Jump to content

Recommended Posts

So, just how many mourning doves does one see per hour sitting in blinds across NY state in December 2015?

 

Here is a partial report on this years Christmas Bird Count for mourning doves, done just this past week or so.... Note Location and in BOLD first number is doves seen, second number is hours in the blind. As I already said, December is not prime time to see mourning doves in NY because of migration and mortality, thus numbers of resident and stop over doves in the fall are much greater.

 

 

December 2015 Christmas Bird Count Mourning Dove – NY
 

Mourning Dove

NYUD
Ulster-Dutchess 42.0280 -73.9537 486  4.2445

 

NYOD
Oneida 43.0957 -75.6522 398  8.2062

 

NYCT
Catskill-Coxsackie 42.2871 -73.8823 364  3.6129

 

NYSI
Staten Island 40.5833 -74.1500 344  3.7189

 

NYML
Mohonk Lake-Ashokan Reservoir 41.8516 -74.1292 332  3.6889

 

NYCH
Conesus-Hemlock-Honeoye Lakes 42.7776 -77.6161 302  3.0200

 

NYOO
Oak Orchard Swamp 43.1517 -78.3904 272  2.9405

 

NYNN
L.I.: Northern Nassau County 40.8660 -73.5938 261  1.4978

 

NYEO
Eastern Orange County 41.4811 -74.1473 232  2.4946

 

NYSB
St. Bonaventure 42.1082 -78.4844 223  4.3092

 

NYSY
Syracuse 43.1000 -76.0833 219  1.7951

 

NYRC
Rockland County 41.1347 -73.9746 194  2.1202

 

NYBM
Beaver Meadow 42.6757 -78.3721 148  3.4023

 

NYCM
Chatham 42.3797 -73.6461 138  1.4681

 

NYMT
Monticello 41.5678 -74.6321 137  3.0444

 

NYOS
Oswego-Fulton 43.3983 -76.4742 102  1.6518

 

NYRM
Rome 43.3035 -75.4732 78  2.9434

 

NYSO
Scio 42.1668 -78.0667 66  2.5882

 

NYWA
Watertown 44.0071 -75.9843 64  1.6495

 

NYSL
Saranac Lake 44.3167 -74.0730 45  0.3830

 

NYHP
Huyck Preserve 42.4980 -74.2170 15  0.3947

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Curmudgeon reminded me to clarify that these surveys are not done from a single blind, but by a team of surveyors spread out over a 15 mile loop. 

 

Actually, that survey method would closely simulate the number of hunters expected to hunt doves and  how a group of hunters would set up. Five, ten, or twenty hunters spread out over a 15 mile circle seeing 300 doves in two or three hours isn't exactly something to sneeze at....  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is some more information we found while working on this report in progress:

 

We have some data from the Plattsburg region Christmas Bird Count of 2006. Here is the numbers for that year:
Ferrisburg: 579 mourning doves.
Plattsburg: 442 mourning doves.
Elizabethtown: 171 mourning doves.
Saranac Lake: 84 mourning doves.

 

 
Sedentary mourning doves, meaning those that do not migrate, may form winter flocks numbering well over 100 birds. Here are some examples from past survey data:
1) Eastern Orange County, December 20,1986 a flock of mourning doves estimated by counting to be 3,695 birds.
2) Farmingdale, Nassau County, August 12, 1989 a flock of over 500 mourning doves was observed.
3) Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, March 20, 1993 a flock of 56 at a feeder was reported.

 

• An analysis of Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data from 1966 to 1994 shows the NY mourning dove population increasing. The data after 1994 up until the present, also shows mourning dove populations rising in NY. From 1966 to 1979 mourning dove population increased an average of 4% per year. From 1980 to 1994 mourning dove population increased about 3% per year.

• Some, but not all of the funding for mourning dove research which was authorized by former republican governor George E. Patacki; was derived from the DEC Division of Fish and Wildlife, in other words, the conservation fund, in even more precise terms hunting license revenue, plus the Return A Gift To Wildlife tax checkoff program. So just why are we not hunting doves in NY?
• Mourning doves nest in “great numbers” in Long Island, the Lower Hudson Valley, and the Lake Ontario Plains. Mourning dove populations have increased in NY for the past 40 to 45 years as evinced by population surveys done by the FWS and other entities.
• Mourning dove populations are more stable in the states which permit hunting.
• The five year state mourning dove banding effort recently completed by the DEC is not the first. Between 1965 and 1970 there was one and perhaps other years. In the 1965 project, the FWS actually funded the participating states staff for the time they worked on the dove banding effort. That included at least Pennsylvania, who was deriving revenue from dove hunting already, yet the “feds” were paying for the time state wildlife staff were on the dove banding effort…. Good deal is an understatement – we are investigating into if this was recently practiced, which would have temporally paid DEC staff with federal funds instead of out of the conservation fund (hunting license revenue)…. 
• Pennsylvania’s first modern dove hunting season was 1946. Rhode Island’s first modern dove hunting season dates back at least as early as 1968, possibly much earlier.
 

