‘Commando’ aims fire at pigeon shoots

Friday, January 4, 1991

The Daily Journal (Kankakee, IL)

by Mike Lyons Journal writer

Wilmington-it bears no credible resemblance to sport hunting.

And even though it is generally credited with being the decades-old forerunner of modern trapshooting, the pigeon shoot would appear to offer little test of marksmanship. It is, perhaps, an anachronism-a throwback endeavour, the product of a “less enlightened” time.

But be that as, it may, it is a legal shooting “sport” in Illinois, though one seldom practiced in this age, and when pigeon shoots are held, they occur without fanfare or general public notice.

And for good reason. In an age rife with protest against the “blood sports”- which some conceive to be fishing as well as hunting-pigeon shoots like one held near Wilmington Dec. 16 are attracting vocal and potentially violent protests by animal rights activists.

Roughly, here’s how pigeon shoots work: Boxes containing two pigeons are placed bout 60 feet in front of each of six shooting stations. In turn, each shooter calls for the box in front of his station to be opened. Once opened, a slight electric current is passed through a pad in the base of the box, causing the birds to take wing. The birds are hit, or missed, depending on the skill of the shooter.

Any “sport” involved would come from the unpredictable and potentially elusive flight of the birds-as opposed to the controlled flight of clay disks used in trap and skeet shooting.

However, in actual practice the birds are generally blasted when they’ve barely reached a height of six feet and have not achieved the speed and darting ability typical of the pigeon’s flight. Few escape.

To the critic, this is unsporting butchery. So it is to Steve hindi of suburban Carol Stream, who led eight to 12 protestors against the Dec. 16 shoot and has since sent letters of protest to media representatives throughout Illinois.

He labels pigeon shoot participants as a group of “slob shooters, Neanderthals and cowards, blasting away at trapped, confused and disoriented birds.”

Hindi led a demonstrative protest at the Wilmington event. it was not his first such commando endeavour on behalf of pigeons. His Labor Day challenge to what he describes as the major leagues of pigeon killing events held annually in Hegins, Pa. garnered national press coverage. In that shoot-fest alone, some 15,000 pigeons were “murdered” as Hindi put it.

Pigeon shoots must be licensed by the Illinois Department of Conservation. There is no charge for the license, but the licensing does mandate that shooters adhere to state rules governing the conduct of the shoot and humane disposal of wounded birds.

The wounded birds are generally killed by youngsters, called “trapper boys,” who pull the wounded pigeon’s head off. Hindi and company claim to have seen birds thrown into the dead pile while yet living. Sgt. Fred Mathis, commander of the area’s Conservation Police, and a monitor of a portion of the Dec. 16 event points out that beheaded birds will flop actively for some time.

Pigeoneers claim that destroying the birds is a service, since they are often carriers of disease. This is true enough, and part of the reason that only pigeons, house sparrows and starlings are the only totally unprotected birds in Illinois.

Still, if sanitation were the concern, then standing in a barnyard shooting at pigeons in full and speedy flight would no doubt offer far more sport and an undeniably greater test of shooting skill.

Hindi, incidentally, thinks pigeon blasters might also be charged with child abuse for allowing the trapper boys to come into contact with disease carrying birds.

Hindi also attacks the Department of Conservation, which he claims refused to reveal to him the names of organizations that apply for pigeon shoot licenses.