Pigeon shoot is shut down

December 31, 1992

The Daily Times (Ottawa, IL)

By George Stowell

SENECA – A pigeon shoot at the Seneca Hunt Club was shut down by La Salle County sheriff's deputies Wednesday morning after animal rights activists complained it was illegal.

Plano resident Steve Hindi, how founded the Animal Rights Coalition of Chicago, and a humane investigator with the state Department of Agriculture asked the sheriff's department to stop the shoot.

There were no arrests, and Hunt Club Owner William Vajdik voluntarily suspended the shoot, a sheriff's report said.

Vajdik said there will not be any pigeon shoots until State's Attorney Joseph Navarro issues an opinion.

The state attorney general's office in September said the practice of shooting pigeons for sport, wagering or entertainment appears to be unlawful under the Humane Care for Animals Act.

"They tried to put one over on us today," Hindi said. "We called the local police, the sheriff's department and state troopers. It's amazing that something like that is legal.

"When these clowns started driving out today, they threw a wounded pigeon at us. It was still alive."

Cheryl Vandervort, a humane investigator with the Department of Agriculture, accompanied deputies and said the shoot was illegal.

She said Vajdick acknowledged that participants paid to shoot the pigeons. First prize was a gold belt buckle, she said.

Vajdick said if Navarro rules the pigeon shoots are illegal, "then that's the way it is. We will cooperate."

He said the hunt club is a legitimate sports club that provides employment for about 15 people and brings tax revenue into the county.

The club is on 715 acres southeast of Seneca. Vajdik said all but 105 acres are in Grundy County.