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Same question about doves still being asked.

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mike rossi Newbie

mike rossi

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Why NY does not hunt Doves?

 

This is a question that is asked over & over for decades. Asked so much the NYS DEC has a webpage (  http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/59626.html ) devoted to the answer. However the DEC’s explanation is not adequate.

 

The DEC gives a historical account of a mail survey they conducted about dove hunting when they were compelled to do so by the NY State Conservation Council. The webpage explains that the response to the survey, which was mailed to 5,000 licensees, was low. That only tells a small part of the story and even the conclusions about the survey are not put into perspective. So let’s start with that. Any survey mailed to NY hunters about small game will not receive a large response. Even surveys about the state’s number one game animal the whitetail do not garner cooperation. A significant percentage of hunters even skate their legal responsibilities in reporting their harvests. Furthermore only 5,000 surveys were mailed and nobody I have interviewed has indicated they received one or know of anyone who has.

 

The webpage concludes that until political support for dove hunting increases, that there will be no season. This is where the story needs to be continued. In NY State the senate, assembly, and governor approve hunting seasons for new species, or more precisely, designate an animal as a game species, not the DEC. In order for the DEC to set a hunting season for mourning doves, a law which designates the dove as a game species has to pass through the legislative process and then be signed by the governor. 

There have been several “dove bills” in NY State over the decades, all of which have failed. One of the main players has been an Onondaga County Sportsmen’s Federation and NYSCC officer named Fred Neff. Neff has kept records over twenty years about his dove bill dealings. You may find those records interesting, but if you look at every state which faced opposition to dove hunting, you see the NY situation is not unique at all.

 

Eight states in the lower 48 do not allow dove hunting. Mourning Doves are not found in Hawaii and are not abundant in Alaska. Native Alaskans do hunt doves, however, Alaska Fish and Game feels that this subsistence hunting (which is does not follow the guidelines of fair chase as sport hunting) is impacting the birds locally. Michigan established a dove season about a decade ago, however the Humane Society of the United States succeeded in repealing the season a few years later. The state most likely to establish a dove season next is New Jersey; as they did change the bird’s status to a game species about 2 years ago.  This allows NJ Division of Wildlife the authority to establish a season; however NJ hunters have been very excited with fairly recent changes such as the legalization of Bear hunting, Crossbows, and use of bait in deer hunting. The eight lower states which do not hunt doves are: Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.  Dove hunting is allowed in Rhode Island and PA. The Humane Society also made a bid to close dove hunting in RI just a few years ago, however they failed.

 

The number of states which hunt doves has nearly doubled the past 10 years. However, just about every one of those states had to fight anti-dove hunters, mainly instigated by the DC based Humane Society of the US.  In 2010, 2 republican and 1 Democrat in NY sponsored a senate dove bill. However, the senate chairman of the environmental conservation committee refused to move the bill and it expired in 2012. If you are not familiar with the lawmaking process, this is similar to what happened to the Crossbow Bill recently in 2013 when the Assembly chairman of the environmental conservation committee did not move the bill for vote.

 

So how do we build the political support that the DEC correctly indicates on its webpage that is needed? First generate interest in fellow sportsmen. Second learn about the issues involving dove hunting and stay engaged and informed by participating on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/NY-Dove-Hunting/365031743546569 ). Third, educate others and refer them to this face book page. Fourth, voice your interest in dove hunting at your clubs and county federations. Fifth contact the assembly, senate, and governor’s office and ask them to propose a dove bill. Encourage others to do the same. Start by contacting lawmakers who cover your voting district. Then contact the two environmental conservation chairs. Then contact the entire 2 encon committees. Then everyone else, including the governor. Besides elected officials, also contact the DEC and the NYSCC.

 

After a dove bill is introduced, don’t think the fight is over, it will have just begun. Continue to write supportive letters, staying engaged so you address the situation as it evolves. You must debunk every anti-hunting distortion as they are thrown at us. Our Facebook page gives you the info to do so. This may include writing to local newspapers to rebut letters written by anti-dove hunters.

 

If this was easy, it would have been done a long time ago. Every state, even states like Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan fought bloody battles to hunt doves. However, most of the new dove seasons happened in the last few years. The Humane Society is losing tens of millions of dollars in these dove wars and right now they are facing a variety of serious federal criminal charges – so now’s the time!

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covert Newbie

covert

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The Humane Society is losing tens of millions of dollars in these dove wars and right now they are facing a variety of serious federal criminal charges – so now’s the time!

I haven't the slightest interest in hunting doves but this sentence makes me want to get just involved enough to keep it going forever to keep costing them money. :)

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      Assigning Characteristics to Doves
       
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