Or Why You Should Not Trust the Internet

By Kathy Thompson

Anyone who knows my husband TJ knows he loves to tell wild stories. And he can tell them with a straight face and convincing voice. He has been doing this all of his life, but since retiring five years ago he has shared his considerable skills with daytime telemarketers. What makes him particularly dangerous is the fact that when someone calls in their number flashes on the TV screen tipping him off to an opportunity for fun.

The crow pie line began several years ago. My friends would call and instead of saying, “I’ll get her.” He would announce. “It’ll take a minute to get her; she’s up on the roof catching crows.” The uninitiated would ask Crows! Why? And off TJ would go with a silly tale.

Two months ago he did his crow pie routine to a telemarketer who was calling for Thompson Publishing. He then elaborated and told her about our “business success,” 100 employees, more orders than I could fill etc. A few days later we got an invitation to apply for a Bank of America business credit card. It was addressed to Georgia Crow Pie at our address. Then Newt Gingrich’s office called and asked TJ to listen to a short speech, which he did. A worker asked if he agreed. The pitch was based on the low state of profits in small businesses. Well he started telling her how successful Georgia Crow Pie is and when she asked the secret of success he answered, “Kerosene.” Why yes, every morning, every employer including management takes a teaspoon of kerosene, clears the brain.

TJ was recalled his fun to his sister who was on the internet. Shirley Goggled Georgia Crow Pie and to her amazement found us on www.manta.com . Don’t believe me, try it yourself. Seems we are a Mobile Food-Direct Sales company with $490.00 in sales last year and three employees. And the company president is Eugene Thompson. Eugene because TJ said he was Eugene Splivens. At dinner in a restaurant Rebecca did not believe her Dad’s story until she checked on her ipod.

We continue to get business offers. Most recently Pitney Boles wants to sell us office machines. My worry is when will the IRS believe the internet report and call us in to talk to them about the absence of a tax filing?

Out of curiosity I put -crow pie recipe- in Google and yes they do make crow pies, particularly in New England. Just substitute crow meat for chicken. But you can do more with crow. Consider recipes for Crow Kabobs, BBQ Crow, Creole Crow, pan fried, roasted and my favorite Crow in a Blanket. Maybe we should consider expanding our line of products at Georgia Crow Pie.

There is a crow hunting blog out of Marietta Georgia. Good Ole Boys who talk about hunting crows in South Georgia the way the Paces Ferry crowd talks about quail hunting in South Georgia at hunting plantations. For those of you in New York who are feeling superior go to www.crowbusters.com and find the photo of a New York guy with a dead crow wing between his teeth and the body hanging below. Truthfully it isn’t much different than hunting and shooting other birds, so who am I to judge.

So let’s go back to the point of this story. One is that TJ is nuts, but then you already knew that. And two, the next time you are tempted to believe a questionable report on the internet, remember Georgia Crow Pie.

Addendum: 2012

Georgia Crow Pie was first listed on www.manta.com/c/mttnmsz/georgia-crow-pie in 2007.   Five years later we still get credit card applications for Georgia Crow Pie, but Well’s Fargo Bank beat them all.  We have been offered a pre-approved line of credit for between $10,000 and $100,000.  An application form, with signature lines highlight in yellow highlighter was included, as well as an explanation of the terms.  As soon as you pay back any part of the loan you can immediately borrow that amount again.  No wonder banks and businesses fail. I know if I filled the form out, or at least I hope, they would discover there is no business, only a crazy T. J. making up stories.  But how did it get this far? The telephone company wants to list Georgia crow Pie.

Funniest of all was the latest call.  Seems that the local basketball was using team t-shirt sales as a fundraiser and would we like to have our business name on the shirts for $167.00.

I decided to check and see if the manta listing had been updated. In the past information came up instantly, but now one has to register. I decided to do so in order to check on our success, probably not a good idea.  This is what I learned.

