DES MOINES, Iowa — In the wake of a landslide vote in Michigan this week to continue the state's 100-year tradition of protecting mourning doves from being shot for target practice, the Iowa Federation of Humane Societies and The Humane Society of the United States appealed to Iowa lawmakers to heed the call to keep doves protected.
Like Michigan, Iowa has protected mourning doves for many decades, but national hunting organizations have tried to repeal those protections in the legislature. In 2001, the Iowa legislature narrowly passed legislation to allow dove hunting, and Governor Tom Vilsack vetoed the bill. Vilsack, who hunts pheasant and grouse, stated in his veto message, "The majority of Iowans do not support changing the current law to legalize dove hunting. My office has received contact from thousands of concerned Iowans regarding this issue, and my conclusion is that this policy is not right for our state at this time."
"With Governor Vilsack leaving office, and a new Administration coming in, it's more important than ever that Iowa lawmakers know where the people stand on the hunting of mourning doves," said Jerry Dominicak, vice president of the Iowa Federation of Humane Societies. "Sportsmen have dozens of species to hunt in our state, and there's no reason to add the mourning dove to that list. Doves are not overpopulated, they are not a nuisance, and they are so small that there is very little meat on their bodies. They would be shot only for target practice."
On Tuesday, Michigan voters overwhelmingly rejected Proposal 3, which would have opened a new dove hunting season, by a landslide vote of 69 percent to 31 percent. Proposal 3 was backed by the National Rifle Association, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, Safari Club International, and other national hunting groups, and was opposed by The Humane Society of the United States, Michigan Humane Society, Michigan Audubon Society, Michigan State Grange, and a diverse coalition of organizations and businesses. Michigan is one of the biggest hunting states in the country, but voters rejected dove hunting in each of the 83 counties in the state, from the most urban to the most rural.
"Lawmakers have often wondered where the voters would stand on the issue of dove hunting, and now they have their answer," said Scott Wilson, Iowa state program coordinator for The Humane Society of the United States. "Sportsmen, farmers, and many other citizens joined together in Michigan to keep the state's 100-year tradition of protecting doves. We hope Iowa lawmakers heed the call as well, and agree that there's no good reason to shoot doves for target practice."
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with nearly 10 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection, and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.
