Unmasking Live Pigeon Shoots |
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December 20, 2007
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The secretive culture of live pigeon shoots thrives in Pennsylvania. |
Another year is ending without the Pennsylvania legislature acting to halt live pigeon shoots. In these pitiful competitions, contestants with shotguns blast away at live animals launched from boxes.
Thousands of birds die in these gruesome weekly shoots. And before the year ends, the live pigeon shoot season in Pennsylvania will culminate in a three-day blitz called the "Calcutta," where shooters will reportedly kill countless birds while gambling.
A few weeks ago, The HSUS offered a $1,000 reward for information on animal cruelty occurring in connection with live pigeon shoots. The resulting tips shocked even those who worked for years to stop pigeon shoots, as the details about associated practices such as animal trafficking and gambling surfaced.
Like dogfighting and cockfighting circuits, these seedy events are by invitation only and cloaked in secrecy.
How the Birds are Killed
The pigeons are released one at a time from box-like traps 30 yards from shooters. Each shooter has the chance to shoot five birds during one round, with the shooter unaware of which box will open and propel a bird. If the bird lands within a fan-shaped ring, then the shooter receives points.
As odd as it sounds, the birds who are killed immediately are the lucky ones. The animals used in pigeon shoots are treated like disposable skeet. Many birds continue their flight to the nearest tree limb after they are shot, where some perch and suffer for days before dying. It doesn't affect participants' scores if the birds are only wounded, as long as they fall in the ring. In fact, 70 percent of the birds are usually wounded rather than killed outright.
"Trapper boys" often take to the ring after the hunt to snip the heads off wounded birds with garden shears. But just as frequently, the live birds are merely tossed into trash bags to suffocate with the dead ones.
Bird Nettings and Interstate Trafficking of Animals
As many as 2,000 birds are used during a one-day shoot—meaning that when shoots are held frequently, a constant stream of birds is required. The birds are purchased from locals or live auctions, and many come from out of state. According to informants, brokers charge a few dollars apiece for birds trapped on New York City street corners or railroad bridges.
Out-of-state birds shipped into Pennsylvania spend many hours in a crammed crate on the back of a truck without food or water before distribution to area shoots. Because of the harsh conditions, not all the birds make it to the shoot alive.
The Toss of a Coin and the Shot of a Gun
Far from any traditional hunting practice, the culture of live pigeon shoots more closely resembles that of an animal fighting ring, particularly for its connections to gambling and other crimes.
Like animal fighting enthusiast, a core group of shooters follows the pigeon shoot circuit, and many devotees cross state lines to participate in the events because they are illegal in so many states.
The Next Step for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is the last state to host pigeon shoots openly. According to an informant, if an illegal pigeon shoot occurs in another state, chances are good that the birds were laundered through sources in Pennsylvania.
Many pressing issues face the Pennsylvania legislature, but one thing is clear: legislators receive hundreds of calls and letters about this practice, and it is overdue for a vote. The millions of animal lovers who oppose pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania far outweigh the several hundred members of the Pennsylvania Flyers Association (the umbrella group formed to protect the shoots).
The HSUS is working to pass legislation to make 2008 the year that these pigeon shoots end. Please help our campaign with a donation if you can.
What You Can Do
Related Links
Reward Offered for Exposing Cruelty at Live Pigeon Shoots
Pigeon Shoots
Pennsylvania's Pigeon Shoots
Bill Could End Pigeon Shoots in Pennsylvania
