doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How do I find a pigeon shoot?

I wandered into one quite by accident once, going to shoot some clays at an open-to-the-public clays/trap/skeet place in a state where pigeon shoots are legal. It was a quiet afternoon when all the other shooters had already finished and gone home. I was allowed to and did hang out and kinda watched - from a great distance - and wanted no part of it for two reasons. Actually three.

First, the shooters seemed to be wounding a lot of birds and that meant wounded pigeons were fluttering down all over the place, being policed up by a couple youngish folks.

Second, the folks doing the shooting seemed to be the kind of folks for whom killing was the objective. You probably know what I mean - and their consciousness was not appealing to me, so I didn't want to be around them.

Third, it seemed to me that this was a big-money deal, both in terms of getting in (i.e., paying for the birds, etc.) and probably the side betting that was probably going on quietly off in the corners. I have no appetite for either.

Management at the place seemed a little embarrassed by the whole thing, but I suppose they were willing to stomach any discomfort b/c these were paying customers.

But, to come back to the lead poster's basic question: you won't find these advertised let alone on the internet, you almost certainly need an invitation to go and shoot and you'll only get one if you'll fit in with that crowd, and be prepared to cough up a lot of coin for the privilege. Kind of like getting to be a member of the club at Augusta or something similar - you can't seek an invite (if you do, you'll never get one) and if you do any answer other than "where do I send the check and how much?" will likely get you blackballed.

The organizers don't want PETA protesters showing up to disrupt the event. Kind of like a swinger's club annual orgy, legal but the participants don't want a bunch of do-gooders and teenage boys showing up.


Best,

Mike

A lot of ZZ bird shooters are also pigeon shooters. Find a ZZ ring and practice first, it is actually more difficult than box birds and then talk casually.

BRING MONEY!!!!!

Join the Pennsylvania Flyers Association. You will get a periodic newsletter and a schedule. No fuss, no muss, and you will be contributing to an organization that is defending blood sports on the state and local level. By the way, I found at least one facility that holds pigeon shoots by using Google. It is a very nice facility and is open to the public on non pigeon shoot days. Further, members of the pigeon club that I am a member of do not fit the mould that some posters suggest. We are enthusiastic participants in well respected blood sports that millions of US citizens enjoy, hunting and fishing. A few of us don't even shoot pigeons, just enjoy the history of the game and the company of the other members.

De gustibus non disputandum est.

From Wikipedia:

De gustibus non est disputandum is a Latin maxim. It means �one must not dispute about tastes.� (literally, "it must not be disptuted regarding tastes") [1][2] The implication is that opinions about matters of taste are not objectively right or wrong, and hence that disagreements about matters of taste cannot be objectively resolved.

While there's no specific law that I could find against it in CA, I did find an opinion paper by a long past State Attorney General that declared it would be viewed as illegal by his office. The courts would have to decide each case I suppose. So, better to go underground than to risk arrest/shutdown in CA.

Around here a sparrow is considered to be a mouse with wings and a pigeon is a rat with wings. In other words they are disgusting things that crap on statues and tombstones.

I've only shot a very few pigeons in the ring but do enjoy watching a shoot. The skill levels are incredible for those who are serious. At first glance it does seem to be cruel to some. But one needs to consider that pigeons are at near plague levels in many communities and must be controlled. I suppose poisoning them is the quietest out of sight way to reduce numbers. But I've watched animals die of poison and hope I never have to again. Capturing pigeons and shooting them is probably the most humane way to deal with the numbers. The birds do have a chance of escape. Yes, some birds are wounded but they are usually quickly dispatched. A big shoot can bring a lot of money into a community. The participants have a good time engaging in a sport steeped in history. And pigeon numbers are reduced. Seems to me it's a win-win sport. I don't shoot it because I wouldn't like being the low score time and time again.....

Out West most stock yards are over run with pigeons and the stock yard owners, in most cases, will give you permission to remove the pigeons.......obviously they need to know you and want a diciplined shooter who practices high shots only, no low shots.........the pigeons circle the roost continually and you shoot from an empty corral.

Some yards employ a shotgun sound system to keep them away, but this has not been successful to a great degree......