# killed 91 today...



## PurePredator (Feb 26, 2010)

dont get much better


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## El Gato Loco (Jan 15, 2010)

That second one looks like a bird of prey! lol


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Chris Miller said:


> That second one looks like a bird of prey! lol


Ya the colors are almost there, the beak and the feet aren't.


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## onereddawg (Feb 24, 2010)

What happens to the bands? I mean d you collect them or call someone to report them for any science?


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## El Gato Loco (Jan 15, 2010)

onereddawg said:


> What happens to the bands? I mean d you collect them or call someone to report them for any science?


I don't think he's calling anyone.







They are banned because someone is hoping they will arrive home soon. Some are probably involved in expensive races.

I can't imagine what some of those birds cost. Guess they need to train their birds not to fly over Mike's airspace


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## PurePredator (Feb 26, 2010)

Yeah, I dont target bande


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

COOL, looks like you guys had a blast!!!!!!!


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Vile disgusting pigeons. They are like airborn carp they eat anything and everything.


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

When I was kid we used to jump em out of my uncles barn. My borther and I would flip for who got to stand outside with the gun a 20 guage. We always got a few and then we would go in for dinner and go back out again.

I actually enjoyed eating them we would pluck em, or skin em, or just breast em. They were tastee.

What do you guys do with em ??

I think the racers just get mixed in with a flock and never make it home....Gee wonder where # 966 is ??

We used to trap city pigeons and shoot em over my pointers...those got left.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

I had a friend who used to have homing pigeons in a cage out back of her house. They spilled food everywhere, she would wrap fishing line around the legs to the cage and wait for the city birds to get through the fish line then she would run out the back door and they would get all tangled in the line tryiong to get away. She would grab them for me to use training the dogs. I used to tie a cardboard square to their legs with yarn and a rubberband so that they didn't fly too far and I could reuse them. Never could eat them though. Dove are the same family I believe and they aren't too bad. Squab is young pigeon I think and is a delicacy for those that will eat it.


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## Bigdrowdy1 (Jan 29, 2010)

I have heard of people who have ate pigions but they were country birds not city. I have never ate them though I love dove. Season opens here Wedensday after next. My Dad's coming down and we are going after um for 5 days will let you know how we do.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

We have so many doves here now, and so few hunters that they changed the regs on them. It used to be that the southern part of the state could only hunt till noon, now you can hunt all day, and I believe that the euro doves have no limit.Mourning doves and white wings are a limit of ten of which no more than six can be white wings.


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## Bigdrowdy1 (Jan 29, 2010)

Doves are 15 daily limit with 30 possesion limit after first day.This can include white winged ,mourning and white tipped dove. With a limit of 2 white tipped aday. Not to sure about the Euro dove if they are in our area. We have a northern and central zone that opens on the first and a southern zone that opens on the 17th. With a couple of special season zones


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

I found pigeons to be better eating than doves and being that they are larger means....more. To me it did not matter if it was an old or young bird they all were good. But then it has been more than a few years. When you are a kid and you shot it...it all tasted good. I do however prefer pheasant most over all birds.


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## Cliffy (Mar 7, 2010)

Never ate a pigeon, but they are vile, and I never ate a crow, because they are vile. When I saw how chickens are commercially raised, I'd never eat another chicken. The video "Food, Inc" solved my desire to eat another small fowl. I still think I'd eat a wild duck, goose, or turkey. Pheasants are dry tasting to me (too much lean white meat), but a duck adds a lot of succulent dark meat. Cliffy


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## On a call (Mar 3, 2010)

I have yet to find wild game that is not dry, meaning lean on fat. Duck is dark and depending on what type of duck it can be good. Puddle ducks to me are the best, mallards, wigion, woodys, gadwall, pintail, and other puddle duck are good. If you want to try divers...well most taste














and so I do not shot them unless someone wants them. Goose is ok..but only if prepared correctly. Pheasant rules !!!! Cook it down and make a casserole and you will shoot everyone for dinner ! Turkey is good also. I agree with you that some are vile but I love lobster and shimp also and they have a terrible diet too as do oysters, clams,turtles, mmmmm...getting hungery here.


