A tower shoot.
www.lostrivergamefarm.com/tower.html

I realize this is an AR focused web site but most Hoosiers are multi-talented.  All you need is about $100-$125 and some shotgun shells.  If we could get a dozen or so guys together it would be worth doing.  Simply put you don't have to be a hunter to do this either. I am sure we own enough shotguns, you woud not really need a gun either.

Basically go down there, shoot a round of sporting clays, the most fun you ever had with a shotgun.  Then head over to the tower.

I am going to be down there 10/23 through 10/25.  It is south of Bedford.  We do not have to do it that weekend, but we could, or I could at least let him know if we have enough that are interested.  If you have never hunted before this could be a simple way to get exposed to it in a social setting.  Technically you can miss 100% of your shots and you are still going home with some birds, unles we all suck.

I probably sound like a pussy, but I've spent many hours hunting pheasants both with a dog and without.  This has been conventional hunting for wild birds, save for some put and take hunting on state land in Indiana and Michigan.  The roosters I've shot were taken during 'fair chase' in their natural element.  I guess over the years I've developed a respect for the cock pheasant and an ever deepening love of the sport.  The fact that the wild pheasant population east of the Mississippi has plumented since I first started hunting is greatly distressing to me.

I don't see the sport in standing around a tower and shooting at pheasants flying out like pigeons from a church steeple.  If I'm going to do shooting like that, I'd prefer it be pigeons which are nothing more than rodents with wings.

I'm sure the Lost River preserve doesn't have the acreage to accomodate the kind of shooting they offer from the tower, but they're in business to make money.  In my opinion, they are prostituting a noble bird and culling the quick excitement of shooting a bird from the activity of hunting the bird.  It's no different than separating the orgasm from lovemaking.

If an outing is held, I'd like to go.  The sporting clays shooting sounds like fun.  But I'll pass on the pheasant slaughter.

1 vote for sporting clays.  

You don't sound like a pussy, I am just tossing it out there looking for ideas.  I have never done the tower shoot either, but I have no problem with it.  I will be down there in the fields that weekend with my Lab.  They have plenty of acreage to hunt on.  The tower thing I think originally comes from England.

Having lived in Nebraska and the Dakotas, I would prefer to go after wild birds, but since every farmer in Northern Indiana plows to the road you will never see the Pheasants back here like they were before the Blizzard of 78.  They are gone from here.  Northern Indiana is where the Pheasant prefer, and I get tired of driving to NE, Iowa or SD.  CRP helps, but does not solve it.  The WMA's seem to have some quail going and I am seeing more quail on private land again.  Only now the Coyotes seem to be a problem.  It seems like the Pheasant are back in parts of Illinois too.

All of this is why I started Dove hunting more and more.

The Tower shoot or sporting clays, both are easy and safe ways to have a shoot that requires none of us to do any work.  I have yet to see a great sporting clays course in Indiana but I have heard of one near Cincy.  But I think it would be better and easier to stay close to home as opposed to driving.  There is a course in Indy but I have yet to shoot it.  

So FYI, we will be shooting Sporting Clays at Lost River Thursday 10/23 at 1pm feel free to come.  $20 per head.  Bring shells or maybe you can buy them there, I am not sure on that.

In the mean time we could try to set up a weekend shoot some time.

Hey, thanks for the invitation, Zoub, but I couldn't get out of work on a weekday anyway. I know exactly where the place is, as my wife bought a pet fox from the Hudelsons a few years ago. I've never shot sporting clays, and I wouldn't relish the thought of my first time being in front of an audience.  Not to mention that the only smoothbore shotgun I currently own is a Benelli M1014. Man, that would be a sight to behold.

Sporting clays is a blast.  The idea is to get together, not compete.  The audience makes it fun.  By the way most sporting clay courses can be shot with IC, like in your M1014, but I would have no problem loaning you a gun.  I have shot clays with my Brothers M1S90 before, and it would be good practice for you.  Sporting clays is not like Trap, it is fun and no real pricks if you keep it fun.  We could all toss a few bucks in the pot and low score wins.

So if it were on a weekend sometime would you show up?  I am going weekdays because my Brother is in town and we decided not to drive up to South Dakota for opening week.  I suppose we could do one at the course in Indy the same weekend as the next gun show.  

What we need is one southern course, one central, one northern.

Quoted: So FYI, we will be shooting Sporting Clays at Lost River Thursday 10/23 at 1pm feel free to come.  $20 per head.  Bring shells or maybe you can buy them there, I am not sure on that. In the mean time we could try to set up a weekend shoot some time.

As bad luck would have it, I am off next Thursday, but not the following Thursday or else I'd come over.  It's not that long of a trip for me.  Perhaps we can schedule something for a Saturday when more people are off work.

So there is Me, Commish and M4Madness because we will call it "tactical clays" so that way he has to come too, so we can shoot his new shotgun.

There has to be some more out there who might want meet on A Saturday to shoot some "tactical clays."