Hey guys I have a ? for you. I work for a large farming outfit and right now we have one ranch that is getting hammered by crows. Boss wants them gone and asked me to look into it. You guys have any suggestions on how to go about this effectively. I think shooting at them will get a few but educate the rest. We are obtaining the proper permits through F&G so everything is legal. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Damon

What is it that's attracting the crows to the ranch?

How many crows are you talking about?

As sgs said, more information is needed. Here is some information on one possible solution Effigies for Dispersing Urban Crow Roosts. I have found that it works well in pecan orchards.

EDIT: For a crow trap see- Crow Trap

Thanks for the replies guys. After we harvest a field and start the ground work they come in pretty heavy. Problem is that we have fields next to these that aren't ready and the birds will crap in those fields. Then our food safety teams walk these fields befor harvest and reports on the bird droppings. Which comes back to us to take care of. I know you will never eliminate that problem but the last couple of years it seems like right around this time we get a huge in increase of crows.I'am not sure if it is mating season for them right now or they are pssing through. By the looks of it there are about 200 to 250 crows right now. Thanks again for your guys time and the info. Damon

The reason you are seeing such an abundance of crows at this time is because the breeding, nesting and fledging seasons are over. For every pair of adult crows you now have two or three additional birds that were hatched and raised this year. The population has effectively doubled, if not tripled.

Crows are basically a very gregarious animal and form large flocks at this time of year. Food and general sociability are their main interest.



They are an unusually smart bird and educating them is exactly what you want to do. In NH, our crow hunting season corresponds with the ripening of our sweet corn crop for a good reason.

If you can, shooting works wonders, at least on flocks of one or two hundred. It's an enjoyable activity for wing shooters looking to sharpen their skills before dove and waterfowl seasons. And yes, the crows learn fast. Usually they learn that there are much safer fields elsewhere.

Hazing has some success. Pyrotechnics, propane cannons, etc. can work short term.

I don't know anyone who has tried the traps but they might help.

Thank you SGS,

I'am waiting on the permit then I will get after it. I found where they are roosting so going to start there. Then I will have my dad and a partner ride the ranch during the day keeping after them. Good job for a couple retired guys pickup to drive and all the shells they need. Thanks again for the info. Damon

Excellent practice for Duck/Dove season.

the information on here is quite noteworthy.