AUBURN - The survivors must have warned the rest of the flock.

After being on pace Saturday to shatter last year's number of kills, hunters at Cayuga County Crows Unlimited third-annual shoot only bagged 1,061 crows in all, six fewer than last year.

Organizer Tom Lennox said the result was still good, considering there were 20 fewer teams than last year and potential hunters had other activities to draw them away. He's lost a few teams to ice fishing, and some teams weren't sure if the contest would continue under new ownership at J&B Bar and Grill on Orchard Street, home to the hunt.

"Although there was a little lack of participation, the spirit is still there," Lennox said.

The spirit of the opposition was still strong, even though there were about half as many protesters outside Auburn's Memorial City Hall as last year. About 30 protesters tried to educate passers-by on their strong feelings against what has become, for some, a city tradition.

"This is just wanton slaughter because a few people are bored," said Rita Sarnicola, a member of Citizens Respectful of Wildlife who organized Sunday's protest. "It's not just a hunting issue. It really is teaching our children the wrong message."

Cindy Ryan, of Auburn, brought her four grandchildren to protest the crow hunt. She said it was important for them to see other people shared their view that killing the crows for sport is cruel.

"We're showing we know it's wrong," Ryan said. "We have to continue speaking out against what is wrong until the wrong is done right."

Back at crow hunt headquarters, Lennox wasn't fazed by the protesting going on across town, as long as they stayed peaceful.

"They're exercising what they think is right, and we're doing what we think is right," Lennox said.

Some of the hunters said they were doing the environment a favor by reducing the region's crow population. Crows drive away some varieties of songbirds, said Tim Noga, of Cayuga. Noga, who teaches hunting safety courses, said the weekend's hunters were just exercising their rights.

"For years, no one wanted to take care of these crows," he said. "People ought to be more worried about feral cats."

At least for this weekend, 31 teams of hunters turned their attention to the crows. It paid off for team Warczok, who placed fourth last year but won big Sunday, nabbing 186 crows over the weekend.

Jeff Killbury scouted out prime locations for the rest of his team - John Hillman and Dan and Walt Warczok. The Southern Tier hunters settled on an area west of Geneva to stalk the crows.

"It was a challenge," Killbury said, adding they'll be back to defend their title next year.

Even though the hunt is competitive, there's a certain camaraderie that forms year after year among the hunters.

"We share ideas and strategies," said Ronnie Henderson, of Newark. "Anything to help anyone shoot more crows."

Henderson's team, Wise Guys, took down 61 crows this year. They attribute some of their techniques to the Crow Dogs, legends of the hunt who had won the hunt in its first two years.

But the streak was broken this year. The Crow Dogs placed third.

The third-place finish was stinging to Crow Dogs' Von Strahan. Last year, the team shot more crows in the first day of the hunt than they did over the two-day span this time around.

"You can't win all the time, but we'll shoot with anyone anytime," Strahan said.

Staff writer Liz Hacken can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or elizabeth.hacken@lee.net