A true sportsman or sportswoman cringes at the thought of blasting away at pigeons released from cages only yards away. Gun enthusiasts and average citizens should join in the rejection of this “sport,” one with no sense of fair chase as should be the case when hunters go into the woodlands and fields of Pennsylvania in search of game.
The arguments against live pigeon shoots are sound. The birds often are only wounded and they must be dispatched.
At the infamous Hegins, Schuylkill County pigeon shoots of the late 20th century, youngsters would race onto the field and wring the necks of wounded birds. That scene helped doom the Hegins shoot, which was the site of anti-pigeon shoot demonstrations for many years.
The use of trapped animals also is an issue. It is the antithesis of animals in the wild, including pheasants rising from the cornstalks.
Now, the state Senate has before it a bill that would ban such shoots. A live pigeon shoot was held only days ago at the Wing Pointe Resort in Berks County. Again, there is outrage that live birds are being shot when clay targets would suffice, the same clay targets tossed before thousands of shooters who agree that it is inhumane to shoot pigeons out of the air.
The Humane Society of the United States endorses the ban. The National Rifle Association supports live pigeon shoots.
It is another example of the NRA, which advocates for Second Amendment rights, going over the top and actually hurting its own cause and harming the very sportsmen and gun owners that it counts as members.
The comments of Humane Society spokesman John Goodwin carry weight. Shooting live pigeons released from cages, he said, “is no more sport that shooting chickens coming out of a henhouse.”
Should the Senate pass the bill, it is expected the state House would concur. The hope is that a bill will pass during the session that runs through October. The Senate Game and Fisheries Committee voted 10-4 for the bill. We urge the full Senate to promptly pass the legislation and send it on to the House.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
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Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)