Crane hunting?

[guywhofishes]

How difficult is crane hunting? I've always wanted to bag one but have never attempted it.

I don't live in the crane flyway - so I'd need to get on birds in just a day or two because it would involve on overnight or two trip out west.

What's the general approach/technique?

 

[Kurtr]

How difficult is crane hunting? I've always wanted to bag one but have never attempted it.

I don't live in the crane flyway - so I'd need to get on birds in just a day or two because it would involve on overnight or two trip out west.

What's the general approach/technique?

They are the smartest birds of them i have found. You better have your hide better than you think it needs to be. You dont need that many decoys but being in the right spot is key and even at that they like switch for no apparent reason. I have never tried to pass shoot them but thats probably the easiest way

 

[guywhofishes]

They are the smartest birds of them i have found. You better have your hide better than you think it needs to be. You dont need that many decoys but being in the right spot is key and even at that they like switch for no apparent reason. I have never tried to pass shoot them but thats probably the easiest way

Well ! That sounds more difficult than I had hoped. Ha ha.

What's minimum decoys one can get away with?

 

[Kurtr]

Well ! That sounds more difficult than I had hoped. Ha ha.

What's minimum decoys one can get away with?

a dozen full bodies is what alot of the serious guys say.

https://rogerssportinggoods.com/fin...h4eRB8HC8MTBFFF8oqNplooImWnbxNMb0GchH9OaASJJ4

Or three or 4 dozen silos.

https://www.divebombindustries.com/...tba1FPwbv02vdnaxxvsYVwsm16oFjWKcaAkh2EALw_wcB

 

[Allen]

I know people who have been successful with as little as a couple dozen homemade silhouettes.

I've never shot or eaten crane, but friends call them the ribeye of the sky. Whatever that means.

 

[MULEDEER]

Very smart bird. They see as good as us. Tasty but no ribeye. Hunted them when I was younger with someone else on this cite. Good times. Now all I do is work it seems

 

[ice head]

We used to shoot loads of them at Long Lake South of Sterling. We would normally sit along the refuge on the South side of the lake and pass shoot them.
They'll come into goose decoys if you set up by a slough and hide really well in the slough, could never get them in range while laying in the decoys, they can see extremely well.

 

[Fester]

Small cannon to get them out of the sky..make sure it's steel ball though. They are one tough bird!

 

[3Roosters]

All's I know is that a .243 bounces off them.

 

[ice head]

Small cannon to get them out of the sky..make sure it's steel ball though. They are one tough bird!

I used a 10 guage, great gun for pass shooting.

 

[Pheasant 54]

Trust me back in the day 3 inch 4 buck worked wonders . The problem was they would split open when they hit

 

[fireone]

Used to hunt them south of Horsehead. Six decoys, windsock snow goose spray painted grey and rust on a 3' long dowel, head and neck silhouette cut from plywood. Easy to carry and set up. Scout the night before as close to last light as possible. Place the decoys exactly where the birds were feeding, you'll see the crap and feathers. Two groups of 3. If you have some canada goose decoys set them another 100 yds up wind. Hide 50 yds or so downwind in a rockpile. This is important...the cranes will sound like they are right on top of you when they are still too far out. Wait for it.

 

[riverview]

i pass shoot them going out in the morning to give them a try

 

[bravo]

I have only done it twice; successful once. We used about 30 fullbodies and laid in a grassy property line 30 yards upwind. My only advice is when they look in range, wait. Those huge wings make distance deceiving. And from what I’ve heard, leave the dogs at home. A wounded crane can do some damage.

The unsuccessful trip, the birds arrived well after sun up and didn’t like what they saw in our spread and the rock pile we laid in. Extremely picky.

 

[risingsun]

There is plenty of truth stretching on here, but ribeye in the sky is by far and away one of the best ones. Have tried them different ways, and about 5 cans of mushroom soup slow cooked for hours was the best. Make some taters, use the mushroom soup as gravy and pitch the bird. And wear knee pads backwards as when you hang on to the legs and toss over your shoulder the beak hits you about there.

 

[NodakBob]

Used to get them by pass shooting…find where they’re flying and try to intercept. One day it was 30 mph winds with tumbleweeds blowing everywhere, so we gathered up a few and held them in front of us as we walked right up to a flock in a field. I will never forget the look on their face when we dropped our tumbleweeds at 20 yards and started blasting! Pro tip: don’t shoot the big bird leading a flock, they can be tough as hell…shoot for the smaller young ones and their breast’s are delicious…but throw the legs away,

 

[NodakBob]

A buddies golden retriever tried to tackle a wounded one…the bird pecked him hard right between the eyes, rolled the dog like coyote getting shot with a deer rifle! The dog got back up, shook it off and dove on that bird and tore it apart with a vengeance!

 

[wslayer]

Hunted may times between Steele and Sterling. Little scouting to find where feeding and what water they are sitting on and get between, hopefully you pick the right spot. Normally once a flock sets out, the others travel that same path. Only used 3 decoys. BBB or T shot was best success. " Do not " hunt with a dog. If birds are not dead they can peck the eyes right out of your dog.

 

[tikkalover]

 

[tikkalover]