Darn Crows! How do I keep them away ?

[SCRich]

I planted roughly 5 acres in various pieces across my property about 2 weekends ago. Most of what I planted was deer food, winter rye, oats, clover, wheat, and millett. I then planted some Kentucky 31 along my road frontage to repair the damage from construction equipment over the past year, it's quite a bit maybe 3/4 acre in various spots along a 550ft strech we have.

The road frontage has not been too bad, I tossed straw over most of it but the NorEaster we had yesterday blew most of it all over the place I am waiting till' it dries up tomorow to go back out and rake it back into place.

My food plots between one 2 acre one and 3 1ac plots seem to be invaded by LARGE crows, dozens of them. Any suggestion as to how to keep them away? I hear them in the distance and can see them headed to some of the plots from the house but all of the plots are outside of visual distance due to the dense pine tree stands. I am afraid that most of the seed will be eaten (if not already) before germination.

Most of the clover and rye seems to have germinated but this is my first time for oats and wheat, don't know how long that will take. The millett seems to be coming up now.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Mornin Rich,
Crows are definitely a pain ! I dont know if it would work for you but my neighbor has used an air cannon, compressed air, set for a blast every 30 seconds to keep those darn things out of his large garden. I see you have a good sized piece of property so maybe the noise wont be a problem for your neighbors !

 

[Egon]

A small boy with a .22 may just work!

 

[SCRich]

Belive it or not Crows are a protected species here and even my hunting license will not cover me till' November 1st which is the opening day for Crows. Now I know I got a lot of land and who would know...but still I don't know what a .22 would do with so many of them unless you stay out there and shoot them all. I know that Vultures will not venture to an area where another dead Vulture is, we use them (by permit) at communications towers to keep them from nesting there and making a mess on top of our buildings and equipment. We will get a fake or real stuffed vulture and have a tower climber hang it by a noose at about 100ft and that keeps them away.

I wonder if a few dead crows on each plot would keep the others away?

Yes air cannons are used in some cities to keep birds from making a mess on sidewalks and windowsills. No I have no neighbors nearby but my Mom is here all day long, I could do something like that. I had thought about using a small compressed air horn that you find at sporting events, one at each plot. If I can find a large electronic plunger I can have a friend write a PIC program (Chip on a Computer) to fire every X seconds, connect the output to a relay and then the relay to power the plunger that would push on the air horn button. The PIC can have a clock programed into it and I can set it to fire early morning and evenings when it seems that most of them seem to be here. I think between the trees, the house and the distance the sound would not be too loud to be bothering her.

Actually I have an old Moultree feeder that got knocked over..humm. The motor drive housing mounting points broke and that plastic just does not like to be glued or epoxy. I replaced the motor but kept it...I think I can take the output leads to the spreader motor and accomplish the same thing to fire a relay or a plunger. Now my only thing is that I need to find a plunger that operates at 6v and is strong enough to push an air horn button.

But before I get too busy, it will take some time and at this rate the seed probably will not last. Does anyone know if dead crows will work ? I am afraid of using streamers or a scarecrow since I don't want to spook the deer either.

 

[Egon]

The Kid with a .22 presence in the field should keep them away. At least that was my experience when I was the KID with a .22 Cooye.

Suggestion of a lighter note: Place an imitation snake in the middle of the field and place a sign on the edge of the field saying "Poisonous Snake". All the fellows packing should be out presto to protect themselves from the snake. Their presence should drive the crows away.

 

[SCRich]

Interesting.. never thought of that. Maybe a couple of plastic snakes would work on each plot. I have not seen them in years but maybe the local Wallmart may have them in the toy department.

Now let me NOT go outside with my 10/22 and my 8 year old.

 

[Bird]

I wonder if a few dead crows on each plot would keep the others away?

I never knew crows were a protected species anywhere. In Texas, I know of some big commercial pecan orchards that use the propane cannons. And I always heard that you could hang a dead crow on the fence and the other crows would stay away. So one year, the crows got every kernel of the corn I planted in my garden. I replanted and they got about half of that planting. I'm talking about a vegetable garden that wasn't a hundred feet from my back door. I tried going out the door and they'd all fly away, but come right back. I tried shooting the shotgun in the air with the same results, but I finally shot and killed one and hung it on the fence. No more crow problem. Was it the dead crow that did it, or just that my persistence with noise that finally worked? I have no idea.

 

[SCRich]

Yes belive it or not. It is considered a Migratory bird and you need a Migratory Bird Permit on your small game or big game license to hunt them. The season starts November 1st here.

Protected in the way it's considered a Migratory Bird and in SC you need a permit to hunt any migratory bird and they do have a season. If it were not classified as migratory there would be no season and just fall under small game.

That's the LETTER OF THE LAW...I am glad to hear that crows behave just like the vultures. Let me go get dressed now and go for a "walk"

 

[Bird]

I guess crows are just not the threat to crops that they once were. The largest flocks of any kind of bird that I've ever seen was the flocks of crows in the Marlow, OK, area in the early '50s. I once saw where a flock was roosting and the trees were literally black in an area that was roughly a city block wide and perhaps 3 city blocks long. And in the mornings, there were times when I watched a string of crows from horizon to horizon for over an hour going from their roosting area to feed, and then the same thing in the evening with them going the other way, back to their roosting area. Men used to get a crippled or wounded crow, tie it in a tree near a bridge or big culvert along the highway, then hide under the bridge. The crippled one will call lots of others in and they'd be shooting them. It wasn't unusual to see dozens of dead crows under a tree along the highway. And while I didn't see it, I heard that where one of the roosting areas was, such as I mentioned above, men went out, tied dynamite in the trees with a cardboard tube around each still filled with BBs (or smaller shot), ran all the wires to one hole in the ground that they dug, in which one man stayed until that night, and set off the dynamite. They said it killed thousands of crows that night.

 

[shvl73]

I always heard that you could hang a dead crow on the fence and the other crows would stay away.

I've seen it done, though can't verify the results. Seemed like it was a good warning to anyone wandering on the property, there was more room on the fence!