Sunday, November 22, 2009

Pheasant Death Row

Days 20 and 21

This weekend my brother brought me along to his sportsman club to feed the pheasants that they keep to shoot for sport there.

The pen that held them had netting on the top so they couldn't fly away and all of the birds were wearing frontward blinders so if they got aggressive with another member of their population their eyes wouldn't be pecked out.


When I was in the holding pen the birds were making their squawking sounds and would occasionally flutter around in the air in terror. I felt a bit sorry for them but it also felt a bit like Hitchcock’s The Birds.

In their attempts to escape, a few would get stuck in the top netting. One bird looked like it had just hung itself it had been trapped in the binding so long. My brother got him free so no worries there.

For the most part, the pheasants are treated humanely, until a few of their number get removed and released into the air for club members to shoot at. Being a hunter is something I could never feel comfortable with but I won’t harp on the people who are. I’ve eaten meat for most of my life and cattle are treated far worse in slaughter houses then the pheasants are at the club.

At least at the club they have the possibility of escape if they dodge the shotgun pellets.

After my meatless year is up I may go back to poultry but pheasant is just too dry a bird for me.

Talk to you soon.



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