Crow hunt approved in Utah

Blair Stringham, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), said crow populations, especially along much of the Wasatch Front, have grown steadily since 1990.

For example, every winter, a Christmas Bird Count survey is conducted in Utah. During the survey, the number of crows spotted between Logan and Salt Lake City increased from about 400 in 1990 to more than 2,400 in 2011.

While it’s not a statewide problem, Stringham said crows are damaging fruit, corn and grain crops in some parts of Utah. Crows also raid nests and steal eggs from other birds. And crows carry avian cholera and other diseases that affect birds. “And they damage trees and cause lots of other disturbances in urban areas,” he said.

The 2014 crow hunt runs Sept. 1 – 30 and Dec. 1 – Feb. 28.

More information about the hunt will be available in the 2014-15 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. The free guidebook should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks by mid July.

Read the complete HeraldExtra article 

Utah wildlife officials: Want to shoot (and eat) crow?

By Brett Prettyman

A proposal to open the state’s first crow-hunting season, likely this fall, will be presented at a series of public meetings leading up to a final decision by the Utah Wildlife Board.

A proposal to open the state’s first crow-hunting season, likely this fall, will be presented at a series of public meetings leading up to a final decision by the Utah Wildlife Board.

If passed by the Wildlife Board on June 5 as presented by the state wildlife agency, the 2014-15 crow season would run Sept. 1-30 and again from Dec. 1-Feb. 28, 2015. Licensed hunters would be allowed to take 10 crows a day and have 30 in possession.

"Over the years we have seen a dramatic expansion of crows in Utah," said Bill Fenimore, an avid birder and hunter who also serves on the Utah Wildlife Board. "They are tremendously smart birds and can be very challenging to hunt."

Wildlife officials say that increase has led to crop depredation and the hunt may help curtail agricultural losses.

Read the complete Salt Lake Tribune article

Shooting crows and pigeons over decoys, 2013 - Pigeon and Crow Hunting Video

My Breda developed a fault and I had to replace it with my antique Manufrance shotgun. A great gun but it doesn't fit as well. Added to that a random bag of cartridges that I inherited from my friend Fergie and let the fun begin.

Free Workshop on Crow Hunting Offered - New Hampshire - 8/10/2013

Just in time for the fall crow hunting season, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is offering hunters a free workshop on crow hunting on Saturday, August 10, 2013, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness, N.H. The seminar will be led by crow hunting enthusiast Pete Lester. Pre-registration is required. To sign up, call (603) 536-3954. 

The crow-hunting workshop covers the basic pursuit of these challenging birds, from the use of a mouth call to high-tech electronic calling and decoying. Participants also will learn about crow behavior, crow-hunting safety issues, gaining permission to hunt/landowner relations, clothing choices, set-up location, shotgun and ammunition options, creature comforts for an enjoyable hunt and recipes for – you guessed it – eating crow. 

Crow hunting has a split season in New Hampshire. It opens August 15 and runs through November 30; in addition, there is also a short spring season from March 16-31. 

For directions to the Owl Brook Hunter Education Center, visit http://www.huntnh.com/Hunting/hunter_ed_center.htm. 

Activities at Owl Brook are funded by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program, supported by your purchase of fishing firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment – a user-pay, user-benefit program. 

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department works in partnership with the public to conserve, manage and protect the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit http://www.huntnh.com.