clearly intent on waiting me out, a favorite ploy of these hoodlums.  This won't do.  Time to load a CP HP, the gun's favorite...

I opened the back porch window and drew a bead on the fellow closest by, about 30yards away, 15 yards up the spruce tree.  This is weird, these crows never let me have the time to aim....  Zoom to 8x, aim for the base of his skull (he's giving me a beautiful profile...)....  Squeeze, thud WHAP!  The crow crashes gracelessly down the limbs, and thump into an unmoving heap at the base of the trunk.  His buddies are *_*_*_*_*_*ed.  They circle the area for a minute or so, squalking madly, and then retire to a couple treetops about 70 yards out in the back.  I reload the rifle, but this is too long for a humane shot.  I aim at the treetrunk at the base of the closest one's feet and fire.  The thwack startles him, and he and his buddy vacate the area.  Haven't seen either since.

Finished making my coffee, and went out to see what I'd done.  Brother crow is still in a pile at the base of the tree trunk.  The pellet struck him right at the base of the skull, the top neck vertabrae.  Tore a serious exit wound on the other side, broke the bird's neck, and judging by the blood splatter and spray around, must have also severed the carotid artery.  No wonder there wasn't so much as a flap out of him.  IO disconnect, power down.

So, another bit of proof, accurately shot, a good .177 is plenty for hunting crows.  Head and neck shots are best.

Couldn't be more pleased with this rifle.  The day before this, it took a starling at 20 yards also with a neck shot.  Damn near decapitated that fellow.

Jeff, how's hunting with your M34 Panther?

J

[longislandhunter]

Great shooting Jason.  My Panther loves the CPH's also, although I haven't had a chance to get in a hunting trip yet with the rifle  (been sleeping to late).
Sounds like the CPH certainly did it's job  :)

Keep at em,,, you know those other crows will come back to visit their buddy.   :)

Jeff

[shadow]

Yes great shootin Jason and keep us posted on the Crow adventure. Ed

[NMCA_Ron]

Jason,

That was one of the most well-written and entertaining posts I have seen in a long time. Great job! I too have had my share of run-ins with crows. I have found that individually, they are a very wary bird, but in groups of 20-50, they get stupid in a hurry. I have seen them so thick (in western Kansas, near Larned) that they completely covered the blacktop on rural highways for a couple hundred yards. Thousands of these black-feathered pests would converge on milo or corn fields and destroy the crops in just a matter of a few hours. The local authorities would even put a bounty on these winged weapons of mass destruction and my uncle Gary and I would line up 2 or 3 at a time (Gary set a family record of 5!) and shoot them with a .22 rimfire. The crows would pay for our ammo and our lunch at the local diner. That has been 25 years ago, but I imagine the problem still exists today in other areas.

Ron

[nyairman]

Great job and story Jason. I enjoyed it as well. Crows are very smart birds, and to take one in the manner that you did deserves credit. Good job.

Greg

[only1harry]

Good shooting Jason!  Where are the pics?  :-)

You 're so lucky.  They don't even wait to see my Diana through the window.  The crows that come to my property just see me before I even make it to the window or see my shadow and they 're gone! heheh..  Every since I wounded one of them with my unscoped 350 and chased it until it ran accross the street to the neighbors while 30 other crows were watching, they smell me coming! LOL.

The agreement I have with them is, if they give me 10-15secs to open the window and aim while they stay still, I will make it quick and painless for them using a CP that leaves the muzzle with 24.xFPE  (at 860fps)  :-)

Yah, I know, no pics again!  Heh.  Never seems to cross my mind at the time, I'll have to do better.

You wouldn't believe the surprise I was feeling as I drew a bead on him, they NEVER let me do that.  Guess he thought his shields were up or something.  It's been 4 days now, and NO crows have been seen around our property.  They are giving it a wide bearth, it seems.  See 'em soaring up and down the coast, but never within 300m of our place.  Seems I learned'em something, eh?

24 fpe!  Heh, all I got is 15-16fpe of 177 goodness!  It's been my experience with corvids that body shots are useless, it's all about the fusebox and main conduit tray (head 'n neck!) if you want'em dropped.  Just lucky the '34 makes that pretty easy.

Good luck!

J

[Gene_SC]

Good to see the Diana 34 in the action Jason. I own a 34 and 36. Both are hard shooters and very accurate if I do my part..:) I find they are the most hold sensitive out of all my stable of air guns but they are on the money when I do my job...:) Great account of the Crow hunt and hope to see some more stories and maybe a couple pics..:)

Gene

My 34 is my only serious airgun.  I've also got a Crossman Springmaster (pretty pathetic, but good for teaching kids to shoot) and a marksman 1010 repeating pistol (watch 'em bb's fly!), so I've got little to compare it to.

It is hold sensitive.  I've shot a few groups in my basement 10m range with it.  If I use the artillery hold, placing my left hand under the gun's cg (ends up with the end of my thumb about 1.5 to 2 inches behind the pivot bolt), and I do my part, I can get 10 shots in half a dime or better.  If I grip a bit tighter in the same locations (as friends who have shot it typically do), a 5 shot group opens to an inch or so, and the poi raises about half an inch.  Moving my left hand forward or aft tends move the poi up or down a bit, and repeatability suffers.

I've found that in hunting situations, especially if my stance is a little awkward, I tend to pull my shots about 1/2" up and left at 20 yds.  Too much grip on the trigger hand, usually.  So when shooting at game, I've had best luck allowing for that.  In the crow's case he was giving me his left side profile.  I aimed, therefore, at the base of his skull.  That way, if I pulled the shot, a neck shot would have converted to a head shot.  I'll take either!

Spent a bit of time last night with the rifle, cleaning the exterior with an oily rag.  Each time I look at this airgun, I'm impressed with the workmanship and quality in it, not to mention her pretty lines.  I think it's one of the most underappreciated adult springers on the market.  A whole lot of airgun for $200.

J