News

Lawmakers Take Aim at Mourning Dove

Published September 14, 2003. By Christopher Nagy. Daily Press & Argus.
Lawmakers take aim at mourning dove

To the protests of area naturalists and environmentalists, a bill in the Michigan Legislature is setting its sights on the mourning dove.

State Rep. Susan Tabor, R-Delta Township, introduced House Bill 5029 Aug. 13 and expects the bill to be taken up in the committee she chairs, the House Committee on Conservation and Outdoor Recreation, this fall. The bill replaces the mourning dove status as a songbird with the status of a game bird, opening up the bird to a hunting season.

Tabor introduced the same proposal in 2000. After passing the House, the bill died in the Senate, losing by one vote. Arguments that the mourning dove isn't a suitable game bird and should be preserved and protected "don't fly with me," Tabor said. "I'd like to have a season next year - next September," she said. "That's my goal."

Some of Livingston County's state legislators are already on board with Tabor's proposal, but local members of the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society are bringing heat to the issue by circulating petitions opposing the bill as well as launching a grassroots e-mail campaign to legislators.

"It's certainly opposed by the Audubon Society, both the local chapter and the state," said Karen Verhey, an employee at Brighton's Wildernest and the president of the Huron Valley Audubon Society. "It seems to me that it's just an excuse to shoot something. Doves are too small to eat."

"It's just a bill to allow people to shoot something - not to necessarily use it, but just to hunt something down," agreed Beth Duman, another member of the Huron Valley Audubon Society. "It goes against my grain."

Tabor disagrees that the bird cannot be used, even being able to list several recipes for mourning doves off the top of her head. "They're delicious," Tabor said. "They're absolutely wonderful to eat. You can barbecue them. You can marinate them in Italian dressing and quick fry them. Since when do we start judging what is good to eat based on its size?"

"There is no reason not to hunt doves in the state of Michigan." Tabor argues that doves are not only a challenging bird to hunt, but dove-hunting is also a good way to introduce young and novice hunters into the sport. "It's a great family activity," she said.

Verhey said she doesn't support the argument that hunting doves is a good way to bolster family relationships. "It seems to me we should be teaching our kids the reverence of life, not to shoot doves for target practice," she said. "The mourning dove is a natural bird to our environment. It would be like shooting a robin."

Sue Kelly, an executive board member of The Crossroads Group, which is the county's organization affiliated with the state chapter of the Sierra Club, also said she doesn't see the need to hunt the mourning dove. Kelly noted that the Sierra Club doesn't have a specific policy regarding the mourning dove issue. However, in her personal opinion, Kelly said she doesn't see a need to go after the mourning dove for wildlife population. "In general, we (the Sierra Club) don't oppose hunting," Kelly said, noting that both her husband and son are hunters. "But this is kind of a controversial issue It's kind of hard to understand why we would need to kill a songbird."

Tabor agrees that the issue raises controversy between hunters in the state and naturalists. In fact, Tabor is anticipating such vocal opinions about the issue that she has established her office voice mail in such a way that anyone who calls her office will get a message allowing them to leave comments regarding her bill. "I do expect this to generate a lot of excitement on both sides of the issue," she said.

Verhey said that given the number of hunters in the state and the previous efforts to secure a mourning dove season for Michigan, the issue seems to be one that will keep rearing its head. "It seems to be one of those things that will keep coming back until it passes - as reluctant as I am to say that," she said.

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