so i always carry my shotgun when wheeling mainly to make myself feel safer when sleeping in my tent. i do however notice whenever and wherever i walk right off the beaten path at foredyce i see broken clay pigeons deteriorating on the ground and a accasionally hear shotguns back in the rocks around commitee. seems to me that this just creats trail litter or am i wrong. i know the clays are supposed to be eco safe and rapid deteriorating but how fast do they dissapear?
dont get me wrong the idea of shooting at any time apeals to me if its an appropriate situation. am i the only one who doesnt do this, if so let me know so i can join the fun

I know it's a different area but.....

I spent some time last year talking with the Mendocino NF about shooting clay pigeons. Nobody there seemed to know if it was legal or not and it was several phone calls over a couple of days with different individuals before anybody finally threw out a definitive answer.

My guess is they had nothing in writing against it but to CYA they stated that it was legal as long as all material was picked up afterwards. A case of clay pigeons shattered by pellets and strewn over a 70 yard swath makes for a busy day of cleanup.

We were looking at an area that is basically solid brush of which they were aware. You could shoot clay pigeons there for years and nobody would ever know.

Most clay birds I'm familiar with are "biodegradable", even stating on the box not to let them get wet and don't store in high humidity. Do they make any other kind?

Most clay birds I'm familiar with are "biodegradable", even stating on the box not to let them get wet and don't store in high humidity. Do they make any other kind?

Most are not biodegradable. If they get wet, they don't shatter, they just get small holes in them which is why you need to keep them dry. The only biodegradable ones I've seen are Winchester AA although I'm sure there are others. The biodegradable ones are clearly labeled as such.

so whats the prate boards concensus on weather or not your a dou*$# bag or not for shooting them just off our trails assuming they are biodegradable. another thought was will they even desolve at high altitudes? my understanding is that poop wont and thats why we pack it out

:shaking:

If the box says "Do Not Use Where Hogs Feed"
They cant be biodegradable, even if they were remember the rule, "Pack it in pack it out and leave no trace"

They are biodegradable. says right on the box they degrade in 2 years

my understanding is that poop wont and thats why we pack it out

Poop will biodegrade, but when you put a large quantity of it in a small place it becomes a very serious health, pest, and water quality issue. Not to mention the toilet paper left behind.

They are biodegradable. says right on the box they degrade in 2 years

My opinion is that if it takes that long to degrade and its going to look like chit with all kinds of broken clays all over the place...just have to ask yourself the question if thats what you want the trail looking like. How does it look to outsiders?

They are biodegradable. says right on the box they degrade in 2 years

My opinion is that if it takes that long to degrade and its going to look like chit with all kinds of broken clays all over the place...just have to ask yourself the question if thats what you want the trail looking like. How does it look to outsiders?

I'm with Keith, legal or not I don't want to look at trash on the trail for 2 years. If you shoot them please pick them up. Pack it in pack it out!

On a side note thank you for asking.

My opinion is that if it takes that long to degrade and its going to look like chit with all kinds of broken clays all over the place...just have to ask yourself the question if thats what you want the trail looking like. How does it look to outsiders?

This ^^

The trail is not a shooting range anyways or your back 40 property. Carry for self defense, believe me I don't leave the house unarmed, but there is no reason to be shooting out on the trail. If you are hunting, then great but I think it's best that the recreational target practice should stay off the trails that the treehuggers want to keep from us all so bad. If you do insist on doing it just clean up all the little bitty fragments, but really seems like more trouble than it's worth.

If you're responsible when shooting and it's done in a legal manner and you pick up your trash (remember whether or not the clays biodegrade they are still trash!!) then I say go ahead. Although I don't like to hear shooting on the trail I'm not going to say don't do it. It's perfectly legal if done safely. Just be responsible.

Now, even if it's legal and you pick up your trash (clays) are you shooting lead or steel shot? IMO the danger to the environment from lead shot laying all over the place and getting into the watershed is the biggest issue. So, unless you're shooting steel shot or you go out and pick up ALL the little lead pellets DON'T SHOOT! And remember even steel shot shells have a plastic wad that will take about 1000 years to biodegrade if they ever even do. Those need to be picked up as well.

yeah my thought from the begining was that it was a bad idea even though it sounds fun. i just wanted to make sure i wasnt being to much of a tree hugger. well maybe all the guys shoting and leaving all the broken fragments behind the rocks on the lower side of commitee will read this and think twice