PORTLAND, Oregon –
With homeless shelters closing, food banks stocks dwindling, some of Portland’s homeless have turned to pigeon meat.
On any given day, upwards of twenty pigeon hunters stalk Portland parks and streets with blow guns that send thin, sharp darts into unsuspecting pigeons. The hobos go for head or heart shots which, most of the time, kill the scavenger birds instantly. Sometimes a bum may miss a target zone and the injured bird flaps away, often dying later. A few survivors continue to live handicapped with darts still embedded, which has created criticism from many Portland residents.
“I see these living birds with yellow darts stuck in their legs or chests and it makes me cry,” Barbara Suel said. “But, on the other hand, annoying pigeon shit is all over the place, so having the hunters thin their numbers is good.”
Several of the hunters spoke about their new food source:
“I used to panhandle most of the day to get me a McDonald’s full meal deal. But McDonalds has empty calories and is fattening and puts on unwanted pounds. Pigeon meat is lean and nutritious. I look better than I have in twenty years.”
“Most guys go stalk their prey. I put out bread crumbs and let the pigeons come to me. On a good day I can kill twelve pigeons. My record is thirty-eight. People often ask me if the meat is tasty. To that I say yes.”
Once the pigeons have been cleaned and butchered, the meat is strung along metal coat hangers and roasted over the open flames of trash fires contained in burn barrels. The men often share with other street people or trade for booze, cigarettes and other items.
“Pigeons have provided me not only with delicious food, but with extra income. I traded some breast meat for some socks the other day,” one of the hunters said.
Above: dead pigeons
City officials say blowguns are legal to use in public places simply because they do not have a law that currently prevents them. While the city appreciates the hobo’s ingenious survival skills, they plan to outlaw pigeon hunting with blowguns within the coming months.
“What happens if an errant dart hits a little girl in the eye, putting her eye out?” City official Paul Stimpert asked. “That would be very sad. I’m apologetic to our homeless citizens, but they will have to find other means of sustenance.”
But many of the urban pigeon hunters say the will continue hunting even if blowguns become illegal. Instead, they will use other currently not-yet-illegal tactics like trapping or netting.