Magpies and crows can have a detrimental impact on songbirds, especially during the spring months when nesting season is in full swing. These destructive corvids have their own young to sustain and know that eggs and chicks raided from other birds’ nests provide a valuable food source. By reducing numbers of corvids in line with the requirements of the relevant general licence airgun shooters can play an important role in helping vulnerable bird species to thrive.
Corvids – the family to which crows and magpies belong – are sharp-eyed and notoriously suspicious of anything out of the ordinary. They can still be outwitted though, and hide and decoy tactics offer a great way to lure these crafty birds within airgun range.
The first step in successful hide shooting is picking the right location. Start by finding an area where crows or magpies are known to be active and then pick a spot where you can set up a hide within shooting distance of a place where you can set up one or two decoys. If possible, look for a site that also gives you a clear view up into one or two fairly open trees. These “sitty” trees are likely be used as lookouts by any crows or magpies that lack the confidence to land on the ground.
The best hide sites provide a good natural backdrop – such as a steep bank or a thick tree trunk – which will help your hide net to blend in with its surroundings and also prevent light from shining through the back and revealing your silhouette as you move.
You could make a semi-permanent hide from fallen branches, but I prefer something that’s easy to move – just in case I set up in the wrong place. A nylon hide net is perfect and, although you could easily hang it from bushes, fence posts or sticks cut from the woods, purpose made hide poles are usually the best option.
Most of my hides are built around a simple Camo Systems Camoreal net. These nets are brilliant because, apart from being discreet and very light to carry, they’re also rot-proof, which means you can leave them outdoors for long periods without them coming to any harm. That latter point is very handy as it usually pays to build your hide a few days before you plan to shoot – this keeps disturbance to a minimum when you return.
I have recently been using the Camo Systems Deluxe Heavy Duty Blind. This package includes a large and very tough 4.5x1.5 metre nylon hide net along with hide poles and a bag to carry it all in. The kit packs down to less than a metre long and weighs about 2.5kg so it’s no great burden.
The four poles in this kit are great. They’re 175cm – nearly six feet – long, fold down to half that length for transportation, and are strong despite being light to carry. The spikes have a foot peg to make them easier to get into the ground, and there are also clips to keep the net securely fastened and prevent it attracting unwanted attention by flapping in the wind.
When building your hide, make sure it is large enough to give you room to sit and shoot in comfort, but not so large as to become unnecessarily conspicuous. Although a good backdrop will help to conceal its outline, you may need to add a few branches and weeds to the net to hide its straight edges and help it blend in. Weeds such as ivy and docks are good for dressing a hide net but always check with the landowner before snipping any vegetation. Remember also that you may need to use your penknife to cut a “window” to enable you to slip your gun through the net when taking shots.
Setting up in an area where you know corvids to be active is a good start, but you are probably going to need something to encourage them to come back and settle within shooting distance of your hide. An owl decoy is a great way to do that. Magpies and their corvid cousins like to plunder eggs and chicks from other birds’ nests, but they get very angry when they see what appears to be a threat from a predatory bird on their patch. Their territorial instinct is particularly strong during nesting season, when the appearance of an owl (or an imitation one) will often provoke angry corvids to swoop in for a closer look.
I use a Sportplast little owl decoy for a lor of my springtime corvid control. I have had some success with bigger decoys, but there have been times when crows and magpies have been intimidated by their bulk and shied away.
Apart from being very lifelike, the key feature of my little owl decoy is its bright, shiny eyes – there’s something about those staring eyes that really winds up magpies and other members of the corvid family – and you just don’t get the same effect with eyes that are painted on. Set it up in a prominent spot – either on a fence post or tree stump where passing corvids can easily spot it – this decoy usually gets agitated corvids bundling in.
You can make your setup even more effective by adding a magpie decoy. Whether placed on the ground or propped on a branch, post or stump, the bold black and white colours of a magpie decoy will make the arrangement even more eye-catching and help to convince corvids that a mobbing is underway. My usual choice of magpie decoy is another one from Sportplast, and it seems to work just as well whether you’re targeting magpies or crows.
With the decoys in position, it’s time to slip into your hide. A beanbag seat will make the wait more comfortable, and a flask of hot tea, coffee or soup will provide a welcome warmer in cold conditions.
Another handy accessory for hide shooting is a tripod to support your gun. For me, that usually means the Primos Trigger Stick Gen3 Tripod. This tripod retails for around £179 and is well worth it, although the Vital model costs about £60 less if you’re on a tight budget.
Primos Trigger Sticks are light and easy to carry and provide incredibly versatile gun support that genuinely improves accuracy to eliminating those annoying wobbles. Give the trigger a squeeze and the legs unlock to slide in and out so you can quickly adjust your aim – this means you can easily switch from aiming through the hide net if a bird lands near the decoys to over the top of it if ones pitches in a sitty tree. Let the trigger go and the legs lock in position, leaving you with a steady rest to shoot from.
Other than that, all you really need is an accurate airgun / scope combo that’s matched with the right pellets. A head net can also be useful when targeting really wary birds. It is surprising how your face can stand out, even when you’re sat inside a hide – keeping it covered could earn you extra shots.
When it comes to timing, early morning can be very productive – especially if you can get into position before first light and intercept corvids as they head out on their early morning rounds. It can vary from place to place though, so it’s worth trying midday or dusk if a dawn ambush fails to produce. Even if you have a successful first outing, it is usually worth leaving the hide in position and returning for another visit. Be sure to arrange your decoys slightly differently on your return trip as crows and magpies may be suspicious if they see they same setup twice.
GUN: Walther Rotex RM8 UC
SCOPE: Richter Optik 3-9x42 AO
AMMO: H&N Baracuda 8
GUN SUPPORT: Primos Trigger Stick Tripod Gen 3
HIDE: Camo Systems Deluxe Heavy Duty Blind
OWL DECOY: Sportplast Little Owl
MAGPIE DECOY: Sportplast Magpie
JACKET: Jack Pyke Rannock Jacket
Pest birds can be culled under general licence. The conditions of the relevant general licence must be met when carrying out pest control. Click here for more information on general licences for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
First published on 3rd Match 2025
