82 WINGED ENEMIES OF WILD FOWL 



is plentiful, and a gamekeeper at the Illinois game farm 

 killed 2,410 crows in one season. 



The crow destroys the nests and young of all birds, 

 including wild turkeys, and the evidence against him is 

 conclusive. The reader who wishes to pursue the sub- 

 ject will find it fully discussed in an article on the crow 

 in The Amateur Sportsman for March, 1910, where the 

 picture here reproduced and some others were first pub- 

 lished.* , 



Various methods are used to control the crows. They 

 can be decoyed by the use of crow calls and shot, and 

 some keepers are very expert in imitating their cawing 

 without the aid of an artificial call. I saw the keeper on 

 a North Carolina preserve call crows from a great dis- 

 tance and shoot them from his ambush behind a little 

 cedar tree. 



They are attracted by a stuffed owl, "the bugaboo" of 

 birds, placed on a pole or tree, and an owl especially 

 made for this purpose, which flaps its wings and turns 

 its head when a string is pulled, proves very deadly to all 

 feathered enemies of game, provided the gunner be a 

 good shot and well concealed. These decoy owls can be 

 purchased from Von Lengerke & Detmold, of Fifth 

 Avenue, New York, and the price is $25. 



Mr. Thompson says: "Crows are very destructive to 

 the eggs and young of almost every species of game, and 

 constant war must be waged all the year around if the 

 game is to be saved. Crows are especially fond of young 

 ducklings, and where these are raised on the farm means 

 for their protection must be devised. The best method of 



*The photographs which are copyrighted were sent by Mr. Anson O. 

 Howard of Massachusetts. 



