Country Lore: Combat Crows with Corn Whiskey

To get rid of crows, feed them whiskey-soaked corn.

April/May 2008
By William Woys Weaver 
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If crows are proving to be a special nuisance for you, the Farmer’s Almanac for 1864 had this advice: “Soak a few quarts of dried corn in whiskey, and scatter it over the fields for the crows. After partaking one such meal and getting pretty thoroughly corned, they will never return to it again.”

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I would use the brand of corn whiskey called Rebel Yell. It seems to fit the remedy and evoke some of the sounds I now associate with the birds at the height of their raucous inebriation. Incidentally, it works.

William Woys Weaver
Devon, Pennsylvania
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  • Jocelyn 7/5/2009 7:00:14 PM

    I wonder if this technique would work on peafowl? Where I live, we have way too many peacocks. They attack my tomatoes and salad greens. It's like a buffet for them. For some stupid reason, the damn birds are protected here, so shooting them is no solution (not that I would, but still). Nevertheless, I am intrigued. It's possible that they, unlike crows, are to stupid to remember a bad hangover. But it's worth a shot.

  • Jocelyn 7/5/2009 6:55:44 PM

    I wonder if this technique would work on peafowl? Where I live, we have way too many peacocks. They attack my tomatoes and salad greens. It's like a buffet for them. For some stupid reason, the damn birds are protected, so shooting them is no solution (not that I would, but still). Never the less, I am intrigued. It's possible that they, unlike crows, are to stupid to remember a bad hangover. But it's worth a shot.

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