News

Doves Are Songbirds, Not Hunting Targets

Published Sunday, September 7, 2003 - The Flint Journal First Edition
By Julie Baker, Journal Reader

Since 1905, the mourning dove has been a designated songbird in Michigan. While many things have changed over 98 years, the reasons for protecting doves within our borders have not.   

Doves primarily eat the seed of pest weeds and waste grain. They do not damage crops, are not overpopulated and do not threaten or harm other species. A universal symbol of peace, the mourning dove is known to be invariably monogamous and a favorite for birdwatchers, who outnumber and outspend all forms of hunting combined, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The hunting of mourning doves is an inherently cruel and wasteful practice. Doves are small, do not provide a viable human food source and have their lightest body weight during dove hunting season. They are the only known species hunted during part of their nesting season, and if one parent with dependent young is killed, offspring will die of starvation.

Because downed birds blend within habitat, they can be difficult to find. Several scientific research studies have determined that the number of doves shot and wounded, but not retrieved, is high. These studies further noted that dove hunters engage in a substantial number of illegal activities: shooting twice the bag limit to retrieve one limit and multiple bagging.

Additionally, there are losses attributed to lead poisoning. An on-going study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed that toxic lead shot, deposited by dove hunters, increases mortality because mourning doves are likely to ingest spent shot when they forage. With dove hunters firing on average five to eight times per kill, lead deposits accumulate significantly in the environment. Densities of more than 860,000 pellets per 2 1/2 acres have been reported in dove fields.

Why some people consider it a "challenge" to match wits with docile inhabitants of backyard birdfeeders is beyond comprehension to the overwhelming majority of Michigan residents, including a majority of Michigan hunters. But that is the political agenda of some. They call it "recreation" and say it is family "fun."

However, it's a "sport" with costs. Dove hunting does not result in more doves. To the contrary, status reports from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show the mourning dove population is declining significantly in the United States, but the doves' survival rate is much higher in nonhunting states. While Michigan's dove population is stable, shooting states to our south, Indiana and Ohio, are noting downward trends.

Michigan residents must act now to prevent doves from becoming target practice. Oppose House Bill 5029. Communicate with your state representative and state senator in Lansing today. Let them know you want the mourning dove to remain a protected songbird in Michigan.

Julie Baker of Lansing is a member of the Songbird Protection Coalition of Michigan.

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