What NY Dove Hunting Does
Mourning Dove Hunting in New York
Background:
New York does not have a hunting season for mourning doves because during the early 1900s NY, in addition to many midwestern and northeastern states, banned mourning dove hunting.
Since then, the majority of those states have reinstated mourning dove hunting seasons. Today, they can be hunted in every state and Puerto Rico except: New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Alaska (*).
(*) Regardless of when Alaska became a state; the situation is different, because currently mourning doves only occur in Alaska as an accidental species and are therefore uncommon there.
Michigan is the only other state outside of the northeast that still does not allow dove hunting. Michigan did reinstate its dove hunting season in 2004; only to have that season repealed two short years later in 2006. The Humane Society of the United States contracted with PCI Consultants, Inc. to win a public opinion battle which resulted in the fate of Michigan’s dove hunting season being decided on in a referendum ballot in the general election. 69% of Michigan voters (2,534,680) voted against dove hunting and 31% (1,137,379) voted in favor of it. (Remember with any reference to voters; that most people do not vote). The Humane Society of the US also made a similar effort which failed twice in Rhode Island in 2007 and then again in 2009.
Several midwestern states including South Dakota and Ohio have had reinstated dove seasons temporarily reversed, because in those states, as elsewhere, hunting seasons can only be set with legislative approval. During the 1970s and 1980s; the commissioners of wildlife agencies in several midwest states; had inappropriately overstepped their authority, bypassed the legislative process, and declared dove hunting seasons. This was first discovered, in of all places, South Dakota, and in the 1970s, no less. According to records, one elderly woman questioned the authority of the Commissioner of SD Game, Fish and Parks to declare a hunting season. She hired an attorney who took the case to court; and it turned out she was correct. However, a small group of dedicated sportsmen drove legislation and properly reinstated dove hunting within a very short time frame. But that was in SD and it was the 1970s.
Years later, aware of this court precedent recorded in South Dakota; lawyers working for the Humane Society of the US conducted legal research across the nation, developed their “Strategy for a Nation-Wide Ban on Mourning Dove Hunting” and anti-hunters have enjoyed a nearly 50 year - long success streak at both repealing existing dove seasons and blocking new or reinstated dove seasons. Ohio and other midwest states were discovered to have done the same thing as South Dakota; and in the 1980s Ohio’s reinstated dove season was repealed and that ban was not lifted until 1994. Other midwest states had the same thing happen and endured difficult opposition which, with the exception of SD, took years to defeat.
The NY situation is not comparable to any of the midwest states. Nor is NY one of the approximately 20 states that use referendum ballots; as does Maine, Michigan, and Rhode Island.
Nor has any Commissioner of the DEC attempted to bypass the legislature. To the contrary, there have been a number of dove bills in NY. However, each time only the anti-hunters weighed in, which explains why lawmakers allowed numerous dove bills to expire without hearings, debates, or voting on them.
This cycle of expired bills will continue until the NY hunting community voices a strong support for dove hunting by lobbying lawmakers, the Governor, and the DEC.
NY Dove Hunting in action*:
NY Dove Hunting has launched a number of initiatives to generate the organized public support that is essential to reinstating dove hunting in NY:
*please check www.NYDoveHunting.weebly.com for links to plans, surveys, petitions, etc.
To inform people:
To organize people:
To gather ideas:
THE POSSIBILITY OF HUNTING MOURNING DOVES IN NEW YORK:
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DOVE HUNTING IN NEW YORK?
Discussion:
The Future:
The NY sporting community has speculated that downstate lawmakers have impeded dove legislation. However, if that was the biggest factor or one which cannot be overcome, virtually no pro-hunting bills would ever pass.
The fundamental problem is simply that anti-hunters have placed opposition to dove hunting at the top of their agenda; while legalizing dove hunting has been at the bottom of the hunting community’s agenda.
