[TheOtherOne]

Is leaving broken clays all over considered littering? They are suppose to be bio-degradable aren't they?

I'm not talking so much about ones that have been broken to tiny pieces with a shotgun, but more about ones that you just set out to shoot with a rifle or pistol.

[4570Rick]

They bio-degrade after a while however, DO NOT leave them anywhere near where pigs can find them unless you dont like the pigs.

[crewchief]

You know I always thought that they were bio-degradable too. I mean I am sure that they are but when it comes to cleaning up your mess that is a good one. I say that if they are big orange hunks and they look like an eyesore maybe you should pick them up or atleast pick them up and place them somewhere that is not such an eyesore and let them bio-degrade. Personally though whenever I shoot clays they get thrown over this massive corn field that the farmer doesn't mind and I never see them again. I know that they do get blown into little bits by birdshot but comon everyone misses and whole ones come down.

[dukeofurl]

I think some are biodegrable - still takes 18 months though.

[skeetlover]

Yea, I work at a shotgun club. We have all the clay games basically.. Skeet,Trap,5-stand and Sporting clays.. Flurry on occasion and Long shot competitions all that stuff no FITASC (sp?) though. Anyway, we used to use the biodegradable clays and it says on the side of the box will biodegrate within two years with sufficient rain. Anyhow they are quite expensive for the biodegradable clays so now we have just recently switched over to the non biodegradable clays which are made by Northwest instead of the old clays which are made by White Flyer. I know you said you are shooting them with rifle but for using in a machine I prefer the White Flyer clays, they are much stronger and seem to hold up better, no harder to break just stay together while being thrown. I seem to have a lot of broken clays with the cheaper Northwest clays. Not to say they are a bad target it just seems as though the White Flyer bio's seem to hold up better. The bio clays also leave a white cloud of smoke when you blow them away the non bio's leave a black cloud. Plus with how many targets we throw it feels better to throw bio clays. Although its not my choice. I just push the buttons and keep score. :rolleyes:

Oh, We also tend to pick up non broken clays on sporting clays and throw them in the Long Shot machine or use them as extras, they don't hold up as good as new ones but they can be used for something.

Mark

[berettaman]

I wouldn't know,I've never missed one.;)

Seriously though where I shoot is a large pasture and after I brush hog it I can't seem to find much of anything that isn't powdered after that.:evil:

[TarpleyG]

I have always just crushed the half-shot ones with my heel and pick up any that are still whole (not that there are a lot, mind you). Never really had a problem.

GT

[sturmruger]

After I am done shooting trap I pick up the clays that are still in one piece. I keep them to shoot my .22 at.

[Billy the Kid]

picking up clay piggies is a little anal retentive dont you think? I mean if youre going to go that far why not go further down the range and pick up all the buck shot too?

[Bobster]

Is lead not far bigger hazard than clays? My local skeet and trap range has the field scraped by a contractor every 6 yrs or so to get rid of the lead. The contractor removes the lead and sells it off.

[SASS#23149]

If the informal clay shooters of the world would just pickup their hulls,boxes,cans and potato chip wraqppers ,we as shooters would'nt be getting such a bad rap.A lot of shooters pick up NOTHING!

As to the clays,after ten years ,the ones I shot at an Uncles ranch in Tx are srtill sitting there....bleachec ,but still there.And these are the little pieces.Non-bio ones they are.

No,I don't thinkwe need to get the pieces,just the boxes,etc.

[grnzbra]

What's the story with pigs and clay pigeons?

[ARGarrison]

I always do a walk down. That is we get together after the range is closed and walk down picking up any non broken clays and smashing any broken clays to smaller pieces.

Every now and then we run across a whole clay that hasn't been broke, but is laying in the tree line. It's ussaully bleached out on top, but is still soild.

[Bravo11]

I posted something like this awhile back.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=66871&highlight=clay+targets

I shoot in a pasture and was curious about the cattle ingesting broken clays. I always walk down and get the clays that didn't break( not many;) ) and try to use them next time, most bust out of the thrower but can be used as rifle/pistol targets.

[jhisaac1]

I don't know the story, but it does seem kind of stupid that you have to put a warning on the box "Do Not Feed To Hogs." I guess some things aren't as obvious as we think they are.

[Standing Wolf]

...DO NOT leave them anywhere near where pigs can find them unless you dont like the pigs.

How about Schumer's office?

[k8ysv]

I know I'm really showing ignorance here, but clay pigeons ARE made out of clay...right?

Clay IS dirt....right?

Or is there something they use in them that's harmful to the environment?

I would think the lead pellets would be more toxic...

[Carlos]

There's usually not much of anything to clean up.

[rust collector]

I agree with SASS. Pick up your trash, including hulls and targets of opportunity. Every bit of junk you leave behind is a monument to thoughtlessness, and if it's blasting byproducts or ventilated it points the finger of blame to the shooting community in general. Give us a break. Just mashing the bigger pieces of clay birds with your foot will speed the degradation process, but big chunks will be around for years.

While there was probably once clay in clay birds (probably resembling greenware pottery or adobe) a big component in recent years has been a type of pitch or petroleum byproduct that is bad news for swine. No one feeds them to hogs, but hogs are pretty sturdy critters that can get away with eating some nasty stuff. The warning makes it clear that the targets shouldn't be used where hogs feed. Of course they do have the good sense not to eat tomatoes, so for many years folks thought tomatoes must be poisonous.

[ReadyontheRight]

Today's clay pigeon is tomorrow's archeological treasure. :D Isn't clay inert? I do applaud those who go the extra mile to leave no trace.

Actually, I am somewhat appalled by the used plastic shotshells I often find in the woods. When you find one by itself -- no biggie -- a hunter tracking game and plastic is also inert, but when you find 5+ in one location?:scrutiny: Clean up after yourself!

[cracked butt]

I think there is something in clays that is toxic, but I cannot remember what it is. The boxes say do not use near hogs because the darn animals will eat anything that is on or in the ground.

[Remander]

I often pick up the missed clays from the shotgun range and use them for .22 plinking. If my shots don't dust them, I crush them under my foot before leaving, just so the range does not look so junky.

I also pick up a lot of ammo boxes, targets, and trash that others (morons) leave on the ground.

Before I leave the range, I look around and think what a non-shooter or potential member would think if they saw the grounds in their current condition. If it looks like a redneck trashpile that gives shooters a bad name (some deserve it), I clean up and try to keep our reputation from being further tarnished.

[4570Rick]

This is why I posted the Pig comment.


http://www.uga.edu/scwds/topic_index/1995/CLAYPI~1.pdf