Another Crow session with .25 Fac Air rifle

Another very early start..
Got to same field as Monday and got 16 Crows,5 Jackfaws,1 Magpie and 1 wood Pigeon,to be honest there weren’t many about and it was fairly hot!
Same set up as Monday but a different point of the field.
Ive got the pictures especially of my 4x4 mobile hide all netted up I must admit it blends in near perfect!

 

[kenbro]

Nicely done. It’s good shooting critters that can fly, with a rifle as opposed to shotgun.
Had the trickle dried up completely by the time you called it a day?
Thanks, Ken.

 

[maxtich]

Hi Ken
Yes it’s the primeval in us hunters!
Yes after about 2.5-3 hours it was very slim pickings…
It was too hot I could see their beaks open panting!
Cheers
Tich

 

[Lone wolf]

Top job there well done

 

[terryp]

Great idea. Were you shooting through the window?

Out of interest what air rifle have you got?

Terry

 

[maxtich]

Hi
Yes through the OPEN window and then through the camo nett!
Raw .25 Fac is what usually use ..although have several others.

 

[Bo Diddley]

Luxury hide shooting, great stuff, especially with the air rifle, lovely bits of kit.

 

[terryp]

Think I might be stealing your idea .
How do you like the .25? I’ve got a .22 RTI prophet and have been thinking for a while about changing the calibre on it

 

[maxtich]

That’s no worries..the more the merrier mate..
The .25 is imho the best in Fac especially the power @ 49 ft is adequate and air usage is fairly frugal
From a fill of 220 bar from my 480 cf bottle I usually get a good 50-55 full power shots more than enough for a days hunt.

 

[terryp]

That is good. What pressure is the reg set to (sorry for peppering you with questions)

 

[maxtich]

I’m sure it’s set around 130-140 bar

 

[terryp]

Thank you. I’ll wait until the wife’s asleep then try to prise her jewellery off to fund the new barrel and pellet probe

 

[Bushy]

Still getting a few Titch! Nicely done mate!

 

[maxtich]

I’m still getting at them Chris
Cheers mate

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

Looks like a comfortable way of doing it.

How long does it take to park up and assemble the "hide" ?

Have you found that they are becoming more wary of ground decoys ?

Are you setting up when it's still dark ?

 

[maxtich]

I’m sure it’s set around 130-140 bar

Just to confirm mine and a mates whose got exactly the same guns with 24 in barrel’s the regs are set @ 120 bar and have been absolutely spot in!

 

[maxtich]

Looks like a comfortable way of doing it.

How long does it take to park up and assemble the "hide" ?

Have you found that they are becoming more wary of ground decoys ?

Are you setting up when it's still dark ?

The reason I do it that way.. is in the season of ploughing and drilling and there abouts the crows will come down.
I’ve been honing my shooting for a good few years and with practice this really works for me.
I also use a stuffed Buzzard and Fox as decoys mixing it with decoys..setting up dead crows in a fighting mode to good effects.
Also my shooting positions in the fields are regular but as it’s rewarding to stay a good few hours starting setting up the mobile hide takes about 10 mins maximum.
I usually trim the hedge and bushes to leave a good field of view around.
The crows are smart and usually come down reassuringly once they see the decoy.
The dead ones are mixed in with head up and some in feeding mode,but you’re still to do your bit and keep movement in the car to a minimum and ever so gently poke the barrel out of the netting.
Hth

 

[maxtich]

The most important bit I always adhere to is..set up before 1st light and the crows don’t really complain..they are always weary and eventually do come down.
My ambush points which after much reconnaissance… have been regularly used to good effect.

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

The most important bit I always adhere to is..set up before 1st light and the crows don’t really complain..they are always weary and eventually do come down.
My ambush points which after much reconnaissance… have been regularly used to good effect.

I have a similar approach to you actually - albeit with a portable hide not a car. I can imagine a car is a more pleasant place to spend a few hours. I use 22lr.

Like you I have used fox decoys too.

I have found they get suspicious if you do it too frequently in the same spots, however.

And an absolute killer is if they see you setting up. They stay well clear for hours!

 

[maxtich]

Another thing to bear in mind is …always set up your hide 1st and get your gun ready..then go out and put your decoys.
Loads of times I’ve just come into the car hide and found a crow has landed amongst the decoys.
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which is the decoy..lol
I usually put out 5 decoys and try my hardest to remember their positions.
Plenty of times I’ve had crows trying to land in the pattern even when I’m returning back to the hide after picking up the shot crow..
The car hide is very comfortable, dry and have coffee,sarnies and the tinternet all in a clean hassle free environment.
Oh I forgot..the passenger side car seat headrest is removed and I’ve a custom made shooting platform that fits in place of the headrest and straddles just nicely across the the dashboard…all electricly adjustable for height and angle..