Tower Shoots

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	Pheasants may be tossed from a tower to hunters waiting below.

In a tower shoot, guides release pheasants from an elevated platform in a disoriented flurry, as shooters wait below at stations positioned at various angles from the platform. Tower shoots are pitched as a great way to socialize, conduct corporate business or train dogs.

A number of birds—usually ten—are released at once, and then shooters switch positions until each has used all the stations. Hunters usually pay $200-$500 for a guaranteed shot at a certain number of birds. At the end of the shoot, dead birds are divided equally among participants.

Ranging from 25 to 100 feet, the higher the tower the more likely it is that birds will be subjected to inaccurate shots that maim rather than kill them outright.

Birds lucky enough to escape the firing alight nearby on the property. Shooters then take off with dogs in an effort to retrieve each lost bird.

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