A buddy and I hunted my lease outside of Waxahachie yesterday evening. Had a decent hunt and right before sunset a pigeon flies over and my buddy shoots it (thought it was a eurasian). It had a numbered band on it's foot and I tracked the owner down this morning. Turns out the bird was a homing pigeon that had been released 100+ miles away that morning and got off course on it's way home to Denton. I felt bad, but the owner was grateful that I had called to let him know. He said that a good homing pigeon can be released 600 miles from home at sunrise and make it back before sunset. Pretty amazing. Funny thing is that I've been on 2 hunts in my life where a pigeon was killed and both of them had bands. Anyone else ever get one?

Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Some days are diamonds and some days are stones. At least he was good about it.

big ol sucker. whats that on its other foot?

Cant tell. I dont shoot pigeons

Caught a pigeon last year that was banded. He was a racing pigeon that belonged to a game warden up around the Denton area.

Poor pigeon.

I've never shot one but I have 5 bands sitting out on my porch attached to feet.

There was on with a band like that sitting on my window sill on day. Just sat there all day with a green band on his foot. I let him be and he seemed content.

Yea that bird prolly costed him a good chunk of change. All of those racing pigeons have bands that's how they keep up with there time and average speed I used to raise them that that happened is just part of the game when you fly them this time of year I bet he was glad you called him he might have been sitting there waiting on that one to come home for who knows how long.

It's a risk they take flying them during the season...

That's funny because I shot one this year also that was banded. It had the exact same band is yours. It was green and said August 2013 and the word Dallas on it. I tracked down through an email some pigeon person who told me that it was a homing pigeon. She knew the guy who owned it or was part of some club that races these things. I think they're worth big money so I kind of felt bad after shooting it. I did breast it out so what the heck right. I shot mine in McKinney. About a week ago

Hey that's fair game as far as I am concerned. Their is no way you could know that is somebody's pet. I doubt they can just lock these birds up all dove season, so it's a gamble for the owners.

WTF are they homing? Drugs?

as big as they are I wouldn't be surprised

You should've seen the flocks at shell next to eagle ranch yesterday. ........majority of them had green bands.

Most of those are racing pigeons. People raise them, and release them at the same time. They race them to a destination, people shoo them all the time along 290 between Austin and Houston. It's all part of it though, the risk of getting blasted over some corn field during season.

Props to Ollie he looks like he had a good day

Not sure if I would eat that one they give those birds all kinds of medicine. But that's totally up to you.

I am just starting a homing pigeon coop, I have access to a field about 10 - 15 miles away from my house that I use for training my bird dogs, the benefit of using homing pigeons is once you teach them to home, you can reuse the bird over & over again as long as you don't shoot it. I will just flush the bird & fire my blank pistol & the bird fly's home to be used again another day but believe me, I'm prepared to lose some birds to dove hunters, it's just part of it, but I'm sure I will lose more to hawks than dove hunters. They are a pretty neat bird but also very tasty from what I understand. Once I have plenty, I will be shooting some to eat.

I killed an all white one last year

I had one land in my yard a couple of years ago. I netted it and passed it on to DoubleB20 who found it's owner. It was lost.

Gun dog guys use these a lot for training.

Isn't it supposed to have a message tied to it? Lol.

I get the racing part even though I think your crazy to release them during dove season and not expect casualties. I don't get the homing part, what are they homing?

Weren't these birds used to carry messages in like the medieval days?

Homing means that they are released away from their coop/roost (home) and can find their way back from hundreds of miles away