Something odd happened today.....

Sounds like you hit the wing bone. 

Agreed, and the pellet deflected. i would choose a .22 over .177 every time. more mass = more energy transfer, pellet placement is KING. Happy hunting.

I've had to follow up on crows hit solidly with a .25-I've started going for head shots only on crows and even the Collared doves. I hate seeing a wounded bird fly off and have had more than a few solidly hit birds fly away.
John

Errant shots happens to us all .Smack a big bird in the wing joint and You may not get a clean kill.I have had bad shots as well as all the hunters on this forum .May have been a gust of wind'bent pellet'or shooter error .$---- happens .Stan

By the time that pellet traveled to the target it had slowed and lost much energy. Crows are tough birds and if hit from the side the feathers of the folded wings further slow the pellet to the point a clean kill with your gun is unlikely. If your going to make distance shots on tough game your going to need more gun.

"Ginuwine1969"Agreed, and the pellet deflected. i would choose a .22 over .177 every time. more mass = more energy transfer, pellet placement is KING. Happy hunting.

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Unless you were stuck at 12 ft/lb then you would shoot .177 and shot placement is king

"Bobbed06"Thanks for the feedback guys, although I am a newbie I do put in the time and work to make sure I am accurate within my ranges. I will be upgrading to a higher power scope in the near future.I will also go for head shots and try and keep shots at 35 yards or under if thats the only way I will be able to with 14 ft lbs. I am quite positive I hit close where I meant to. I thought a breast shot would be ideal and I must have hit it a tad toward the rear of the bird from where I was aiming.

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It happens to us all, don't let it vex you to the point of losing confidence in your shooting. 

i had a 42yd deflection on a crow that was quite confusing as well last year and finally had to let it go as just "one of those things" very similar situation to yours but with a 40 foot pound .22. We're human. 

This is a two month old post of mine ... I still think about it !!

www.airgunnation.com/topic/are-pigeons-tough-to-bring-down/

I still can hear that smack and see feather fly in back of him and see him rolling down the roof .. that bird was hit hard !! go over and he is gone ... not a feather, not a nothing, one drop of blood on the roof ..... it was like it never happened ...

One the strangest things I have seen !

wll2506

Don't be too hard on yourself. If we're honest, it happens to all of us. I bet you hit him right in the wing joint and it broke his wing and deflected just enough so the pellet didn't get him in the clockwork.

I've had times with my .177 Marauder at 18 FPE where the pellet entered through the shoulder, then through a rib, then through all his guts, out the belly and into the rear leg, and it was a near instant kill.

Another time, yesterday morning, I hit him in the shoulder from the side and he ran off. He was limping; couldn't use that leg, but he managed to get away from me. (it's amazing how fast they are with only one front leg...) He's probably dead up in the crook of a tree somewhere. I heard the meat slap, it was a solid hit: "WHOCK" is how it sounded. I got a little lazy that time; he was walking when I took the shot, so I didn't want to risk a head shot. I tried the kissing sound, but he didn't care for my flirting.

Don't second guess yourself. It sounds like you knew your trajectory, hit him solid, but he got away from you.I think you did the right thing. A head shot on a crow at 45 yards with a springer is risky. Sometimes with those shots, you just knock the beak off and they starve to death. Plus, they bob their heads up and down when they decide to let out a call. So I wouldn't have tried that. What probably happened is that he fell out of the tree, and managed to hobble off somewhere you couldn't see him. Don't worry, the flies, ants and raccoons will find 'im.