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In 2006 the NY State DEC distributed a survey to hunters containing one question about mourning dove hunting. That question was: “Have you ever hunted mourning doves in any state other than NY? In 2009 the DEC again surveyed hunters and again included one question about mourning doves. The question in 2009 was: "Would you support a law change to designate mourning doves as a game bird in New York State?" The DEC mailed questionnaires to 5,000 hunters. This campaign yielded 2,400 respondents, of which 1,262 answered the mourning dove question, including 406 who selected the multiple choice answer “Don’t care”. The DEC’s analysis of the response to these two questions is that New York hunters do not have any ‘experience or tradition with dove hunting to foster support for a dove season’. (Source: NYS DEC www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/59626.html ).
Over the years several mourning dove bills have been introduced, but never once has even one of them ever been voted on by lawmakers. The reason why dove bills have expired numerous times is because the hunting community has not contacted the members of the legislature in sufficient numbers to compel any action on pending dove bills. Until the sporting community approaches lawmakers in sufficient numbers and with enthusiasm and zeal, mourning dove bills will continue to expire and never move beyond the environmental conservation committees of the senate and assembly. This is surprising given the popularity of mourning doves with hunters in other states, their abundance, and their attributes as a game bird and table fare.
Although deer are by far the most popular game species, mourning dove harvest leads all other species, with more harvested than the total combined bag of all species of ducks and geese. In 2011 mourning dove hunting ranked 8th in hunter participation, with 1,271,000 dove hunters in the 41 dove hunting states compared to 10,851,000 deer hunters in all 50 states. Mourning dove hunting is allowed in 41 states, the US territory of Puerto Rico; two Canadian providences, and throughout Central and South America. It should be mentioned that in Alaska, which is one of the nine non-hunting states, mourning doves only occur as an “accidental species.” Heavily wooded states, such as Maine, NH, and Vermont, which are also non-hunting states, have relatively limited acreage of habitat which is conducive to mourning doves. NY’s mourning dove population was estimated by Cornell researchers in the 1980s to be around 10 million birds. Future land use changes, such as reduced till agriculture and permaculture are likely to increase both the continental population and NY states’ population of mourning doves. By contrast, the current estimate of Wild Turkey in NY is around 275,000 birds. New York’s whitetail deer population is estimated to be slightly over one million. In neighboring Ohio 8,600 hunters harvest 136,000 mourning doves; in Pennsylvania 18,000 hunters harvest 203,200; 2,400 Delaware hunters harvest 39,000 ; 100 Rhode Island hunters harvest 500; and in Ontario, Canada, an unspecified number of hunters harvest about 12,000-15,000 mourning doves.
The mourning dove does not only appeal to existing hunters, but also new hunters, particularly people who are increasingly becoming active in hunting due to the growing locavore movement. Mourning dove hunting seasons generates wider interest in hunting among a broader public providing exercise, wild game meat, and even a partnership with the family dog along with the hunting and outdoor experience.
The average natural annual mortality rate of mourning doves is 60% while the average annual harvest is only 4% of the population. The 20 million birds harvested every year provide a carbon offset by providing approximately 5 million pounds of meat alternative to beef, thereby reducing the nation’s carbon footprint by 7.4 million pounds of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.
Few would dispute the significance of the economic revenue generated by the 82.5 million registered clay targets and 82.5 million shotgun shells the sport of competitive trapshooting generates annually. However, individuals and organizations opposed to dove hunting claim that it does not generate significant general economic activity and conservation funds. However, 20 million doves are harvested annually at an average of six shots taken to bag one dove. That translates into 120 million shotgun shells or 4.8 million boxes of shells. Winchester Xpert #7 Steel Dove ammunition, a non-lead product, costs $6.47 per box. This translates further to $31,056,000 for shells alone; which are subject to an 11% wildlife restoration tax which generates $3,416,160 in wildlife conservation funds annually.
In addition to generating large sums of two prongs of revenue (general economic activity and conservation funds); dove hunting encourages good land stewardship that offers co-benefits to non-game and non-hunters.
Over the years several mourning dove bills have been introduced, but never once has even one of them ever been voted on by lawmakers. The reason why dove bills have expired numerous times is because the hunting community has not contacted the members of the legislature in sufficient numbers to compel any action on pending dove bills. Until the sporting community approaches lawmakers in sufficient numbers and with enthusiasm and zeal, mourning dove bills will continue to expire and never move beyond the environmental conservation committees of the senate and assembly. This is surprising given the popularity of mourning doves with hunters in other states, their abundance, and their attributes as a game bird and table fare.
Although deer are by far the most popular game species, mourning dove harvest leads all other species, with more harvested than the total combined bag of all species of ducks and geese. In 2011 mourning dove hunting ranked 8th in hunter participation, with 1,271,000 dove hunters in the 41 dove hunting states compared to 10,851,000 deer hunters in all 50 states. Mourning dove hunting is allowed in 41 states, the US territory of Puerto Rico; two Canadian providences, and throughout Central and South America. It should be mentioned that in Alaska, which is one of the nine non-hunting states, mourning doves only occur as an “accidental species.” Heavily wooded states, such as Maine, NH, and Vermont, which are also non-hunting states, have relatively limited acreage of habitat which is conducive to mourning doves. NY’s mourning dove population was estimated by Cornell researchers in the 1980s to be around 10 million birds. Future land use changes, such as reduced till agriculture and permaculture are likely to increase both the continental population and NY states’ population of mourning doves. By contrast, the current estimate of Wild Turkey in NY is around 275,000 birds. New York’s whitetail deer population is estimated to be slightly over one million. In neighboring Ohio 8,600 hunters harvest 136,000 mourning doves; in Pennsylvania 18,000 hunters harvest 203,200; 2,400 Delaware hunters harvest 39,000 ; 100 Rhode Island hunters harvest 500; and in Ontario, Canada, an unspecified number of hunters harvest about 12,000-15,000 mourning doves.
The mourning dove does not only appeal to existing hunters, but also new hunters, particularly people who are increasingly becoming active in hunting due to the growing locavore movement. Mourning dove hunting seasons generates wider interest in hunting among a broader public providing exercise, wild game meat, and even a partnership with the family dog along with the hunting and outdoor experience.
The average natural annual mortality rate of mourning doves is 60% while the average annual harvest is only 4% of the population. The 20 million birds harvested every year provide a carbon offset by providing approximately 5 million pounds of meat alternative to beef, thereby reducing the nation’s carbon footprint by 7.4 million pounds of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide.
Few would dispute the significance of the economic revenue generated by the 82.5 million registered clay targets and 82.5 million shotgun shells the sport of competitive trapshooting generates annually. However, individuals and organizations opposed to dove hunting claim that it does not generate significant general economic activity and conservation funds. However, 20 million doves are harvested annually at an average of six shots taken to bag one dove. That translates into 120 million shotgun shells or 4.8 million boxes of shells. Winchester Xpert #7 Steel Dove ammunition, a non-lead product, costs $6.47 per box. This translates further to $31,056,000 for shells alone; which are subject to an 11% wildlife restoration tax which generates $3,416,160 in wildlife conservation funds annually.
In addition to generating large sums of two prongs of revenue (general economic activity and conservation funds); dove hunting encourages good land stewardship that offers co-benefits to non-game and non-hunters.
