RIFLES             Another method of using decoys

Greycrows & Magpies

Rifles used for decoying are primarily used to shoot  greycrows and magpies. Both greycrows and magpies eat carrion and are especially busy at the end of March and early April feeding their young. Carrion is a welcome addition to their diet and both readily approach  when it's placed in a field some distance from the hedge. They seem to feel more secure in the fact that they can see for some distance all around them and it would be difficult for an enemy to approach unnoticed.

This can be used to the hunters advantage to lure both greycrows and magpies into decoys beside carrion. We have used children's furry toys as "carrion", which have 3 / 4 greycrows "eating" them while 5 / 6 magpie decoys are some distance away waiting to move in on the left-overs. This picture is made more realistic by the use of an electronic magpie call, which seems to draw them in quite quickly. We wait in a hide set up in the hedge which is 75 metres away, the distance the rifles are sighted in to. A .22 LR rifle is adequate to dispatch these birds at this distance. This type of rifle shooting can be tricky and demanding as the crows are constantly on the move hopping about and bobbing up and down in search of food. Just as one is about to pull the trigger the target decides to move. Shots can be far and few between, at times, but a hit can be quite rewarding in terms of achievement. 

Real carrion can also be used. If rabbit shooting and you have no use for the rabbits then they can be placed in a field to attract the greycrows and magpies. If this is done on a regular basis the corvids will readily approach the site each day, hoping for some fresh pickings. Similarly, dead sheep, lambs etc. attract the greycrows and magpies and an ambush can be set up.   

Another method is to patrol the area in spring, summer and autumn searching for fields that have been freshly ploughed, freshly seeded or where hay or silage has recently been harvested.  All of these fields are  magnets for crows and a hide set in a hedge can pay dividends. 

As crows can be encountered at various distances it is advantageous to know the distance the target is from the hide. We use a rangefinder to achieve this. A rangefinder is an optical instrument which determines range when pointed at an object. When sighting in a scope for a .22 LR rifle it is advisable to be able to click up or down for various distances. We sight in the rifle at 100 yards. This we class as ZERO. We then sight the rifle in at 50 yards and count the number of clicks down from zero, while adjusting. Similarly, we count the clicks down to 75 yards and up to 125 and 150  yards.  A note of the number of clicks required to be accurate at set distances is recorded in a notebook for future reference. This method means a shot can be taken between 50 and 150 yards knowing that the scope is sighted in accurately for the distance, once the correct number of clicks is entered.

Greycrow spotted in field

Rangefinder indicates distance

Rifle scope is clicked up to known 100 yard setting (Zero)

When decoying using a rifle the most important aspect of the whole set up is to have a safe backdrop. A hilly field is ideal for the purpose. The shooter needs to know the field layout really well and be able to determine where anyone may approach from. Constant monitoring of the area is vital to ensure nothing approaches the line of fire. 

The use of sub sonic ammunition is highly recommended as  there is very little noise and birds often continue feeding after a shot has been fired, even when one of their comrades has been killed!  If birds rise and fly off after a shot they often return quite quickly to feast again, unsure of what happened.