About Georgia Crow Pie

Annual Revenue $490,000

Employees 3

Years in Business 4

State of Incorporation Georgia

Owner: Eugene Thompson (TJ calls himself Eugene when talking to telemarketers)

The scary thing is that TJ continues to tell wild stories to telemarketers.  Who knows, we may soon own other interesting companies.

Crow Recipes

From Debbie, courtesy of her Mom’s WW II cookbook

Crow and Mushroom Stew

3 crows
1 pint stock or gravy
2 Tbsp cream
1/2 cup mushrooms
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp lard/shortening

Clean and cut crows into small portions and let them cook a short time in the lard/shortening in a saucepan, being careful not to brown them.

Next, add to the contents of the pan, the stock or gravy, and salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Simmer 1 hour, or until tender, add mushrooms, simmer 10 minutes more and then stir in cream. Arrange the mushrooms around the crows on a hot platter.

Potted Crow:

6 crows

3 bacon slices

stuffing of your choice

1 diced carrot

1 diced onion

chopped parsley

hot water or stock

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup flour

buttered toast

Clean and dress crows; stuff and place them upright in stew-pan on the slices of bacon. Add the carrot, onion and a little parsley, and cover with boiling water or stock.

Cover the pot and let simmer for 2-3 hours, or until tender, adding boiling water or stock when necessary. Make a sauce of the shortening and flour and 2 cups of the stock remaining in the pan. Serve each crow on a thin slice of moistened toast, and pour gravy over all.

Crow Pie:

1 crow

stuffing of your choice

salt and pepper

shortening

flour

2 Pie crust mixes

2-3 hard-boiled eggs

Stuff the crow. Loosen joints with a knife but do not cut through.

Simmer the crow in a stew-pan, with enough water to cover, until nearly tender, then season with salt and pepper. Remove meat from bones and set aside.

Prepare pie crusts as directed. (Do not bake)

Make medium thick gravy with flour, shortening, and juices in which the crow has cooked and let cool.

Line a pie plate with pie crust and line with slices of hard-boiled egg. Place crow meat on top. Layer gravy over the crow. Place second pie dough crust over top.

Bake at 450 degrees for 1/2 hour.

Collected by Bert Christensen

Toronto, Ontario

From WWW.crowbusters.com

Summer Crow Kabobs
submitted by Gordon Krause (The Crow Master)

Ingredients

16 pieces of crow breast meat (no bones) (8 crows)

16 pieces of green pepper

16 cherry tomatoes

8 button mushrooms

8 ears of sweet corn

1 1/2 cups of Teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup melted butter

8 kabob skewers

Preparation

Cut each piece of crow in half and place in a covered bowl with the Teriyaki sauce over night. Clean and cut each ear of corn into 3 pieces. Cook in boiling salt water for 10 minutes. Alternately put corn (3 pieces), green peppers (3 pieces) and cherry tomatoes (3) along with 4 pieces of crow meat on each skewer. Use 1 mushroom to top each skewer. Brush with melted butter and place on preheated grill for about 4 minutes. Flip, butter again and place back on grill for another 4 minutes. Repeat one last time for a total of 12 minutes or until they appear done. Serves four adults.

Crow Creole submitted by George Carpenter

Ingredients

2 medium onions

2 fresh chilies chopped

2 ribs celery

3 cloves garlic minced

¼ pound butter

16oz. chicken broth

1 can whole tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

8oz. ketchup

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

1/2 tablespoons garlic sauce

1/4 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 pound (12 pieces, or so) crow breast chopped into bite-sized pieces

Preparation

Brown the crow breasts in a skillet with butter or oil. When browned, place them in a Sauté onion, celery, chilies and garlic in butter until tender. Add the above ingredients and all of the remaining ingredients to a crock pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

To serve, heap about 1 cup of rice in the center of the plate, and ladle a generous amount of the sauce around it. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Crow Casserole

Ingredients

12 pieces of crow breast meat (no bones) (6 crows)

2 quart sauerkraut

6 slices of bacon

1/3 cup of chopped onions

Preparation

Brown the crow breasts in a skillet with butter or oil. When browned, place them in a casserole dish on 1/2 inch layer of sauerkraut. Lay a 1/2 strip of bacon on each 1/2 breast and sprinkle the onion on them. Next, add another layer of sauerkraut and some of the juice. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Makes 2 servings.

