Eat Crow

[JimH]

"Eating crow (archaically, eating boiled crow) is an English-language idiom meaning humiliation by admitting wrongness or having been proved wrong after taking a strong position.  Eating crow is presumably foul-tasting in the same way that being proved wrong might be emotionally hard to swallow."

Don't know why I was compelled to look up that expression, maybe because I marvelled at the size of the two crows I shot stealing my nutter a few weeks back.


Has anyone ever tried eating crow, literally?  I read because they're meat eaters themselves that they taste nasty.  The only bird I'm tempted to eat are the two wild turkeys that took up residence in my back woods - though I don't think NY's turkey season allows taking one with an airgun (same class as a rim fire PB).  I my be wrong, in which case, I'll eat crow. 

 

[longislandhunter]

I've eaten crow plenty of times and they tasted very good.  I had hunted them for years but didn't think you could eat them. Then one day I read some articles online that gave some recipes for them and that stated they were very good eating so I tried one and it was very good.  Ever since then whenever I bag a crow it goes in to the game bag 

As for the turkeys.... you are correct.... airguns cannot be used to take turkeys in NY

Jeff

[yote300wsm]

 Same thing with prairie dogs. Shot them for years. Never thought of eating one then one day-BAM !!! What the *(&^. BBQ'ed one up it was pretty good. Now I understand how the wagon-trains heading west used them as a major meat source.

[Bentong]

Do they taste like chicken? ‹(•¿•)›

[yote300wsm]

Of course !!!!! (actually it tastes more like wabbit).

[yote300wsm]

JimH, are you sure that those aren't black birds? The crows that we have in SE MN are twice that size. Some have pushed 2lb. mark. Been pondering the idea of tasting one.

[only1harry]

Those are definitly crows, and they are not that small, they are about average, but not big either.  Notice how they are longer and much wider than the squirrel.  They are definitely crows. 

I have never shot a crow that weighed 2lbs or even close to that, and I have shot plenty of crows, some big some average size..  They weighed 1lb at the very most.  A 2lb bird is a VERY BIG bird, and if you look it up on encyclopedias or web sites you will see that none of them mention 2lbs or anything close to it.  Is it possible you are referring to (or shooting) RAVEN's in SE MN?  They are little bigger and have a 6-8" longer wing span than crow on avg.  Well actually there are supposed to be 3 kinds of crow I think in the US.  That is the common crow in Jim's picture which is everywhere in NY state.  I have shot a raven by accident thinking it was a crow.  The body was about 25-30% bigger and had a 36" (3ft) wing span.  Impressive bird.  I have a pic if you want to see.  Maybe that's what you are mistaken for 2lb crows?  This raven weighed around 1lb or slightly over, but far from 2lbs.  They may look like the size of a small chicken or like 2lbs when you look at them, but it's mostly feathers that don't weigh hardly anything.

[yote300wsm]

Here in SE MN they have PLENTY of corn & beans to feast on. Soon as I get a new camera I'll post some pics. (mine took a &^^&).

[Lochlainn]

Hi Folks,

I shot two crows last night and cooked them up. They were amazingly good! I was shocked to find the breast meat to be like red meat. I was thinking they would be like chicken but they actually taste a lot like beef or venison (at least to me). They have the same texture as beef or venison. Here is a few pictures of the crows and of the breast meat after I cleaned it





I marinated them for about 6 hours (overnight would be better) in Newman's Tuscan Italian dressing then sauteed them in a cast iron skillet. I ate them with a side of local grown corn on the cob and they were great! Tasted just like streak tips

Here they are in the skillet with a healthy dose of the marinade to cook in.



Here is a great site that has a lot of information on hunting crows and also some recipes. http://www.crowbusters.com/recipes.htm

[Mebits]

Interesting!

How much did you cook them? Did you slice them for the plate or just dig into the breast as-is?

M

[Lochlainn]

I cooked them about medium....it's very similar to cooking beef I found. I sliced into them while they were cooking to check on their "doneness". I just ate them with a steak knife as they were right out of the pan. Really good. I think the Italian dressing marinade is essential from now on for me ;-)

[Mebits]

Lends a new and good meaning to "eating crow".

