The black death
Tom Sykes tackles three species of corvids that are hitting the farmers’ feeders and pockets
Spring is a great time of year. The lambs are out enjoying the warmer weather and farmers are doing the rounds filling feeders to support their growing livestock. It also means that there is free food available for any creatures cheeky enough to help themselves. There are plenty of culprits, none more so than the corvid family. Jackdaws, rooks and carrion crows can be found taking advantage of a free meal and the farmer is left to foot the bill, though not if I can help it.
I chose my location on the farm in the heart of the shepherd’s problem area. It had good natural cover to help break up my hide. The river that runs to the right of the hide position also appeared to be a good flightline for a number of species.
It is a relatively quiet area on the estate, tucked away out of sight by the trees that follow the stream down to the river. The location seemed to instil confidence in the crows, which seemed comfortable to feed there throughout the day, making it an ideal site for an ambush.
I arrived on site around sunrise and gave myself just a little time to set up a simple hide with accompanying decoy spread. The hide was a basic box design made of a few old nets and a couple of 3D leaf ponchos. The ponchos do not have any holes to help secure them to the post; I resolved this issue by using small clamps.
I have become a proponent of 3D leaf ponchos as a hide material and also wear it as a full suit as the material is lightweight and versatile. The 3D leaves help to break up the ridged structure of a hide and the material is clear to look through without the quarry being able to see back through it. I hope that more companies develop similar nets.
The decoys consisted of about a dozen crow Sillosocks, which I set up quickly around the feeder.
After adding a small amount of natural cover to the hide, I was ready to ‘rock and roll’ in under 15 minutes. Quick set ups are great for this time of year, as you do not really know what the morning will bring. I have shot days like this and had a bumper bag; equally, I have also had a few hours as an armed birdwatcher. The crows have a food supply in practically every field adjacent to my location and sometimes it is good to be able to up and move quickly with the minimum of effort. I decided to leave the shooting chair at home and make a taller hide. This allowed me to fit all my gear into one rucksack, making me more mobile.
To ensure that I could make the most of the situation and bag any birds passing at range, I opted to use the heavy artillery. My gun of choice was a Beretta Xtrema 1, which I loaded with 32gm No 5s. I also had my full choke with me in case the crows decided they really wanted to test my shooting ability at range. The gun, cartridge and choke combination gave me the confidence to take on anything passing, as well as decoying.
Quick reaction
I had just settled into the hide and loaded the gun when I heard a squawk from a very close jackdaw. I glanced over the top of the hide to get eyes on. A single jackdaw was hovering over the top of the decoys, trying to navigate to a landing zone. I reacted swiftly and downed the bird. There was little wind and the shot echoed loudly down the river, which concerned me as could have notified the entire estate of my position. But despite my fears, it seemed to have no effect as I
soon had a carrion crow approaching my location. I slipped the gun over the hide and into my shoulder and let it cruise into the decoys before dealing out another lethal shot.
I love convincing any quarry to come in range of my decoys and before despatching it cleanly without it spotting me or hearing the shot. This is especially true of shooting carrions as they have a deserved reputation for being an intelligent adversary.
A steady stream of carrions and jackdaws fell to my ambush. There is the making of a rookery across the river, not far from the decoys. This called away the crows for most of the morning as they inspected trees for nesting sites. Every now and again, one lifted and set its wings and headed straight for the decoys. This allowed me to add three species to the bag. My gun and cartridge set-up seemed to do me justice as I headed for a one-for-one shot-to-kill ratio as I went into double figures.
Unstuck
My ratio finally came unstuck when three jackdaws made a noisy approach across the field. I composed myself to try to make the most of the situation, trying to read and predict the movement of all three targets. I decided to start on the hardest bird, the highest one at the back. I settled the bead on the unsuspecting jackdaw and that shot found its mark. I quickly moved onto the next bird, which, alerted to the first shot, tried to fly low and fast quartering towards me. A swift swing of the gun on the right line also found its mark on the trickiest bird of the pack as it folded in a satisfying puff of feathers. The third bird was mid-turn, trying to retreat from whence it had come. I levelled the bead onto it but I rushed the shot, which whizzed up the side of the bird allowing it to fly free to fight another day. But two out of three ain’t bad on fast jackdaws, even if it did mess up my scorecard.
I added another couple of crows to the bag and called it a day after a couple of hours. These quick-to-deploy ambushes are great fun as well as providing an important pest-control role. A few years ago, I shot my biggest bag on the estate over a sheep feeder in the summer, which resulted in 115 mixed corvids in a morning. You can image the bill that would give the farmer if left unchecked. Nibbling away at them is a good way to prevent a problem while having an enjoyable few hours in the countryside. I will soon be back in reconnaissance mode looking for the next potential ambush.
“Carrions have a deserved reputation for being an intelligent adversary”