Henry Rifle Forums

I know, I know- I am being corny. Forgive me.

Over the years I've made many excuses to grab rifles and calibers for specialized hunting. One of those areas of interest happens to be long range sniping for crows. Without question, this interest has proven to be quite costly. Crows are plentiful for good reason- they are smart...much smarter than me anyways.

We've gone after them with mouth calls and electronic calls using shotguns. Wing shooting is great fun and one can utilize their favorite dove, duck, or quail gun for this method. What fun is that? Using a gun you already own for a dual purpose? My uncle, who served in Vietnam, told me that crows would soon grow wary of this way of killing them if I didn't move around regularly- and he was right.

So I determined I'd go after them in a different way- long range. Many of my AR-15 platforms and deer hunting rifles could serve double duty in the .223, 22-250, and .243 calibers- but no, I had to go a different route. So would begin my expensive journey to find the perfect long-range, crow sniping rifle.

This, as you already know, would be a never ending rabbit path. I started with a Ruger 77/22 Hornet. Handy, accurate, and very fun to shoot at many things- the 22 Hornet is more than capable of reaching out and plucking a crow out of the murder. Unfortunately, I never got the accuracy from the Ruger that I thought I could and decided to change. I did, however, take some squirrels and rabbits with it. This rifle's inability to take a crow is purely my fault simply because I yearned for something else...something you can't do morally or legally in a successful marriage.

Next, I moved to something new in a rimfire- the CZ 455 American in the .17HMR. This is the "little bullet that could" in a rifle that can if I do my job. Unlike the Ruger 77/22, I did not plop a Leupold on it. Instead, I opted for a BSA "Sweet 17" and set out to dial it in with this cheaper glass. The results were phenomenal! I started taking crows at 200 yards on a regular basis after I put lots of range time in and learned how to spot and slip up on crows in my uncle's massive cornfields.

Some of you may scoff at the .17HMR's inability to buck the wind at longer ranges- and your point would be well taken. But we are talking about taking crows here- a legitimate nuisance for area farmers. I have missed and missed a lot on certain days. But the days I am on- I am on. I believe one builds confidence in a round and a rifle after a certain amount of success. I don't always have to kill to have fun. These are amazingly crafty birds that have my full respect.

My latest project/experiment is with an old, now defunct Remington 788 bolt action rifle chambered in the .223. I changed the original, pedestrian rifle stock with a laminated Stocky Stock with the thumbhole grip- if looks could kill- it has already done its job. I plan to put it through the paces on the range- yes, with a BSA Sweet .223 on top. Perhaps I'll post some pics of my crow sniper rifles if I ever get around to it. You know this is a dangerous e-paper trail we all make here!

Hopefully, my search for the perfect crow rifle will never end.

You're totally correct about corvids being smart. I used to shoot a lot of crows and magpies, and I swear they can hear you thinking. Their eyesight is phenomenal, too. They are definitely one of the most difficult pests to keep under control.

way back in the hills of NC, folks say that crows can't count to 3 .... a fact that they exploit when hunting crows ... one crow will perch on a high vantage point and serves as a lookout .... as an example, when a flock of crows is found along a power line .... the lookout will sound an alarm when 3 hunters walk down the power line and the rest will scatter ....when the hunters move one the lookout will sound an all clear .... if one of the hunters drops off into the brush and out of sight and the other two keep walking, when they are out of the way the lookout will sound the all clear ... yep, according to mountain folk, crows can't count to 3

Since we're swapping stories on these bright birds- here's one that was passed on to me.

A farmer in our area has a house that backs up to one of his agricultural fields. He says that crows regularly frequent his field. He reported that he has tried many times to sneak a gun barrel out his half-opened screen door to make easy work of crows frolicking close by. Without fail, they've all safely flown away before he even he has time to aim. He said for kicks one day while his field was full once again- he grabbed a broom from the closet in his kitchen and slowly eased out the door with it aiming it like a gun...you guessed it, not one crow flew.