Crock Pot Crow

Ingredients

12 – 16 pieces of crow breast meat (no bones) (6 – 8 crows)

2 cups barbecue sauce

1 cup water

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1/3 cup of chopped onions

1/3 cup of chopped green peppers

salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

Shred crow breasts into as small pieces as possible. Add to crock pot with all other ingredients. Cook in crock pot for 6 hours on low. Serve over rolls or bread. Makes 4 servings.

Crow In A Blanket

Ingredients

4 pieces of crow breast meat (no bones) per person

wild rice

bacon strips

butter

salt and black pepper

Preparation

Rub each crow breast piece with salt and pepper. Wrap each piece with a strip of bacon and place 2 wrapped pieces in aluminum foil. Cook at 300 degrees for 2 hours. Serve hot with steamed wild rice, generously buttered.

BBQ Crow

Ingredients

10 crow breasts

BBQ sauce

2 onions

Tabasco sauce

Preparation

Place crow meat in a deep pan. Pour as much BBQ and Tabasco sauce as desired over the crow meat. Let marinate for at least 2 hours. Slice onions into thin slices and push out the centers to make rings. Place onions in skillet and place crow breasts over onions. The two flavors will combine while cooking. Put skillet on stove and cook until onions are brown and meat is tender. Serve crow over the onions.

Crow Hunting History and Hunting Resources
www.crowbusters.com

“Popowski”, “Adams”, “Mermon”, “Ft. Cobb”. These names herald back to the “Golden Era” of crow hunting in the United States. Back in the 40’s, 50’s and even the 60’s, the sport of crow hunting was at its peak. Considered a villain, a pest, and even a traitor to the war effort, the crow was hunted with wanton abandon, spurred on by an encouraging government and a grateful farming community.  And while their equipment was often primitive and ammunition scarce, the serious crow hunters of this age killed the black bandit by the millions. Then things quieted down. Bounties were cancelled, Federal protection appeared, crow hunting books went out of publication, and except for a loyal group of hunters, and crow hunting left the limelight and took a back seat to other popular forms of hunting.

But a funny thing has happened over the past decade or two. With Federal protection and ideal breeding conditions, crow populations have steadily increased throughout their range. In some areas they have actually reached epidemic proportions. That has coincided with a renewed interest in varmet hunting, as evidenced by the number of publications and organizations dedicated strictly to varminting. In fact, most mainstream hunting magazines are now including varmint hunting sections as regular part of their line-up.

Because of this, I believe we are entering the second “Golden Era” of crow hunting. Hunters are finding out that there is no other type of varmint hunting that involves so many hunting skills. Camouflage, blinds, calling, decoy placement and wing shooting all need to come together for a successful crow shoot. And best of all, crows are everywhere! With the exception of a few isolated spots, at least a few crows can be found almost anywhere you hunt.

Most importantly, there seems to be a tremendous hunger out there to know more about this underrated sport. Hunters want to do more than just pop an occasional crow while hunting for other game. They are looking to specifically gear up and go a field in pursuit of this often frustrating but always challenging bird.

That’s why Crow Busters was formed, to provide hunters with the information and resources that they will need to be a more successful crow hunter. It will also put crow hunters in contact with each other so that ideas, techniques and just plain fellowship can be shared. Hunters helping other hunters! That has been and will always be the driving idea behind Crow Busters.

Enjoy and Good Hunting!

Gordon L. Krause

Crow Busters Founder