Pigeon hunts need to be put out to pasture | Opinion

I’m a woodcock hunter. I keep in practice by shooting pigeons. My son tosses them in the air for me. I miss most that fly directly over my head. But when I center one with my 12-gauge Ithaca, it feels great to blow it apart.

These are clay pigeons — aka “skeet.” For target practice, clay pigeons have lots of advantages over live ones. You don’t have to catch, raise or feed them. You don’t have to transport them long distances. And you don’t have to become a pariah for engaging in animal cruelty.