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It's Time for a Dove Hunting Season in New York
Anthropologists, the scientists that study humanity, claim that the driver of human civilization was hunting, because early man was unable to hunt alone successfully. They also claim that the growth and complexity of the human brain accelerated when humans began eating meat. Some actually say “hunting made us human”. If this is true, then the question which is never asked: “why do you NOT hunt”? is more valid than the familiar question “why do you hunt?”. Why people hunt has even been the subject of several studies, but nobody has ever studied why people do NOT hunt. That is interesting considering the opinion of anthropologists about hunting’s role in humanity.
Hunting is not, and never was; republican, democrat, rich, poor, or restricted to a particular ethnic group. It was not even as disconnected to urban and suburban residents as it is today. On the other hand, hunting is no longer considered an exclusively male activity, as the number of adult and youth females that hunt has increased tremendously. In addition, today, more people hunt whitetail deer than any other period in history. Nevertheless the total number of people hunting is trending downward, which suggests that deer hunting alone will not interest enough people to sustain hunting license sales. Since across the nation, on average, each state wildlife agencies’ budget is funded 80% by hunters, a decline in hunting license sales is a concern.
If a non-hunter, or one’s child developed an interest in hunting; where would they start? The reality is; that for persons who are not from a hunting family, entry into hunting is difficult, impractical or impossible. In addition, there is a broad array of other factors that make participation in hunting hard for many people. However, the opportunity to hunt mourning doves significantly lowers the hurdles and allows more people to participate in hunting.
Few hunting experiences can provide youth or novices with better exposure to the “dos” and “don’ts” of hunting through the attention and example of an experienced hunter, than can a shared dove hunt. New hunters need to learn how to hunt and handle a firearm safely; however, they also need to appreciate such things as controlling dogs, caring for and cooking wild game meats, being courteous to other hunters and landowners. And such exposure and opportunity is the hallmark of the next generation of hunter conservationists. Mourning dove hunting lends itself to coaching of a young hunter by an experienced gunner. They can sit together, and between flights of birds the adult can impart advice and experiences that will benefit the sport’s newcomer – such as how and where to sit, how to reload safely and efficiently, how to carry a shotgun in the field, how to lead a passing bird, how to positions one’s feet for shooting, how to best mark down and search for shot birds, what to look for in terms of a safe hunting field, when to shoot and a myriad of other pointers. Coaching when doves are in the air is equally valuable: “Sit still. Get your gun up. Stay still. Now release the safety. Lead the bird and swing through. Now!” The closeness enables the coach to correct the student’s poor shooting technique or deliver a pat on the back. It introduces the youngster to the sense of camaraderie that is a special and significant bond among most hunters.
The most successful dove hunters may disagree on the best shotgun for dove hunting or the best retriever breed, but experienced dove hunters have much in common. They do some preseason scouting to locate the birds. They pick a good stand with enough cover to hide in, where they are shaded from direct sunlight, and are able to retrieve downed birds. They use the available cover for concealment, keep the talking at a low volume, and remain motionless to avoid spooking incoming doves. The hunters who connect with most of the doves they fire at bring the gun to their cheek, keep their head down on the stock, swing the barrel to match the speed of the dove and follow through. Wise hunters, with or without a retriever, carefully mark and retrieve each bird to avoid losses. They know how to take care of their harvest afield and prepare a few favorite dove recipes. Above all, dove hunters enjoy dove hunting. They live to see distant, bobbing black specks become doves or suddenly hear their distinct wing whistle above their heads before they see them.
There is no biological or conservation reason to deny NY sportsmen a dove hunting season. Although mourning doves are a convenient centerpiece for anti-hunters, none of their premises would stand up under scrutiny. We have responded to these premises and our response can be read on our website: http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/ny-dove-hunting-answers-the-humane-society-et-al-on-mourning-dove-hunting.html . In addition, DEC’S legal mandate recognizes harvest as a desirable use of fish and wildlife resources for the public benefit.
Over 2 million mourning doves have been banded since 1903 and over 90,000 bands have been recovered. Subsequent analyses have yielded excellent information on the migration routes of doves from virtually every breeding area (i.e. northern states such as New York). With the exception of a segment of northern doves, comprised of mostly adult males, which do not migrate; the winter range of mourning doves is considered to be south of the thirty-ninth parallel a line that extends from Washington DC through Kansas and Carson City, Nevada. Massachusetts is one of the nine states that do not allow dove hunting. However, 2,690 mourning doves banded on Cape Cod were determined to generally winter along the southern coastal plain from Virginia to Florida. As we have already emphasized, New York’s doves are already subject to hunting as all southern states hunt doves and most of NY’s doves winter in North Carolina and South Carolina, where dove hunting is extremely popular.
Passenger Pigeon and Mourning Dove – One could survive under changing conditions, the other could not… Unlike the Passenger Pigeon and most other species, the mourning dove is fully compatible with man and his modern environments. The mourning dove is more abundant and widely distributed now than it was historically and in pre-Columbian time. Its increase is linked to human alteration of the North American Continent. Although the Indians played an initial role in facilitating the mourning dove population through their land use practices, white settlers accelerated environmental change that favored mourning doves by way of agriculture, livestock, homesteading, introduction of exotic plants, irrigation, urbanization, and many other ways. The mourning dove has adapted and prospered from human activities. It expanded its range into southern Canada and is found in a variety of habitats from wilderness to highly urbanized areas. By virtue of its adaptability and consequent population growth it is remissive to ignore mourning doves as a game species. Read our report: www.NYDoveHunting.weebly.com/why-the-passenger-pigeon-disappeared-and-the-mourning-dove-will-continue-to-thrive.html
Mourning doves are seldom a problem to agricultural crops. Most of the agricultural seed they eat are spillage left after harvest (“waste grain”), livestock feeding or pasturing, or spillage around storage buildings. However, doves have been a problem when they feed on newly sprouted cucumber seeds. They also have had a significant negative economic impact to the forest industry. Their use of coniferous seed species can significantly diminish regeneration in the wild and at commercial nurseries. Nonlethal methods to control depredation usually fail and/or introduce harmful chemicals into the environment, and several methods have been tried for mourning doves. Unnatural colors applied to seeds did not discourage doves. Coating seeds with Arasan 42S had some degree of effect on discouraging doves, however. Burlap mats used to retain moisture temporarily prevent doves from consuming pine seeds; however the greatest seed loss to birds occurs when these mats are removed. When crops (stomachs) of doves shot around pine tree nurseries were examined, it was found they were feeding almost exclusively on pine seeds.
Doves have also been known to be a problem at airports for example: In NY, there were 47 plane collision strikes with mourning doves between June 29, 2012 and January 16, 2015.
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