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## Coalforge (Nov 30, 2012)

Pigeons that we shoot out of the grain bins eat very well. I suspect the flavor would be affected by what they eat. The ones that live on barley are fine.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Welcome to the forum coalforge


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## Bossdog (Feb 3, 2012)

I don't think he's calling anyone. They are banned because someone is hoping they will arrive home soon. Some are probably involved in expensive races.

I can't imagine what some of those birds cost. Guess they need to train their birds not to fly over Mike's airspace

You are correct. Birds with bands are expensive, due to winning races or genetics. I had 17 homing pigeons at one time and the fella I bought them from had thousands of them. His banded birds started around $500 bucks and went up from there for breeding birds to raise race birds. Someone is probably scratching their head wondering where their best birds went lol


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## fr3db3ar (Aug 6, 2011)

That's an expensive dinner LOL.


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

youngdon said:


> We have so many doves here now, and so few hunters that they changed the regs on them. It used to be that the southern part of the state could only hunt till noon, now you can hunt all day, and I believe that the euro doves have no limit.Mourning doves and white wings are a limit of ten of which no more than six can be white wings.


When was the last time you went dove hunting Don? They changed that, the limit on white wings... hold on let me check, but I am never wrong... lol


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## Spearodafish (Nov 11, 2012)

Ha Pigeons... Used to catch them in barns at night too but that was so we could plant live birds to train our bird dogs. Tuck the head under a wing, cradle them in your hands & rock back & forth to make them go night night. Ace them down in brush gently & run dog in field & work on point & flush. After shooting bird, dog got to retrieve. Lots of fun for the dog & shooter. 

Other than that, no use for them on my end.


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## Spearodafish (Nov 11, 2012)

*place not ace..


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

As someone who has made the mistake of calling the owner of a racing pigeon I can say this much. Don't do it. The guy went ballistic, apparently it was a $1300 bird. He even got the cops involved, it didn't amount to anything other than the cop telling me "next time I wouldn't call if I were you", of course that was after I had explained how it happened at a dairy farm where they wanted us to shoot them. lol


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## 35bore (Nov 24, 2012)

Back in the day, as kids, we were paid 2 cents per bird. (We used 22's, so it was cost effective) Shooting them off of the rooftops of the train yard. Bet the aren't any kids in school right now that can say that.


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

I'm sure that my reaction to how much he had paid didn't help his loss any at the time SG. The only whine involved came from him. lol


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## Paul-e (Sep 16, 2012)

Wow JLowe69! I never could have imagined that racing pigeons would bring that kind of price tag. If he was worth that much, seems to me you would have never been able to hit him! That bird had to be fast! I could imagine myself making that phone call and thinking I was doing the right thing at the time. now I know better, thanks.


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

It was a rather bright white one, that stood out from the others, and made it easier to pick one out from the flock. I'm sure that helped me some. I think I still have the bright orange, banded leg around somewhere. Its one of only two banded birds I've ever shot since I don't waterfowl hunt much. The other was a dove I shot last year here in Az. that had been banded in Vermont or some state in that area only a few weeks before I shot it. I called on that too,(caller ID blocked of course,lol) and they were supposed to send me a "co-operation certificate" of some sort, which reminds me I need to call them again since I never got it.


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## NattyB (Jan 5, 2012)

Great shooting. Did you see those pigeons behind you looking at their dead comrades?

OK, NattyB on Pigeons: Country Pigeon, dumb, but good eating (I do like dove better) and fun shooting. City Pigeon, dumber, vile and good shooting.