Edited by mike rossi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to admit that I have zero interest in ever hunting those skinny little critters, but I also have to admit to damn little knowledge of dove hunting. So, I'm about to ask an off-topic dumb question displaying my complete ignorance of dove hunting.

 

Is this the kind of thing that you hunt like pheasants by walking through a field and flushing them, or do you sit in a blind and wait for a bunch of them to fly by.

 

I know, it's a dumb question, but I have had zero exposure to hunting doves and hope that someone will indulge this one small (off topic) question for my enlightenment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can argue to no end with some of you and go in circles, and the result of doing so is the important facts get lost because people read the rear end of the thread.  This is particularly true when complex or detailed info is provided. Instead of reading the links to our reports, many read the rear end. Thus, when someone changes the subject or adds a subtlety, the promulgation of fact and perspective is undermined, perhaps (*) intentionally. ((*) As we indicated in our report "Hunters against Hunters" there are many hunters who are willing to bolster the rhetoric of the Humane Society to undermine certain forms of hunting. Check out that report at this link: http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/hunters-against-hunters.html )

 

Consistent with the title of this thread, we established significant proof there are "huntable" numbers of doves in NY state. The data in this thread is just a sample of the full report we are working on, yet this sample is enough to provide perspective. We suggest readers truly interested in the subject read the data provided which is relevant to the topic of this thread; which is doves seen per hour in NY. We also suggest those interested readers refer back to our website in the near future for the complete report. 

 

With the prelude about changing the subject and  the introduction of subtleties into purposeful discussions, this is a good opportunity to address such which occurred in this thread. One subtlety introduced into this discussion is the narrative regarding the edibility of mourning doves. 

 

In order to put the topic of mourning doves as wild game meat in the correct perspective, we published a three part report on the subject. Each of the three parts of this report can be read at the respective links below:

 

Part 1: http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/lets-talk-about-food.html

 

Part 2: http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/lets-talk-about-food-2.html

 

Part 3: http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/the-9-step-crab-eating-process.html

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Similar Content

    • By mike rossi
      Details coming soon!
       
      As mourning doves expand northward Canadian Providences are instating hunting seasons. British Columbia has hunted doves for some time. Southern Ontario instated a season in 2014, and now Quebec. There is also a pending proposal in Manitoba and discussion elsewhere. 
    • By mike rossi
      Air Shotguns add a new dimension to dove hunting. Note the comment about the overhead utility lines, we are going to recommend the DEC prohibits dove hunting within gun range of lines to prevent damage to them. They are taking Eurasian collared doves, which are similar to our native mourning doves. They are spreading and it is not too uncommon to find this introduced dove across NY. The impacts of ECD are not known at this point.
       
      If you want to hunt doves in NY, sign our online petition at this link: http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/petition.html 
       
      For info on Eurasian Collared Doves go to this link: http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/eurasian-collared-dove-hunting-ndash-endless-opportunity.html
       
       
       
    • By mike rossi
      Upcoming movie pushes back against the anti-bird dog movement, recommended by the AKC: 
       
      http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/new-movie.html
    • By mike rossi
      Dove Hunting, Spying on Trapper's Convention, NAVHDA Bird Dog Training, and more...
      This page takes a moment to load... it's worth the wait.
       
      http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/anti-hunting-activity-in-new-york.html
    • By mike rossi
      By now you might understand the utility of the information we are sending you and why we are sending it to you. If you are still cursing us out or scratching your head because you are not quite there yet, please stick around! 
       
      Below is a summary we compiled which reflects the central premises of anti-hunting activists both in general and specific to dove hunting. (In the future we will adapt this to pheasant stocking, Sunday hunting, and young forest management).
       
      Categories of arguments are grouped and typical premises of each category are listed.
       
      For your convenience the same information is attached to this email as a pdf file which can be downloaded and saved to your computer.
       
       
      Catalog of Arguments Frequently used by Anti-Hunting Organizations and Activists
       
      Hunter Attitude and Behavior Arguments
       
      1. Lack of interest in retrieving doves.
      2. Hunters do not retrieve or eat doves but rather use them for target practice. Comments made by hunters, outdoor writers, and hunting spokespersons which reflect that or can be construed as such, are frequently quoted by anti-hunters and the media. 
      3. Dove hunting practices are cruel/inhumane/unethical/immoral/unsporting
      4. How hunting causes suffering to doves, for example wounding and not retrieving.
       
      Social Imbalance Arguments
       
      1. Expanding hunting opportunity will contract opportunity for non-hunting activities.
      2. Participation in hunting is shrinking and there is more revenue generated and greater participation in other outdoor activities. Policy should favor the majority.
      3. Expanding hunting opportunity will make NY less desirable for non-hunting recreation which will result in lost revenue for the state and local economies.
      4. The vast majority of hunters are middle aged or older Caucasian males.
       
