It is long past time to end the horrific cruelty of live pigeon shoot contests in our state! You can help by contacting your state senator today to urge them to co-sponsor the bill being introduced by Senator Lisa Boscola and Senator Jay Costa. Also, continue to urge your state representative to co-sponsor Representative Perry Warren’s bill – HB 1097 – to ban these barbaric pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania.
WHAT IS A LIVE PIGEON SHOOT? Live pigeon shoots are brutal contests in which live birds—often illegally captured and transported into Pennsylvania—are used as living targets. Shooters fire at close range, earning points for every bird they strike within a set distance. Shockingly, observers have documented that 70% of the birds are merely wounded, left to suffer in agony. Bucks County, Pennsylvania remains one of the last locations where these notoriously cruel events still take place. It’s time to end this inhumane practice once and for all.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH PIGEON SHOOTS? Everything. These events are horrifyingly cruel, causing immense animal suffering. Neighbors have witnessed wounded birds struggling and bleeding to death for hours or even days, as well as wounded bird drowning in the Delaware River. Children—some too young to understand the brutality—are used to retrieve the victims.
Before the shooting begins, pigeons are crammed into boxes, disoriented and terrified. They are then launched into the air at random, only to be gunned down. Shooters earn points based on where the birds fall, turning their suffering into nothing more than a gruesome game.
After each round, wounded birds are collected—often by untrained youth—who kill them in horrifying ways: by snapping necks, slamming them against the ground, or even cutting off their heads. The bodies, both dead and still living, are then discarded like garbage. Observers have found live birds mixed among the corpses, left to suffer for hours or even days after the event ends.
Pigeon shoots are no different from illegal dog fights or cockfights—cruel spectacles where animals are tormented for gambling and entertainment. These events operate in secrecy, with most participants coming from out of state to engage in this barbaric bloodsport. Bucks County, Pennsylvania remains one of the last places where these atrocities are allowed to continue. It’s time to for the legislature to end this shameful practice.
There is overwhelming support from the public and animal welfare organizations to put an end to this barbaric practice. Our state has the opportunity to lead by example, demonstrating that we prioritize compassion and respect over influence of a tiny group of shooters – mostly from out of state. The time has come to move away from outdated traditions that inflict harm and embrace more humane alternatives for recreation and wildlife management. These shoots could easily be replaced with clay.
TRADITIONAL SPORTSMEN OPPOSE LIVE PIGEON SHOOTS: Most hunters recognize the difference between hunting and shooting a disoriented, captive bird launched from a box. The Pennsylvania Game Commission has opined that a narrowly tailored ban, as provided for in this legislation, will not affect any legal hunting activities in Pennsylvania. Pigeon shoots are not genuine “sportsmen” events and there is nothing sporting about close range shooting of mechanically launched dazed, weakened and disoriented birds. Join the majority of Pennsylvania hunters who would never participate in an event that is an embarrassment to their sport. Opposing inhumane live pigeon shooting events does not mean one is anti- gun: Shoot away! At clay!
WHO SUPPORTS LIVE PIGEON SHOOTS? Hardly anyone. Out-of-state shooters who can’t hold these barbaric contests where they live. Political Action Committee (PAC)s, funded by out-of-state donations, contribute to key legislators—sometimes just days before a scheduled vote on banning the shoots, halting the bill from finally passing.
WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG TO END THIS SENSELESS CRUELTY? For 30 years, this bill has not received a vote as a standalone bill. The closest it came was in 2014, when the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill banning the eating of dogs and cats, to which the pigeon shoot ban was added. In 2024, after successfully passing out of committee, it stalled once again, never receiving the expected House vote. It is long past time for the Pennsylvania legislature to end this backward and cruel practice—one that has more in common with cockfighting and dogfighting than with hunting. This bill deserves a vote!
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THESE BARBARIC CONTESTS: Contact your state legislators to ask them to support HB 1097 – the bill to end live pigeon shoots.