We used to set the dead ones out for decoys. I say "dumb" because many times shooting at an overhead flock, the lead bird would circle and they'd come around for another hammering. Most killed on one jump by two hunting buddies: 13 with 6 shells. They snuk up on a flock and said, "We just shot holes in the flock, they were so thick." (We were goose hunting and they decided to leave the blind and go jump them.) Once made the mistake of mentioning pigeon shooting to an avid racer (He was an NRA Cert firearms instructor so I figured he had plenty of ******* in him.) It was a short conversation and I had to make something up about them being barns pigeons. Anyway, fun shooting...don't forget to swing and lead.


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## finstr (Jan 6, 2013)

Holy thread resurrection! Lol, I've shot pigeons at the farm this summer and one was banded. Didn't see it when I shot. They're pretty small bands and that was the last thing on my mind when I'm in pigeon kill mode.


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Did you call the number on the band? lol


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## Keatts (Dec 26, 2012)

Looks like fun


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Well it took almost a year and a half, and two submissions, but I finally got my certificate. Part of the issue must have been either I typed the wrong number or they read it wrong on the first go-around, because that bird came from right where I shot it, the same year I shot it, not the east coast like they said when I called it in originally. lol The cert. came in e-mail form but is printable, and should look nice on the wall. I will post a pic when I get it printed out. Not quite 'puter savvy enough to be able to get it from my e-mail to a post on here yet. lol


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Well, I finally recruited some help getting it onto my dashboard, so here is the certificate I got for calling, then e-mailing then a year later e-mailing them again.
View attachment C_of_A_1663-86296_1487269-3.pdf
No big deal but better than a sharp stick in the eye by far. :teeth:

Sorry you need to click on it to see it.


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## fr3db3ar (Aug 6, 2011)

So what's the appreciation for? Shooting their banded bird? LOL

We can't hunt doves here because their migratory, even though in Ohio they can shoot our doves when they migrate :/

We can shoot geese and they're migratory. It's weird.


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Yea, that always irritated me when I lived there fr3d, as I recall it has been almost passed to open a season more than once. We do have to pay an extra $3 for a migratory stamp to hunt 'em here, but I'm good with that. I tried a few shots during late season to hit one with my .410 pistol. Note I said tried. lol I plan on shooting some hand thrown clay pigeons, and/or barn pigeons, this summer for practice and dang-it, I'm going to get some doves with it this Aug. I'm guessing the appreciation was for making the report so they can keep track of were they go, that one obviously should have went farther. lol


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## chopayne (Jan 26, 2013)

Chris Miller said:


> I don't think he's calling anyone. http://www.predatortalk.com/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/runforhills.gif They are banned because someone is hoping they will arrive home soon. Some are probably involved in expensive races.
> 
> I can't imagine what some of those birds cost. Guess they need to train their birds not to fly over Mike's airspace http://www.predatortalk.com/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/hunter.gif



did you mean banded? or banned?


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## AR-Patriot (Feb 19, 2013)

Just curious,are you killing them to eat, or are they doing crop damage,or as population control?

Patriot


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Well, the barn pigeons are usually for mess they make crapping all over everything to include feed for the cattle, so its health concerns, population control, and pest control, with the added bonus' of great target practice, while doing the landowner a big favor. However, the doves I eat everyone of them I can manage to get, since they are wild game not a ferrel pest. Thats me though, as I know some folks eat the pigeons too, I just would rather not, after watching them eat cow poo all day. lol


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## Hawk (Jul 4, 2012)

Maybe I'm getting old, but shooting something just for the fun of killing something just ain't right. If your going to kill pigeons, then you ought not to waist them. They are absolutely delicious. If eating wild game turns your stomach then you ought to stay with clay pigeons.


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

ive eaten many a barn pigeon over the years

not one of them have tasted like manure

only like a game hen

me likey a well made and properly cooked pigeon


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Wild game don't bother me none Hawk, if fact I prefer it. I just don't care to eat pigeons and since they don't fall under wild game I'm not sure where you got the"if wild game turns your stomach" part.?.? Especially when I said I eat every dove I can get. However, I don't nor do I have any intention of eating coyote hawk , but now I have to ask, Do you eat coyotes?