[Checco]

Thanks
I'll try that next time,
I messed up I heard they were tuff so
I brined them overnight in water salt & sugar.
& when I cooked them they were way salty
Had to feed them to the critters.

[Jaymo]

I never hunted crows because I only kill food animals and nuisance animals. I don't kill just to kill.
Now that I know crow is edible and palatable, watch out crows. I have a Benji Marauder and I'm not afraid to use it.

[Jaymo]

What about bird flu? Do American crows have and carry it? That is my only concern regarding handling/eating crows.

[only1harry]

Crows are greatly susceptible to the West Nile virus (bird flu), and the North American crow is no exception.  Their #'s actually decreased a few years ago when it was going around in abundance.  Several people have died from the disease as well.  That is the main thing stopping me from eating them. 

[MarcsPanther]

I'll pass... no bird flu for me thank you.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

 I've eaten Crows before. I even have one in the freezer (the breast meat anyway). Just make sure to look at the birds eyes and plumage. If it's eyes look cloudy or have scabs or sores around it, throw it out. Also, if the plumage is bad (lots of feathers missing) don't eat it either. You want to make sure the bird looks extremely healthy (this is important for any animal you intend to eat).

 As for the flavor, to me it tastes and has the consistancy of venison. It is a very red looking meat, not unlike beef.

 I usually soak mine in a brine overnight to take some of the gaminess out of it and to pull the remaining blood out of the meat. When I get ready to cook it, I coat them in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, a little cayenne pepper, garlic powder (all to taste)) and then take a beaten egg in a bowl and add just a dab of tabasco sause into the egg and mix it in well. Then I dip the coated meat in the egg and then drop them back in the seasoned flour to recoat them. I then put a little olive out in a pan and fry them on a low burner until cooked fairly well through.

 They go good with mashed potatoes and gravy or any other of your favorite side dishes. I've tried grilling crow too, with and without barbeque sauce. However, I didn't care for it that way. It get's rather tough on the grill sometimes.

 As with any animal though, I can't stress enough... If it doesn't look healthy, DON'T EAT IT!

[dpricenator]

double post from another thread but here is an old family recipe

You need to clean 2 crows
1 Lemon Squeezed, keep the peel and puld
1 Lime Squeezed, keep the peel and pulp
1 orange Squeezed, keep the peel and pulp
Salt
Pepper
5 Garlic cloves
1 large onion
Lawreys
1 bottle of jack daniels Jack Daniels

Make a marinade using only 3 oz of JD and let the birds soak for a few hours.  Do not discard the marinade it will be used at a later step.

Take a shot of JD with your buddies


Get a 1x6 piece of pine about 6 feet long.  Arrange it so it can set about 3 feet above a small open flame. Like a camp fire.

Take one bird and set it on the plank, rib cage down.  Stuff the underside with the lemon waste, onion garlic and cilantro attach to the plank with some baling wire.  Flip the plank and do the same with the other bird.  Pour some of the remaining marinade over the birds.

Take another shot or two of JD

Set the plank over a small open flame, so that the flames do not touch the birds or the boards.  Flip the plank every 10 minutes so each bird gets even face down time.  You can use the remailing marinade to keep the birds and the plank moist during the cooking time. 

You guessed it, another couple of shots of JD

Once they look to be done, remove the plank from the fire, cut the wire, throw away the birds and eat the board.



we use the same recipe for carp

[Skjold]

I've eaten crow plenty of times and they tasted very good.  I had hunted them for years but didn't think you could eat them. Then one day I read some articles online that gave some recipes for them and that stated they were very good eating so I tried one and it was very good.  Ever since then whenever I bag a crow it goes in to the game bag 

As for the turkeys.... you are correct.... airguns cannot be used to take turkeys in NY

Jeff

I have the same problem in Maine.  I have an entire flock of turkey that visit my yard on a regular basis that I would like to thin with my Air rifle.