Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: loefflerchuck on February 12, 2015, 10:05:37 pm

Title: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: loefflerchuck on February 12, 2015, 10:05:37 pm
I heard that for the first time they allowed crow to be shot in Utah. I know everything is illegal in California, but is it now legal to use crow feathers on arrows elsewhere?
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: mullet on February 12, 2015, 10:51:50 pm
There is a crow season like dove season but I still think it falls under the Migratory Game Act.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: JoJoDapyro on February 12, 2015, 11:06:45 pm
Interesting question. I'll call dwr tomorrow and let you know Chuck.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: adb on February 13, 2015, 10:35:49 am
Crows, magpies, coyotes... open season year round. Ravens and seagulls... off limits.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 13, 2015, 11:32:04 am
There is a crow season like dove season but I still think it falls under the Migratory Game Act.

Im not sure they migrate Eddie? Ours stay put year round.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: JoJoDapyro on February 13, 2015, 11:49:44 am
That was the big fight here Chris. They are federally protected, yet Utah had the first season for them this last fall, and again in January. They only had 2 reports of crows being taken during the first season.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: PEARL DRUMS on February 13, 2015, 11:52:50 am
We have gobs of them and can shoot them, I believe, 10 months out of the year.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Blitzkrieg721 on February 13, 2015, 12:09:29 pm
Yea pretty much open season on them here in Ohio...cant imagine it being an issue on something you can legally harvest..
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: loefflerchuck on February 13, 2015, 03:10:06 pm
Thanks everyone. Mullet I think your right. Probably pretty lax unless you try to sell them.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Hrothgar on February 14, 2015, 06:24:20 am
Legal to hunt in Missouri too, November through March--as many as you can.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Hrothgar on February 14, 2015, 07:07:58 am
Technically, although crows are a migratory bird, they are not considered a migratory game bird. Each state can set its own rules for killing/hunting crows. Its also legal to possess, but not sell or trade the feathers.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: mullet on February 14, 2015, 09:55:03 am
From what a Federal officer told me was they were put under the Migratory Game Act in a deal with Mexico to help protect Dove. I guess they tightened regulations in Mexico shooting dove if the US would regulate crows?
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: adb on February 14, 2015, 09:58:44 am
Crows are the vector species for West Nile Virus. I don't want to have anything to do with them.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Chief RID on February 14, 2015, 05:13:26 pm
We made crow a game bird at Mexico's request. They treat doves as a pest, we know crows are a pest. Because of crows being regulated here you have to treat them as game. No sale.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: mullet on February 14, 2015, 06:31:39 pm
There you go, I new it was something like that. Thanks, Chief.

Adam, we don't have a choice down here, plenty of crows at the garbage dump and a lot more mosquito's then crows.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: JW_Halverson on February 14, 2015, 07:46:09 pm
Crows are the vector species for West Nile Virus. I don't want to have anything to do with them.

But it is the mosquito that will give you the West Nile Virus, not the crow. 

This is one of those where you will want to contact your local resources.  And it wouldn't hurt to ask several different sources, too!
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: adb on February 14, 2015, 08:03:31 pm
After it's bitten a crow with the virus...
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: TRACY on February 15, 2015, 09:17:16 am
Eddie is on point with why we have a crow season in the states. It is federally protected to appease Mexico in North American migratory birds.

As long as the crows are harvested during a legal season and with legal equipment, then the feathers are fine to use for fletching.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: crooketarrow on February 15, 2015, 12:28:03 pm
 As long as it's not a rapor you canuse it.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Pat B on February 15, 2015, 03:15:41 pm
Not quite right, Roy. You can't use any native song birds, only legally obtained game birds.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: adb on February 16, 2015, 09:10:50 am
Ravens and seagulls are protected as well.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: JackCrafty on February 16, 2015, 09:28:09 am
Hmmm... I didn't know that Mexico influenced our laws on crows.  That's interesting.

There are crow feathers for sale in ebay that are harvested in the UK.  To have them shipped here they have to pass customs.  Has anyone ever ordered these?  Any problems? I'm just curious.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Wolf Watcher on February 16, 2015, 09:47:27 am
In Wyoming you can shoot crows, but not ravens or magpies!  So the saying goes "if it hits the ground dead, its a crow"!  We have a real problem with the loss of numbers of sage chickens and the oil companies get the blame for building roads across breeding grounds.  The sad thing is you can not protect one species without causing real problems with others.  The crows and especially the ravens eat the sage chicken eggs and as there are millions of them the natural balance is upset.  I have not had much luck with crow feathers for arrows.  Joe
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: JoJoDapyro on February 16, 2015, 08:29:50 pm
I don't know about from the UK to the US, but you can't ship wild bird feathers from the US to Canada.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: TRACY on February 16, 2015, 10:12:09 pm
Here's a  link to the original memo on the proposal for a crow season by the US Fish and Wildlife service in 1973. It explains some of the birds involved with this new proposal.

http://www.fws.gov/news/Historic/NewsReleases/1973/19730204.pdf

Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Chief RID on February 17, 2015, 04:25:28 am
So the answer is yes. You can use crow feathers in an arrangement and send it to the white house to be used for a gala. But I would not.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Buckeye Guy on February 17, 2015, 12:10:00 pm
OK since we can only hunt crows on Thursday Friday,and Saturday in Ohio, does that mean I can only use them on my arrows those days ?  >:D :laugh:
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: bubby on February 21, 2015, 11:10:35 am
California has a 124 day crow season with a daily bag limit of 24 with the exception of a few areas
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: owlbait on February 22, 2015, 06:17:10 pm
Here in Michigan the seasons are August and September/February and March, unless nuisance or health hazard. Feathers would be legal for fletching, not sure if you could sell them. It seems like they would be pretty short.
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: Pappy on February 24, 2015, 09:14:29 am
So the saying goes "if it hits the ground dead, its a crow"!  Love that Joe. ;) :) You can shoot them anytime in TN. Guess I could use them for fletching, but only when I run out of Primary Turkey feathers in the left wing version. picky picky I know.  ;) ;D ;D ;D
   Pappy
Title: Re: Is it legal now to use crow feathers?
Post by: kleinpm on March 05, 2015, 08:38:13 am
In Wyoming you can shoot crows, but not ravens or magpies!  So the saying goes "if it hits the ground dead, its a crow"!  We have a real problem with the loss of numbers of sage chickens and the oil companies get the blame for building roads across breeding grounds.  The sad thing is you can not protect one species without causing real problems with others.  The crows and especially the ravens eat the sage chicken eggs and as there are millions of them the natural balance is upset.  I have not had much luck with crow feathers for arrows.  Joe

A little off topic but I read that one of the reason the ravens/crows eat so many game bird eggs is from the over grazing by cattle. The over grazing lets the birds see the eggs much easier. IDK - might be true, might be bunk.

Patrick