For that matter I've eaten several of the rattlers we hunted last fall, but that again is wild game. I traded one bag of 'em to one of my neighbor, in return for her teaching me how to cook it, the rest I've been eating. Pretty good, a lot like frog legs.

sgb, The next time I go and shoot some to put/keep me in good graces with a farmer/landowner, maybe you could enlighten me on the proper technique? I'm certainly not above trying 'em as long as they come from far enough away from the city, and with the ground they cover, that will have to be a long way. Ain't no way I'm eating one of these winged rats living around here. lol


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Years ago my Grandparents had a large poultry farm, the neighbor farm had pigeons, well if they crossed the boundary they were history, they are one of the worse disease,parasite carrying birds out there, for that reason I probably wouldn't eat them either, doves a really good though.


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## Hawk (Jul 4, 2012)

Pigeons and doves are very closely related. They both eat seed and grain. Neither are noted as disease carriers. Both are very clean in their eating habbits.

Now chickens are another story. They are absolutely filthy and will pick to death other chickens and eat any dead thing they can find. They pick through and eat what's passed through horses and cows, and most everybody loves chicken. Every mouse or bug or small snake that wonders through a chicken pen is in trouble.

The reason most farmers hate pigeons is because they poop all over where they roost. They are nasty for that reason, but have you ever walked somewhere where there a lot of geese. You don't want to be bare footed or for that matter don't walk barefooted in the chicken pen. English sparrows and starlings are by far worse as disease carriers.

Coyotes as far as I'm concerned arn't edible, but in winter the fur is valuable and shouldn't be wasted. For that reason i don't hunt them in the summer unless they are after livestock or mangy. Neighbors occasionally have calves come up missing which I am sure is because of coyotes.

Sometimes we kill for necessity, But not just for the fun of destroying something. I didn't always think this way and i am definately not an animal rights activest or a tree hugger. I just think God put a lot of things here for a reason even though I have no clue why He put mosquitoes and ticks here and a lot of other stuff for that matter. God is a lot smarter than I am so it dosn't bother me if I don't know all the answers.

I was raised on a farm and our family lived off what we raised and hunted. My dad insisted we not waste anything we hunted or trapped. I didn't always follow that rule but It's a pretty good rule to follow and one i tought my kids as they were growing up and now one i teach my grandkids.


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

jlowe, just treat a pigeon like you would a cornish game hen.you can bake them,roast them etc.

i like them on the rotisserie on the grill.just rub them down with your fav poultry rub, and cook them

they are quite tasty

my grandma had several ways of making them.

my grandparents were poor polish farmers and believed that if it walked swam or flew you could eat it.and they did,and didnt waste a thing when they butched cattle and pigs and chickens etc.

i have eaten pigeons and doves that we shot in the barns,squirrles from the corn crib and yard,frogs and every species of fish in ctrl mn.,along with every type of water fowl,rabbits,etc.. i wont go into all the things that we ate after we butched the pigs and cows and chickens.but i will say that deep fried chicken feet are real good to eat,but you gotta clean them well first


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

It's that sometimes we kill for necessity that I'm working on Hawk. There are multiple CDC, and local health department articles on how 70% of pigeons carry multiple diseases that can harm and even kill humans, and livestock. Most farmers don't want 'em there, and you can often gain favor with some pest control. I've gotten permission from many different farmers to hunt other things. by agreeing to help with pest control, usually it was shoot these dang pigeons, and then if you didn't today, next time bring a rifle and shoot some woodchucks. I have eaten several woodchucks, but to be honest, not most of them. They at least are "game" not a ferrel animal run amuck. I grew up fairly poor as well, and ate many things that I will never eat again, but that was necessary at the time. For that matter we used to kill an awful lot of rats out in the barns and I don't recall ever eating one of 'em. Pigeons are pretty much the same critter, they just have wings.