Unless hunters begin to weigh in on dove hunting and/or the DEC unequivocally endorses dove hunting; NY will remain a non-hunting state.
NY Dove Hunting Website: www.NYDoveHunting.weebly.com
Background:
New York does not have a hunting season for mourning doves because during the early 1900s NY, in addition to many midwestern and northeastern states, banned mourning dove hunting.
Since then, the majority of those states have reinstated mourning dove hunting seasons. Today, they can be hunted in every state and Puerto Rico except: New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Alaska (*).
(*) Regardless of when Alaska became a state; the situation is different, because currently mourning doves only occur in Alaska as an accidental species and are therefore uncommon there.
Michigan is the only other state outside of the northeast that still does not allow dove hunting. Michigan did reinstate its dove hunting season in 2004; only to have that season repealed two short years later in 2006. The Humane Society of the United States contracted with PCI Consultants, Inc. to win a public opinion battle which resulted in the fate of Michigan’s dove hunting season being decided on in a referendum ballot in the general election. 69% of Michigan voters (2,534,680) voted against dove hunting and 31% (1,137,379) voted in favor of it. (Remember with any reference to voters; that most people do not vote). The Humane Society of the US also made a similar effort which failed twice in Rhode Island in 2007 and then again in 2009.
Several midwestern states including South Dakota and Ohio have had reinstated dove seasons temporarily reversed, because in those states, as elsewhere, hunting seasons can only be set with legislative approval. During the 1970s and 1980s; the commissioners of wildlife agencies in several midwest states; had inappropriately overstepped their authority, bypassed the legislative process, and declared dove hunting seasons. This was first discovered, in of all places, South Dakota, and in the 1970s, no less. According to records, one elderly woman questioned the authority of the Commissioner of SD Game, Fish and Parks to declare a hunting season. She hired an attorney who took the case to court; and it turned out she was correct. However, a small group of dedicated sportsmen drove legislation and properly reinstated dove hunting within a very short time frame. But that was in SD and it was the 1970s.
Years later, aware of this court precedent recorded in South Dakota; lawyers working for the Humane Society of the US conducted legal research across the nation, developed their “Strategy for a Nation-Wide Ban on Mourning Dove Hunting” and anti-hunters have enjoyed a nearly 50 year - long success streak at both repealing existing dove seasons and blocking new or reinstated dove seasons. Ohio and other midwest states were discovered to have done the same thing as South Dakota; and in the 1980s Ohio’s reinstated dove season was repealed and that ban was not lifted until 1994. Other midwest states had the same thing happen and endured difficult opposition which, with the exception of SD, took years to defeat.
The NY situation is not comparable to any of the midwest states. Nor is NY one of the approximately 20 states that use referendum ballots; as does Maine, Michigan, and Rhode Island.
Nor has any Commissioner of the DEC attempted to bypass the legislature. To the contrary, there have been a number of dove bills in NY. However, each time only the anti-hunters weighed in, which explains why lawmakers allowed numerous dove bills to expire without hearings, debates, or voting on them.
This cycle of expired bills will continue until the NY hunting community voices a strong support for dove hunting by lobbying lawmakers, the Governor, and the DEC.
NY Dove Hunting in action*:
NY Dove Hunting has launched a number of initiatives to generate the organized public support that is essential to reinstating dove hunting in NY:
- Networking Strategic Plan
- Petitions
- Surveys
- National Hunting and Fishing Day Strategic Plan
- Facebook
- NYDH shirts
- NYDH free targets
- Advertising - NY Hunting and Trapping Regulation Guide
- Advertising - Facebook
- Advertising - printed material
- For recipes and how to cook doves go to Cooking Doves & Other Gamebirds webpage, Video Cookbook and Facebook page.
*please check www.NYDoveHunting.weebly.com for links to plans, surveys, petitions, etc.
