A grassroots coalition of Ohio citizens called SAVE THE DOVES is gathering signatures to qualify for the November 1998 ballot. If they qualify with 220,000 valid signatures of Ohio registered voters, Ohio citizens will have the opportunity to ban the sport hunting of mourning doves. If you live in Ohio, we need your help!
If you can help gather signatures on petitions, please let us know! Send e-mail to fund4animals@fund.org or contact:
SAVE THE DOVES
PO Box 820
Perrysburg, OH 43551
1-800-868-DOVE (3683)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Q: When is the deadline?
A: We need to turn in 110,000 valid signatures in December, and
then most likely another 110,000 shortly thereafter. Because the
election officials routinely certify some signatures as invalid
(people not registered, signed in the wrong county, etc.) we need
to turn in a considerably higher amount than is required. We NEED
to gather most of our signatures THIS SUMMER as the summer is the
best time to gather signatures!
Q: I helped gather signatures last year and I thought we failed.
A: We did not gather enough signatures to qualify for the
November 1997 ballot, but the petitions we collected last year
will still be counted! We are now aiming to qualify for the
November 1998 ballot, and we must increase our efforts to make
sure we qualify for 1998!
Q: What are the requirements for gathering signatures?
A: Anyone who circulates petitions must be a registered voter in
Ohio, and anyone who signs a petition must be a registered voter.
Each petition must contain signatures from only one county, but a
petition circulator can gather signatures in any county in the
state.
Q: Where should I gather signatures?
A: Anywhere there are people. Activists have been successful at
college campuses, malls, book stores, pet supply stores, health
food stores, art fairs, summer festivals, etc. Even if you only
take a petition to work or ask your family members to sign, every
single signature counts!
Q: What is Save The Doves?
A: Save The Doves is a volunteer coalition of Ohio birders, animal lovers, farmers,
environmentalists, and even hunters, who want to see the mourning dove returned to its
songbird status. Save The Doves is an official state ballot committee working to place an
initiative on Ohio's November 1998 ballot. The initiative only addresses mourning dove
hunting. The group does not have a position on other hunting issues.
Q: Why should this issue appear on the ballot? Don't we have biologists to make these
decisions?
A: Unfortunately, the Division of Wildlife makes money from the sale of hunting licenses and
finds itself in the business of pandering to the desires of the small minority of hunters. The
special interest sport hunting lobby has power and money to influence Legislators. Wildlife
belongs to all Ohio citizens, and the citizens have a right to decide how doves should be
treated.
Q: When did the Ohio Legislature begin to allow mourning dove hunting?
A: After a 20-year battle to keep doves protected from hunting, the Legislature pushed
through a bill to allow dove hunting in 1994. The bill passed by only one vote in the Senate
and one vote in the House of Representatives, after a few key Legislators received campaign
contributions from the special interest sport hunting lobby. The first dove hunting season
began in September 1995.
Q: How many mourning doves are killed by hunters in Ohio?
A: Nearly half a million mourning doves may be killed each year.
Q: Are mourning doves killed quickly and humanely?
A: Shooting mourning doves is far from being humane. Scientific studies indicate that more
than 20 percent of the doves shot by hunters are not killed immediately, but rather wounded
and left unretrieved (Haas, G.H, 1977, "Unretrieved shooting loss of mourning doves in
north-central South Carolina," Wildlife Society Bulletin, 5:123-125).
Q: Does hunting disrupt the mourning doves' social structure?
A: Doves mate for life, and the hunting season begins in September when most doves are still
nesting with their young. Hunting can separate mates and orphan young. The Division of
Wildlife acknowledges that the majority of dove hunting takes place in the first week of the
season.
Q: Don't people hunt mourning doves for food?
A: Doves weigh approximately 4 ounces. After their bodies are cut up and dressed, this
decreases to 2 ounces, or two small half-dollar-sized pieces of meat hardly enough to make
a meal. If not placed right, the shot can destroy the meat.
Q: Don't hunters need a challenging target like the mourning dove to improve their
skills?
A: Dove hunting typically involves luring doves to sunflower fields and shooting them at
point-blank range as they descend to feed. Surely, this is about as challenging as shooting a
dove eating at a birdfeeder. While hunters claim that the erratic flight pattern of a dove is
challenging, there are clay targets that present the same erratic patterns for target practice
without the cruelty.
Q: Aren't dove hunters responsible conservationists?
A: Some hunters may shoot at doves roosting on power lines, causing outages that taxpayers
will have to pay for. Some may encroach on private property to shoot doves feeding in
backyards. In Washington state, a brush fire started when hunters shot at doves perched on
power lines.
Q: Is dove hunting bad for the environment?
A: Although the US Fish and Wildlife Service has banned the use of lead shot for waterfowl,
mourning dove hunters are currently allowed to use lead shot. Since steel shot is expensive
and hard on gun barrels, hunters undoubtedly prefer to use lead shot. Because doves frequent
waterways and wheat fields, the lead shot will be in close proximity to our food and water
sources, increasing the risk of contamination. We have banned the use of lead in our gasoline
and our paint for good reason. If we truly care about Ohio's environment, shouldn't we work
to reduce the amount of lead toxins in and on our land and not encourage its increase?
Q: Mourning doves aren't endangered, so why does it matter if they are hunted?
A: Doves are indeed plentiful, but people said the same thing about passenger pigeons before
they were hunted to extinction. Mourning doves are not overpopulated, and like other
songbirds, there is no biological need to hunt them. Mourning doves can be easily confused
with American kestrels even by experienced birdwatchers and hunters. States with dove
hunting seasons report a large increase in the number of injured and killed kestrels and other
protected birds.
Q: Can Ohio residents enjoy mourning doves without hunting them?
A: Mourning doves are gentle backyard birds that people enjoy watching at their birdfeeders.
People can easily identify them by their cooing and love to tell stories of dove families
returning to nest in the same spot year after year.
Q: Is dove hunting a boost to the economy?
A: Birders spend significant sums of money on seed and birdfeeders each year to enjoy the
dove in a nonconsumptive manner. While fewer than 7 percent of Ohio residents are hunters,
44 percent consider themselves nonconsumptive wildlife recreationists (US Fish and Wildlife
Service, National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation,
1991). Why should we jeopardize people's enjoyment and economic interest in birding simply
for a hunting season which may cause birders, hikers, and other nonconsumptive users to
feel unsafe in the woods?
Q: Are mourning doves a nuisance to farmers?
A: No, the opposite is true. Mourning doves help farmers by clearing waste grains and seeds.
Q: How can I help?
A: If you would like to receive official petitions to help gather signatures, please contact:
Save The Doves
PO Box 820
Perrysburg, OH 43551
1-800-868-DOVE (3683)