😎

Saw some yesterday in western Taylor county, first time in a few years.

We are getting a lot of birds coming in to Taylor County. Waiting on our goofy season to open on the 26th. My Deceptions are ready to go to work.

We started hunting crane with gray sheets cut into about 2x2' squares tied diagonally on dowel rods. I guess the first time was around 1991-92. We eventually added full-body mounts to the spread, but the simple gray cloth on a dowel rod was always effective. One corner is tied to the top end and two middle corners are tied to the center, so that when the wind blows, it puffs up. We usually put out at least 100 of these. Crane have excellent vision, but these simple cloth decoys brought plenty of birds in. Our first blinds were made from tumbleweed, but we eventually switched to layout blinds.

My partner at the time used his lab and she was never hurt, but it could have easily happened. I think you are taking a risk letting your dog retrieve crane.

I remember seeing Crane Hunting in your sig line. Thanks

john paul maybe you should try hunting with cadillac creeks and learn something new

That’s a lie. And please don’t go make me dig up all the videos of them hunting DB silhouettes on the upwind side of the spread as a filler decoy with deceptions on the downwind side.

I’ve hunted and killed cranes over just about any decoy you can possibly imagine, including DB silos. Gray trash bags, inflatables, sillosocks, homemade sillosocks, real geese silos, and deceptions. I own and run 6 dozen deceptions for a reason. Maybe DB makes a flocked crane silo now? But the first gen silos I got were about on par with the old inflatable decoys I hunted over 13 years ago as far as effectiveness goes.

Sorry if I offended you and your DB prostaff buddies with my original post but cheap decoys and social media together are the main reason for the uptick in crane hunters. It is a little bit of a sore subject because I’ve watched West Texas be completely ruined by this social media/divebomb “squad” movement over the last 6 years.

Simmer down ol' son!

It sounds like you are a good prospect for "Crane Commander" going back to my original question. Any other takers?

I'll say they are effective for us, and it's all we run when we hunt. When you think it's the decoys, it's 99%of the time not, it's your hide.

Also, is an uptick in hunters not a good thing. Sure, competition can be annoying, but isn't hunting about recruitment? Do you not want new hunters introduced to the game.

Also, I don't think divebomb has a pro staff. I don't care for all of their social media stuff, but they have done a good thing for hunting and making it more affordable coming out with good silos.

I do not care for new Hunter recruitment.

Get off my lawn, etc.

I could not care less about the new generation of hunters that do it for an Instagram post. They do far more harm to the sport than good.

I think you should go hunt with caddilac creek and see how they use divebombs maybe you would learn something new

Dogs that don’t know what they are doing can get hurt. My dog retrieved hundreds if not thousands of cranes in her day. She would hit them going full speed and knock them down if they were not down already and then grab them close to the head. She never got hurt by a crane.

My brother in law got into a fight with a crippled crane over 15 years ago and still has a large scar on his leg from it.

I haven’t shot a crane in over a decade. Burnt out I guess.

John. We laid the steel to em this weekend using divebombs.

Yes kwood you little pro staffer wannabe, steel not boss. Cheap Winchester expert to be exact.

That's harsh LOL

Sounds like a good hunt though

In kwood’s defense I’m most likely spending $300 on a case of Boss before I spend $200 on a case of Winchester experts.

I have hunted them since I was 6. My grandfather was a federal judge and his best friend was a federal game warden. My dad and I went on countless crane hunts in west Texas with them. My passion for those birds actually led me to go to Texas Tech where I guided crane hunts on the side. I’m 51 years old and still take my gear with me on work trips out there and try and find a spot for a solo hunt. By far they are the most fun bird to hunt for me.

We have a few that come to our wheatfield and I just found a box of Remington express #4s! I’m
Ready!

There you go Jaspermac, they love the wheat

If anybody has the decoys I have the birds. No I don’t need an outfitter hitting me up. Want to get a few for the freezer.

I’ve got 10,000 of them flying over my deer blind in tennis racket range. They’re feeding in stripped cotton fields.

Any body that refers to them as rib eye in the sky needs a better butcher or stop with the chessie clichés. They are good eating bird but come on...comparing it to good cut of beef!? Use to knock on doors around Stanton and Big Spring and folks would let me hunt. Years ago and now it's become a cash cow so everyone has bought up leases.