You brought up flees and ticks, well pigeons are on the same level in most folks eyes, and they are an INVASIVE FERREL SPECIES , so Game and Fish / DRN in most states don't even require a license to shoot 'em, and I've never heard of a bag limit. Many states even ask that you shoot them whenever a safe opertunity presents itself while hunting real game. I understand where you are coming from, I just strongly disagree with your categorizing an invasive disease spreading ferrel animal as a game animal. Well, more so with what seems like an insinuation that I'm somehow wasteful/unethical to kill and throw away rats, either those with, or without wings. I'd have to ask, do you disapprove of shooting P-dogs without eating them too, even though they spread the plague, and destroy livestock as well?


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

i will say i wont eat a city pigeon,but a country pigeon to me is differant

in my area the country ones are eating corn and other grains for the most part.

the city ones,well they eat anything they can find.but also cant shoot them in the city.


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Yep sgb, the ones around here appear to have a real taste for McDonalds fry's, Popeyes chicken, and gas station nachos, (all things I don't/won't eat either) but any garbage will do. Once I get moved up to Prescott, the chance of it being a city pigeon that flew out to the country for a "day-vacation" will be considerably less, so I may just try some. Even though it's certainly not a sure thing with the distances they can/do cover. Sounds like if I just make 'em like a batch of doves on the grill I may be all set. I still won't be eating coyote or p-dogs though, no mater how many I shoot. lol

Oh, and for the record, if you dump a handful of stale tatter chips in front of your arrow backstop, you can shoot 'em in town with your bow, but it is NOT easy. I've only got two so far, even though I can hit a life sized cardboard cut-out of one, 9 out of ten times, I run aprox. about 1 out of 15 tries on the real pests. Thats kills though not the squirrel blunt deflecting off it and knocking off some feathers and they fly away. I have a block target in front of a shed thats 12' wide by 10' high by the way, with the block centered at the bottom of it and the pigeons must be right in front of the block for me to try it, so the deflection at worst, only makes my arrow hit the shed right next to the block, and its a rubber squirrel blunt. I guess bird fever is as powerful against me as buck fever, that or pigeons can duck the string at 25 yards. Yea, thats it, I'm going with they can duck the string. lol


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

i can understand them wanting to eat POPEYES CHICKEN,but mcdonalds and gas station nachos yukk


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Its the irony of how many hang out at Popeyes/KFC and eat their cousins that gives me a chuckle.


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## fr3db3ar (Aug 6, 2011)

I thought squab was another name for seagull.


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## fr3db3ar (Aug 6, 2011)

I have yet to understand why sea gulls are a protected species. I don't think they're going extinct any time soon


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

around here we call them garbage gulls

becasue all they seem to eat is garbage in parking lots etc


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## sneakygroundbuzzard (Nov 1, 2012)

Order them, NO
Go shoot me a mess of pigeons at a friends farm and call them squab and have a party
Sure why not


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

I always thought squab was pigeons to young to even fly that you have to climb around the rafters and pick out of the nests.

As far as seagulls go. I worked doing an addition to an existing dump, oops, "landfill" and they would come in and eat so much garbage they couldn't even fly away. We had to hire 2 additional laborers whose job it was to walk around and shoo them from in front of the equipment so we didn't (couldn't in some of our cases), run 'em over. All just because some ninny's decided they should be protected. Waste Management even had to build a car wash for those in the area to use for free to wash gull poo off there cars, with passes mailed out every three months. Good for 90 free washes, just to get a permit for the add-on. lol


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

Dang, a"little heftier" is an under statement Sg, they must really put the feed to 'em. I still don't plan on making any orders though. lol

On that note though, the feed store we get our dog food from sells quail chicks rather cheep, and I have considered raising a few of them just to eat 'em and see how they compare to the wild ones. As good as wild are I bet grain fed pen raised quail would be great.


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## JLowe69 (Nov 30, 2011)

I done it with 2 male, 3 female pheasants but turned 'em loose, in the process one got away with the "red blinder thingy" on its head and lived for at least 5 years with it on his head, because we kept seeing him on that property . lol


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