About Darryl — Darryl Trains Crows

Darryl standing in an Ohio field at golden hour with crows nearby

Born in the Hills. Raised by Crows.

Well, not literally raised by crows. I had parents. But I did grow up in Appalachia — deep in the hills of West Virginia — where the crows were everywhere and most people paid them no mind. I wasn't most people.

By the time I was twelve, I'd figured out that if you were patient and you brought the right snacks, you could get a crow to do just about anything. I started small — getting them to come when I whistled, teaching them to bring me interesting things they found. By high school, I had a whole crew of crows that would follow me around town. People thought I was weird. That's fine.

After I moved to Ohio, I started training crows professionally. It began with a neighbor who had a parking problem — that's actually how The Lawman was born. Word spread. Now I do this full-time, and I'm real good at it.

Crows gathered in a tree in rural Ohio landscape, winter light

My Philosophy

I have three rules. They're simple and I don't bend them.

Rule 1: We don't hurt the bird. Ever. A crow is a living creature with its own personality, its own moods, its own opinions about things. You don't get to override that. If a crow doesn't want to do something, we find a different approach or we find a different crow. Period.

Rule 2: It has to be physically possible. I can't train a crow to carry a bowling ball or read your emails. Crows are smart, not magical. I'll always be straight with you about what's realistic.

Rule 3: Fair exchange. The crow does work, the crow gets treats. Always. It's not free labor — it's a partnership. The crow knows this. Honestly, most crows negotiate harder than any human I've ever met.

Things People Ask Me

I get a lot of the same questions. Here's the honest answers.

Is this real?

Yeah. Crows are one of the most intelligent animals on Earth. They use tools, recognize human faces, can count, and communicate with each other about specific threats. Scientists have been studying this for decades. I just applied it to practical stuff.

Do I need my own crow?

Not necessarily. If you already have crows that hang around your property — and if you're in Ohio, you probably do — I can work with them. If not, I can help you establish a relationship with local crows first. It takes some peanuts and some patience.

Why $53/hour?

Because that's what it costs. I calculated what I need to make a fair living and cover supplies (mostly premium peanuts and training treats), and $53/hr is the number. I'm not trying to get rich. I'm trying to train crows and pay my rent.

Can the crow wear a hat?

Absolutely. That's actually one of the easier things to train. Crows are surprisingly into fashion. I don't fully understand it, but I've never had a crow reject a hat once it got used to the idea. Some of them get genuinely attached to their hat.

What if my crow quits?

It happens sometimes. Crows have free will — that's part of the deal. If your crow decides it's done with a particular job, I'll come back and retrain or find a new approach. No extra charge for the first follow-up session.

Are you weird?

Probably. But I'm also really good at this, and your crow is going to do exactly what you wanted it to do, and you're going to be happy about it. That's all that matters to me.

Darryl is a professional crow trainer operating in the state of Ohio. All training methods are humane, reward-based, and comply with all applicable wildlife regulations. Darryl does not capture, sell, or relocate wild crows. He works with local birds in their natural environment. Crows trained by Darryl remain wild animals and make their own choices — he just gives them really good options.