It is illegal to keep American Crows

But you can hunt them during regulated seasons. How does that make sense?

The original Crow Society page points out an uncomfortable contrast: federal law protects native crows from being kept as pets without authorization, yet permits hunting under carefully defined rules.

Important update: Under 50 CFR § 20.133, a state or tribe may set a crow hunting season and limits. Those seasons cannot total more than 124 days in a calendar year and cannot include peak nesting periods. State and tribal rules determine the actual dates, methods, possession limits, and bag limits; it is not legal to kill crows indiscriminately.

Why can you not have a Crow as a pet, while regulated hunting is allowed?

It is up to YOU to stop the killing!

The Crow Society originally highlighted a 2020 controversy in Watertown, New York, where a proposal to kill crows drew opposition from PETA. The dispute centered on whether removing birds could solve conflicts involving crow roosts, noise, and droppings.

Read the February 13, 2020 WWNY report about the Watertown crow debate.

One alternative advocated in the debate was using nonlethal deterrents and addressing accessible food sources rather than killing birds. The Crow Society favors finding practical ways for people and crows to coexist.

The original site's claim that you could kill unlimited crows was outdated; current federal regulations defer to state and tribal limits. This page keeps the Society's message while correcting the legal description.