Who wants to be a sniper?

[DoubleJ]

Wimbledon employs sharpshooters

Wimbledon under fire for pigeon cull
Jun 24, 1:03 pm EDT

LONDON, June 24 (Reuters) - Wimbledon came under fire from animal activists on Tuesday for using marksmen to shoot down dive-bombing pigeons.

The tournament employs two hawks to scare away pigeons who had become a pest swooping down on Centre Court and distracting players in the middle of tense matches.

But the hawks failed to keep the pigeons away from the players’ lawn and the open-air media restaurant so marksmen were called in.

“The hawks are our first line of deterrent, and by and large they do the job,� Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said.

“But unfortunately there were one or two areas where the hawks didn’t deter the pigeons, so it was deemed necessary to take a harder approach,� he explained.

The marksmen were summoned by Wimbledon as pigeon droppings on the restaurant tables were thought to be a health hazard.

The decision to call in the marksmen was condemned as “cruel and illegal behaviour� by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which complained to the tournament organisers and the police.

“Since the use of marksmen to kill pigeons appears to have been carried out as a first, rather than a last resort, and not out of a concern for public health, but rather because the animals were deemed inconvenient by players, you appear to be in clear violation of the law,� PETA vice-president Bruce Friedrich said.

of course PETA had to get their digs in. see what happens when you don't eat enough meat? makes you irrational.

[Pinkycatcher]

In London? C'mon, I want it to happen here, that would be a blast, get rid of all our dang grackles

[bpet]

PETA is a JOKE.

Should be renamed "Predisposed to Euthanizing The Animals"

They are a sick organization.

[Pinkycatcher]

PETA is a JOKE.

Should be renamed "Predisposed to Euthanizing The Animals"

They are a sick organization.

They really are a stupid organization, one of those good ideas on paper, bad ideas when you get that many nuts in one group with enough money to screw things up

[Keith B]

They need to be careful though. I remember as a teenager a buddy and I were in the pine grove next to his house. At certain times of the year, the starlings are really thick. They are a lot like the grackles roosting in the trees here. We decided to take the shotguns out and blast a few. We learned real quick to not shoot straight up with bird shot. It wasn't that the shot was falling back on us, but 8 - 10 starlings would fall down on you, as well as the stuff that comes out of birds when they get frightened!! Once we realized you needed to angle your shots, we had a blast, literally!!

[jimlongley]

Considering the dearth of firearms available in old blighty, I wonder where they are getting their marksmen - France?

[DoubleJ]

Considering the dearth of firearms available in old blighty, I wonder where they are getting their marksmen - France?

once the American Tennis players are outed by Federer, they can shoot'em down...
shewt, I bet Roddick could just serve a ball or two at'em and git'r done!

[Liko81]

Um, maybe this is counter-intuitive to a Brit, but first of all, hitting a bird on the wing with a rifle is a true feat of marksmanship; that's why God invented the shotgun . Second, one would think the "crack" of a .223, to say nothing of a 20-gauge blast, would be far more of a distraction at Wimbledon than the birds.

In addition, even if you had a 100% hit rate, you're firing up into the air in a populated section of Britain, and any rifle bullet will go right through a bird, not to mention a cloud of shot. Someone's gonna catch it coming back down.

That said, if you're going to pay for the gun and the ammo, and let me sit there in the shade all day plinking birds, sounds like a job I could go for.

[lunchbox]

Um, maybe this is counter-intuitive to a Brit, but first of all, hitting a bird on the wing with a rifle is a true feat of marksmanship; that's why God invented the shotgun . Second, one would think the "crack" of a .223, to say nothing of a 20-gauge blast, would be far more of a distraction at Wimbledon than the birds.

In addition, even if you had a 100% hit rate, you're firing up into the air in a populated section of Britain, and any rifle bullet will go right through a bird, not to mention a cloud of shot. Someone's gonna catch it coming back down.

That said, if you're going to pay for the gun and the ammo, and let me sit there in the shade all day plinking birds, sounds like a job I could go for.

where do i sign up for that gig that would be sweet
of cource im sure they use silencers that what they do at airports to keep animals off the runway

[DoubleJ]

suppressors.

or maybe they're using air rifles. just a small pfft, and there ya go. me, I'd be aiming at the easy ones on the ground from up high.

[Pinkycatcher]

suppressors.

or maybe they're using air rifles. just a small pfft, and there ya go. me, I'd be aiming at the easy ones on the ground from up high.

a .22 with a suppressor would be quiet enough not to rile people up

[Skiprr]

This is too bizarre. It's not like Wimbledon is out in the country: it's part of Greater London and is about eight or nine miles southwest of dowtown London. That would be like having riflemen sniping birds at Reliant Park in Houston. They just CAN'T be shooting at birds on the wing, or shooting when the tournament grounds are open. There has to be some other info we don't see in the article.

[dukalmighty]

I would put money on expensive air rifles shooting pellets and probably no shots over 50 yards

[lunchbox]

I would put money on expensive air rifles shooting pellets and probably no shots over 50 yards

it wouldnt take much to kill a pigeon i was shooting them with a 22 with powderless shells