Reply #15: I my opinion I think the turkey shoot was to raise funds for a worthwhile cause ... [View All]

[spin]

And I also do not believe that there is anything inherently violent about a turkey shoot.

At one time in history you might have had a point.

A "turkey shoot" is also a shooting contest where frozen turkeys are awarded as prizes. The shoot is most commonly held, using shotguns aimed at paper targets about 25-35 yards away. Original turkey shoots, however, dating at least to the time of James Fenimore Cooper, were contests in which live turkeys were tied down in a pen and shot from 25-35 yards.<1> If the turkey died, the shooter received it as a prize. This gave rise to the military term (see below). Today, turkey shoots are still popular in rural America. The winner is chosen according to which target has a shot closest to its center cross-mark. This removes almost all skill from the contest, and allows every shooter an equal chance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_shoot