Clay pigeons

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Tod Dague

Tod Dague

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I just noticed a warning on some clay pigeons that I bought "the ingestion of clay targets by livestock or pets mat result in severe illness or death". I didn't think that livestock would eat these things. Any one ever had a problem. I figure they are made of clay which is essentially dirt why would they eat them. We can pick up the big peaces if necessary but will surly miss some.
 
Same discussion as was on another forum a couple of months ago. It was commented they used to have murcury or lead or something in them. We shot them for years out in the pastures, cows walked on them and they pretty much just turned to powder.

dun
 
No better than you Texans can shoot they may even be reusable.
 
We've got one pasture that has countless thousands on a hillside where I have a thrower mounted. We've never worried about them or ever had a problem. Like Dun said they are biodegrade fairly quickly.

One thing that is important is picking up shotgun hulls. The cows will chew them and occasionally swallow them. I've heard they are attracted to the sulfur in the spent gunpowder. Whatever the reason, they should be picked up – especially by dove hunters who naturally concentrate around stock tanks. It's amazing how a cow can crunch up a shell, even the brass. It will be mauled and have sharp parts projecting. If she swallows it, you've got pretty good odds on having a case of hardware. Make any hunters on your place pick their shells up. They don't rot like the old paper shells and can make a place look trashy, not to mention that they can be expensive when you factor in a cow or two.

Craig-TX
 
ollie":1u8x55hg said:
No better than you Texans can shoot they may even be reusable.
Click to expand...

Ha ha ha ollie you're so dang funny. Some days I'd prove you wrong. Other days I'd prove you right. And the sad part is that I'm not getting any better. But we can't reuse many around here. If the shooter doesn't get them the rocks usually do. I speak from experience. Need any rocks?

Craig-TX
 
No, really I have rocks!!
fallcows.jpg
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and more rocks...

therock.jpg
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Clay pigeons are made with pitch. Never heard of cattle being hurt by it, but for some reason pitch is toxic to hogs. Always thought a hog was tough to poison,but pitch will get it done.
 
Well certherfbeef, if you have to have rocks you might as well have purty ones. And you do. Calendar quality.

Craig-TX
 
ollie":31qwa5ar said:
No better than you Texans can shoot they may even be reusable.
Click to expand...
You guys have shot at John Wayne more times than the rest of the world has shot at beer cans. Some of those times I could have killed him with a club.
 
ollie":13y6iuv7 said:
ollie":13y6iuv7 said:
No better than you Texans can shoot they may even be reusable.
Click to expand...
You guys have shot at John Wayne more times than the rest of the world has shot at beer cans. Some of those times I could have killed him with a club.
Click to expand...

why ollie you know any decent citizen up against John WAyne would never shoot to kill
 
Thanks for the info. Compared to the rocks in the pictures we have gravel.

My Father-in-Law is from PA so between the North and the South one of us is bound to hit the target (some of the time). :D
 
Chuck":3gnrydne said:
Clay pigeons are made with pitch. Never heard of cattle being hurt by it, but for some reason pitch is toxic to hogs. Always thought a hog was tough to poison,but pitch will get it done.
Click to expand...

Some years ago I belonged to a Trap & Skeet Club. Every 10 years or so a company would pay the club to come in and "mine" the lead out of the soil where the spent shot and clay birds fell. The field was also leased to a local who planted wheat and ran winter steers on it. The steers were never harmed, but he told us that the County Agent had warned him not to run any hogs out there - not because of the lead, but because of the clay shards. Can't remember what was in them to bother hogs, but I guess "pitch" must have been the culprit!
 
Hi Tod,

I think you should keep your clay pigeons from the safe places where the livestock cannot reach it. Because you already experienced it, better to prevent next time. I guess you should go for the veterinarian for some consultation about this.
 
Clay pigeons, diesel,and whole corn one good way to get rid of them problem wild hogs.
 
The problem is that the target breaks into sharp shards and the hogs will eat the shards. I think they are attracted to the smell. It is like they were eating broken glass. As to cows I have heard that the pieces will cut up their feet and there is a chance if infection, I personally do not believe it but err on the side of caution. I throw mine over an old pond. Maybe the newer ones will dissolve, but I have been on old skeet fields and it have not seen any evidence of that with the old ones.
 
I've had a new one (White Flyer Orange/biodegradable) soaking in a bucket of water for about a month now--it hasn't dissolved yet. I guess by "biodegradable" they mean it eventually gets broken into pieces so small you can't see it. Someone told me it takes 2 years for them them to break down tho.
 

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