      Power and Control Arguments
       
      1. Decisions should be made by majority rule (voting).
      2. Hunting policy is decided under a rigged system tainted by favoritism, politics, special interests, money, and abuse of power.
      3. State wildlife agencies mismanage wildlife to accommodate hunters because hunting license revenue is their primary source of funds.
      4. A pro-hunting culture exists within the DEC.
      5. There is no anti-hunting representation on the Conservation Fund Advisory Board and the Fish and Wildlife Management Board. At least one representative of the Humane Society of the United States should be appointed to these boards to represent the interests of the broader public, not just hunters.
       
      Public Participation Arguments
       
      1. Anti-hunters claim they are disenfranchised from the decision making process, the extent to which they are involved, the nature of their involvement.
      2. Lack of transparency of the decision-making process exists.
      3. Public notice was inadequate and therefore stakeholder participation was compromised. 
       
      Arguments about the reliability of population estimates, monitoring, and information about mourning doves.
       
      1. Science is not recent enough
      2. Quality of science is inadequate or questionable
      3. Need NY specific data
      4. Imprecise population estimates
      5. There is speculation surrounding dove management.
      6. NEPA requires ESA, EIS before instating a dove hunting season and/or similar action should be taken prior to considering a dove season. 
       
      Wildlife management is a failure/debacle
       
      1. Management of doves and other wildlife is not working/failing/ineffective.
      2. Animal-related problems are the result of human arrogance, intervention, manipulation or management.
      3. Hunting causes imbalanced wildlife populations.
       
      Dove Hunting is not biologically justified
       
      1. Management need does not exist because doves are not overpopulated or a nuisance species, therefore hunting is not biologically justified.
       
      Dove hunting will not generate conservation revenue or general economic activity.
       
      1. Flawed economic report (flawed because of gross misinterpretation of data)
      2. Participation in dove hunting does not require much money so it should not be allowed
      3. Dove hunters do not buy electronic dog equipment so the economic impact of dove hunting is insignificant.
      4. Dove hunting will only redistribute the effort but not increase license sales.
      5. Dove hunting will have an impact on ticket sales for concerts and basketball games thereby hurting the economy.
       
      Lack of meat
       
      1. A dove is too small to provide “sustenance”.
       
      Palatability
       
      1. Dove meat has a bitter taste that requires heavy marinades
      2. Crow tastes like wild duck and doves
       
      Doves as Symbols
       
      1. Christian
      2. Hebrew
      3. Pagan
      4. Military
      5. Pacifist
      6. Artist Picasso's painting of the Peace Dove.
       
      Public Safety
       
      1. Dove hunting jeopardizes the safety of non-hunters recreating outdoors
       
      Maintain the Status Quo
       
      1. Doves have not been hunted in NY for many years and that protection should remain in place.
       
      Assigning Characteristics to Doves
       
      1. Peaceful, innocent, helpless, loving, devoted, cute, etc.
       
      Incidental Take of Protected Birds
       
      1. Concerns are often raised about hunter’s ability or commitment to identify doves in flight
      2. Persons self-identifying as “experienced” bird watchers, or indicate they study birds for a living (including several artists who characterize their livelihood as “study birds for a living”) indicate they personally have misidentified stationary doves with binoculars, and assert that an error is more likely when discerning birds in flight without binoculars.
       
      Miscellaneous
       
      1. “I am not an animal rights extremist” “I am just a concerned bird watcher”.
      2. ‘I am a hunter, but I oppose hunting doves”.
      3. Orphaned chicks
      4. Compare mourning doves with the passenger pigeon.
      5.  Pb ammunition
      6. Hunters will shoot at doves flying near or perched on utility lines and damage them.
      7.  Writer indicates experience owning a dove or other bird as a pet, saving young birds.
      8. Writer advocates teaching children and/or adults about coexisting with wildlife, animals were here first, compassion for doves, reverence for all life.
      9.  Eating meat is unhealthy or bad for the environment.
      10.  Amount of money spent by both sides or the government in fighting the matter.
      11. Because I feed doves in my backyard people should not hunt them.
      12. Hunters already have enough species to hunt.
      13. Doves are the Farmer’s Friend because they control nuisance plants by eating seeds.
      14. New York State Assembly Rule 3, Sec 1(f) requires the Fiscal Implications of Legislation must be determined.
      15. Anti-hunters will often quote or paraphrase statements made by well-known persons, some of which were published over 120 years ago. The content of such statements is varied:  opinion, outdated science, and often speculation that did not pan out over time.
       
      Characterization of Hunters
       
      1. Real men do not hunt
      2. Hunters are cowards
      3. Hunters are feeble-minded
      4. Hunters are inbred
      5. Hunters are overweight or “paunchy”.
      6. Hunters are backwards
      7. Hunters are hicks
      8. Hunters are Caucasian males
      9. Hunters are an aging and dying breed that is going extinct, in with the new and out with the old!
      10. Hunters are drunks
      11. Hunters are non-athletic or “NARPS” – non-athletic regular person
      12. Hunters can’t fist fight so they need guns
      13.  Multiple contexts of physical inadequacy, sexual inadequacy/etc.
      14. Hunters have the “little man syndrome”.
       
      Core arguments-FD.pdf
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...