To inform people:
- Websites
- Blog
- Videos (YouTube)
- Newsletter
- Forums
- Facebook
- Pamphlets and brochures
To organize people:
- Petitions
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Google Plus
- Discussion forums and Facebook groups
- #NYDoveHunting
To gather ideas:
- Surveys
- Opinion polls
- Past research, surveys, polls, etc.
THE POSSIBILITY OF HUNTING MOURNING DOVES IN NEW YORK:
- Only nine states do not allow mourning dove hunting. New York is one.
- Mourning Dove hunting was banned in many states in the early 1900s’ mainly in the northern US states. Over the last 30 years, those bans have been reversed in all but nine states. These reversals are in part due to the expanded distribution of mourning doves which unlike most species do well in habitats altered by people. Building and industrial farming favor mourning doves; however so does permaculture, reduced till agriculture, and restoration of riparian habitats. All of which, both good and bad are on the rise and here to stay.
- Every state which succeeded in repealing the ban and reinstating a mourning dove hunting season endured a difficult battle waged by animal rights organizations.
- The state of NY has had several “dove bills” introduced into the legislature over the years; however not one time have the bills been moved forward for a vote among the lawmakers.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DOVE HUNTING IN NEW YORK?
- Dove hunting is popular where it is allowed.
- Dove hunting will boost conservation funding.
- Dove hunting will boost general economic activity.
- Dove hunting has cultural value and provides food and recreation.
- Dove hunting can provide hunting opportunities for those who cannot readily participate in other forms of hunting due to a wide variety of reasons. Other benefits to providing hunting opportunities to a broader public include better public acceptance of hunting; more conservation funding; and slowing the attritional loss of hunters.
- In the State of NY the mourning dove is designated a fully protected bird. The DEC does not have the authority to set a hunting season for fully protected wildlife.
- Legislative approval required to re-classify the mourning dove as a game species and reinstate a hunting season.
- Approval or denial by the legislature is influenced by input received from the public and the recommendations of the DEC.
- Anti-hunters have weighed in more than hunters on dove bills in NY.
- The DEC has not endorsed dove hunting and has not been proactive in seeking the required legislative change which would allow them set a hunting season.
Discussion:
- The institution of (any) hunting season is not predicated by the level of participation nor revenue it generates.
- It makes sense to restrict a hunting season because of excessive hunting; but it does not make sense to impose a ban because of under-hunting.
- Unless hunters begin to weigh in on dove hunting and/or the DEC unequivocally endorses dove hunting; NY will remain a non-hunting state.
- Dove hunting can provide hunting opportunities for those who cannot readily participate in other forms of hunting due to a wide variety of reasons. Discuss those reasons.
- Mourning doves are a fecund species that has expanded its range dramatically. There is no conservation concern for this species.
- You might be concerned about the budget of state wildlife agencies. Dove hunting will boost conservation funding. The amount of funding opportunity that has been already lost among various states over many years, because of ideologies that oppose dove hunting, (and Sunday hunting bans) is substantial. Going forward into the future, given the stability of mourning dove populations; continuing to ignore, rationalize, or trivialize this lost conservation funding opportunity is irresponsible. For how long should an ideology continue to compromise conservation funding without any biological justification?
- The DEC bureau of wildlife is by its own goals to provide sustainable recreational use of wildlife for the enjoyment of all. Dove hunting is consistent with that goal because of the sustainability of dove populations and the hunting opportunity it would provide to a broader public, such as compromised or non-traditional hunters.
The Future:
The NY sporting community has speculated that downstate lawmakers have impeded dove legislation. However, if that was the biggest factor or one which cannot be overcome, virtually no pro-hunting bills would ever pass.
The fundamental problem is simply that anti-hunters have placed opposition to dove hunting at the top of their agenda; while legalizing dove hunting has been at the bottom of the hunting community’s agenda.
Unless hunters begin to weigh in on dove hunting and/or the DEC unequivocally endorses dove hunting; NY will remain a non-hunting state.
NY Dove Hunting Website: www.NYDoveHunting.weebly.com
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