Clay pigeons on pasture

[NCTrees]

Hey all, considering shooting clays on my property. Small cattle operation now on a couple hundred acres, other livestock a possibility in the future. Searching on compatibility seems it’s not much an issue for cattle but could be toxic for hogs? We’re looking at around a thousand clays a year, so not commercial, but not exactly a once over warm up for bird season either. We can go to FS lands around here but it’d sure be nice to walk out the back door and shoot as time allows so long as it doesn’t mess up the pasture or stock. Anyone have a small livestock operation that they shoot clays on that can give any advice?

 

[bluesulphur]

Loading up your pasture with that much lead doesn't seem like a great idea. We were always shooting on ours growing up but no where near that much in the same location.

 

[Scorpion]

I think the lead would be a bigger concern than 1,000 clays a year. I’d think you could hit them a disk, tiller, or brush hog to clean them up if you were worried about it.

I shoot a lot of sporting clays and it takes thousands of them to even begin to impact the area.

 

[Elk97]

Between the lead and plastic wads I'm not sure I'd want livestock on it but the deer at my local little club don't seem to be bothered. And the club has been blasting clays since 1949.

 

[Legend]

Please don't use FS land for littering 1,000 call pigeons.

Just use a dedicated place on your place. Heck you could even fence it off if you are worried about your livestock. And then when it gets to be too much of a mess you can use a small tractor and a blade and clean it up.

 

[Billy Goat]

Haven't seen it, but have heard of issues with hoofs.



The broken clay material getting wedged in and causing issues.

 

[Beaglegun]

Why worry about clay and lead when everything is saturated with ghlyphosate and atrazine.

 

[NCTrees]

Please don't use FS land for littering 1,000 call pigeons.

Just use a dedicated place on your place. Heck you could even fence it off if you are worried about your livestock. And then when it gets to be too much of a mess you can use a small tractor and a blade and clean it up.

Interesting and well taken point. We have one range on FS here that has a use permit and gets tidied up by volunteers regularly. But, I am curious what the overall concern would be shooting some on FS here and there presuming the clays degrade in weather and are non-toxic. Is lead the concern? Guess I get it when we’re taking dabbling ducks in a marsh, but on a rocky hillside? The wads would be an issue, but for other litter we make it a point to clean up after ourselves. If it’s just the aesthetic of broken clays that degrade in a few months I’m not sure I’m all that sympathetic.

 

[Afhunter1]

I have beef and its no shooting on my pastures/hay fields. Mainly do to the wads that I don't want in my calves stomachs. I go shoot at a club for $60/100 birds.

 

[Legend]

My beef is mostly an aesthetic issue. It takes moisture to break down the clay pigeons and in Montana it takes forever. So once you start shooting clays it becomes the new unofficial shooting range. Which often includes redneck targets and garbage. It just makes a mess on public land.

If it is an activity that people are hesitant to do on private land then we outta think real hard about doing it on public. The anti hunters don't need us to give them additional reasons (and in this discussion I would agree are legitimate) to close down shooting sports.

My 2 cents...I do appreciate the cordial discussion.

 

[NCTrees]

My beef is mostly an aesthetic issue. It takes moisture to break down the clay pigeons and in Montana it takes forever. So once you start shooting clays it becomes the new unofficial shooting range. Which often includes redneck targets and garbage. It just makes a mess on public land.

If it is an activity that people are hesitant to do on private land then we outta think real hard about doing it on public. The anti hunters don't need us to give them additional reasons (and in this discussion I would agree are legitimate) to close down shooting sports.

My 2 cents...I do appreciate the cordial discussion.

Good point about the litter, even if it degrades, potentially attracting dirtbags dumping couches and whatnot. Tragedy of the commons. Also agree on not doing stuff on public that I wouldn’t do on my own land, but right now the only real issue is perhaps the plastic wads getting eaten by cattle (appreciate the input Afhunter), so I might well do some shooting on my own place once I think that one through. Maybe felt wads?

As for the antis- I’m not sure they have a legit problem to gripe about. Aesthetics are subjective and I don’t believe folks have a right to be offended. Do I get to be offended by Subarus? Still considering all this. Appreciate the feedback and cordial conversation as well.

 

[Bluefish]

Good point about the litter, even if it degrades, potentially attracting dirtbags dumping couches and whatnot. Tragedy of the commons. Also agree on not doing stuff on public that I wouldn’t do on my own land, but right now the only real issue is perhaps the plastic wads getting eaten by cattle (appreciate the input Afhunter), so I might well do some shooting on my own place once I think that one through. Maybe felt wads?

As for the antis- I’m not sure they have a legit problem to gripe about. Aesthetics are subjective and I don’t believe folks have a right to be offended. Do I get to be offended by Subarus? Still considering all this. Appreciate the feedback and cordial conversation as well.

Down range used to make a biodegradable wad. Not sure if they still do. Even then it takes a few years to break down.