Media Coverage - Macomb Daily News - Editorial
Published September 29, 2006. Editorial Board. Macomb Daily News.
Michigan offers hunters plenty of opportunities without adding mourning doves to the list of species that can be hunted.
The state saw its first official mourning dove hunt in 2004. That year, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill allowing a limited September hunt in six southern counties for 2004, 2005 and 2006.
A ballot initiative put a halt to the second season, securing more than the required amount of signatures to place a question on the Nov. 7 ballot. That ballot question allows the voters of Michigan to determine whether they want dove hunting in the state.
Voters should reject mourning dove hunting because there is no clear and compelling reason to hunt the birds.
Some dove hunting proponents claim the opponents are anti-hunting forces seeking to use this ballot issue as a stepping stone in which to further attack hunting in Michigan. Such claims are hogwash. Michigan has an enduring hunting heritage, and that heritage is not going to be threatened by the lack of dove hunting.
For some hunters, the doves as prey just aren't worth the effort. They don't offer much in the way of meat when shot and dressed. That leaves Michigan hunters attempting to defend themselves against claims that the birds serve as "cheap skeet," as dove protectors claim.
The doves don't appear to be overpopulated, and, according to many experts are not pests to farming or other industries.
Given the state's current economic climate, adding a dove hunt would likely result in a small number of hunters switching from one game to another. That would not create any sense of an economic boon to our outdoor industry. With dove hunting allowed in 40 other states, it's doubtful a Michigan season would draw hunters from those states to ours. The Department of Natural Resources reported that its officials don't anticipate an economic boost from adding a dove season.
The ballot proposal, if passed, would not only establish a hunting season, it would require the DNR to develop management practices for the propagation of mourning doves. We're certain DNR officials would agree they have plenty of tasks to address without the addition of a mourning dove season that would have little economic impact on the state.
There are 40 species of bird in Michigan that can be hunted. Clearly, there is no overwhelming reason to enact a permanent dove hunting season. There is no groundswell clamoring for dove hunting.
There is no compelling reason to add mourning doves to the list of game that can be hunted in Michigan. Vote "no" on Proposal 3 to defeat a mourning dove season.
