doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Pigeon shooting

I've known life-long hunters, men I've respected, who for various reasons decided they had enough killing in their lives and gave it up. I haven't reached that point in my life, but I understand that there are those that do, and that's okay by me. On the otherhand, I knew a man who killed a turkey when he was 97 and died at 98. We should all die so young and enthusiastic.

Until this thread came along, I haven't thought about Fonda and Joe for years. Joe was a confirmed batchelor who lived with a female African Grey Parrot for years. The bird was quite a character with matching vocabulary. Fonda and Joe got married and the parrot was not a happy bird. Things rocked along for several years and they had their first child. When Fonda came home from the hospital with the baby boy, the proud parents doted over the new arrival. After several days, the bird flew off its post, perched on the edge of the bassinet and promptly bit the infant on the nose. The nose didn't look like a peanut and everyone rightfully believed it was pure avian jealousy that caused the bird to bite her rival for Joe's affection.

I can't find reference right now but for those with Christian beliefs one of the recent Popes said that animals have souls and will be with us in the afterlife. I have definitely seen emotions of pride, jealousy, shame shown by my canines and by a ferret. Some here would have us believe there's a threshold below that for animals they consider dumb & lesser. First pigeon shoot I went to in the 1970's was at a small sportsmens club with simple equipment, and older local people of european descent gathered up all the dead birds and were hunting down the wounded ones, all for food. In fact the shoot kept stopping because men and women were in the shot fall area chasing after the wounded ones. Things deteriorated since then with most of the shoots now held for those who could care less how the birds are treated, what happened to the meat and what happens to the wounded birds that fly past the fence. I stopped doing pigeon races when I went to one and saw where the operators tied 'rigs' for lack of a better word on the necks of the pigeons. Rig had a dangling mirrored gizmo that keeps the pigeon terrorized that a predator is approaching from different directions. Erratic flight might make it easier for the 'sport' to miss but who takes the rigs off the birds when they fly off and try to live with it after crossing the fence? These pigeon shoots, modern P.C. type word 'Races', may have been a sport a long time ago when the birds were harvested for food and shooting wasn't enhanced with electric shocks, air blasts and gizmos, but imho not today. I hope readers learn here what really goes on there. CB

I'm beginning to think I'll have to cut down on hunting in the future. I have a freezer full of ducks, pig, venison and elk and the doc wants me to eat less of that stuff. When I can't eat it, I won't feel right about shooting it. Pheasant and quail will probably be OK because they are white meat, but those birds are awfully scarce around here.

These pigeons are trapped, not raised for slaughter. At least in the USA, that's how it is. Perhaps there are those of you who believe that when cities poison them, ( and they do) it is more humane. I happen to not think that.
HighWall
Pigeon shooter

I also have mousetraps, and i swat Mosquitos

Knowing what little I know about the races I would say that most of these guys have too much �invested� to give a rat�s a$$ about what anyone thinks of them or their sport.

Cost wise, I've never been able to justify shooting food over heading to the grocery store. I've also noticed that most any bird I've shot at has been hightailing it in the other direction, so I figure their instincts if nothing else tells them to be somewhere else.

I don't think I could ever give up hunting because of someone else's feelings. I don't mind getting skunked, it's a good thing just to be out there. The surroundings, sometimes the company and the excitement aren't easy to substitute on the golf course, at a bar or in front of a tv.

I think it's hypocritical to enjoy thick juicy steak or a healthy baked chicken breast and worry about treatment of pigeons. The second before it's lights out, I don't think any of them knew or cared if they would be eaten or not.

You got that right Treb! I think the original poster's intent was to have a discussion about Flyers......and NOT about the anti aspect. Small Bore tried to get us on the right track with his post. I used to participate a lot, trying different shells, chokes and guns. Pretty much settled on a 32 inch Perazzi Mirage choked Full and Fuller. Mine almost shot like a rifle and that's what I wanted because if I hit the bird I wanted it to die. Some guys liked more open choke for the first shot....I did better with a tighter choked gun especially when back at 35 yards. In terms of shells, I preferred 1 1/4 oz and 3 1/4 dram to the 3 3/4 dram load....recoil would get to me. Sometimes I shot a release/pull trigger.....extremely fast trigger for a guy skilled with one. In terms of guns, most guys use O/U configuration, but you see some automatics and SxS's too. I once saw a man win over $100,000 shooting a Model 21 Winchester. He clearly knew how to operate that old gun! Flyer shooting is the Super Bowl of shotgun sports IMHO and I really miss playing the game (got away from it due to time constraints plus I'm not the shot I used to be as a younger man).

I like a 30" Mx8, or my 29.5" Comp1. Chokes either .025/.035, or .030/.040. Shoot about equal 3.25 vs 3.75dr loads. Largest shot allowed. Straight 7s when I can. They DO kill better.

I really enjoy pigeon shooting! I have a perazzi 30" MX2L that works just great. To me the real world series in this game is the hand thrown one! A good colimbare is the real deal. Then its you against the other man. The bird is just an active part. For this I use a 28" Bertuzzi hammer gun and for me it does just that hammers the bird without hammering me.
The shells I have used with the best results are 8's then 7 1/2 both copper plated. I have used 9's on the first shot on box birds with dramatic sucsess.
I took my grandson for his first look at one of these shoots when he was 11. It was a practice session and there were only about twelve older gentlemen there all of whom were old friends. All he had for a gun to shoot was a 26" SKB 28ga over an under with #8 shot this was not going to go well but at least he could get the feel was the consesus of the group. Sure enough the first bird out of the box had a nice safe flight home. The next two were killed, but were out of the ring. He was being to careful. So with the words shoot them in the eye as soon as you see them coming out of the box ringing in his ear, He did just that! I mean those birds were toast and never got further than 6 feet from the box. Needless to say the other gentlemen were drop jawed but we all agreed on one thing its not the arrow its the Indian. Youth, eyes and reflex do the trick
My last word is for the naysayer sounds like to me you couldnt hit them in the eye.
Regards
John Mc