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Michigan Voters Call a Cease-Fire in the War on State Bird of Peace

November 8, 2006


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In a victory for the people and wildlife of Michigan, voters in the Wolverine State carried a ballot initiative to outlaw dove hunting, restoring a century-old tradition of protecting the mourning dove.

The win at the polls culminated a two-year grassroots campaign by The Committee to Keep Doves Protected, a coalition of Michigan humane and civic organizations supported by national animal protection groups including The Humane Society of the United States, which represents more than 300,000 Michigan members.

The campaign became necessary when well-funded, out-of-state hunting groups like the National Rifle Association (headquartered in Virginia), the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (Ohio) and the Safari Club International (Arizona) aimed a lobbying blitz at the state legislature. These outside special interests were seeking to overturn a Michigan tradition that had stood since 1905, when the legislature put mourning doves off limits to hunters by recognizing them as "song birds" rather than a "game birds." In 1998, the people of Michigan reaffirmed the special place these beautiful and gentle birds hold in their esteem when the legislature honored the mourning dove as "Michigan's state bird of peace."

Lobbying for Cruelty

But just five years later, under heavy pressure from the lobbyists, the legislature passed—and Governor Jennifer Granholm signed—a bill reclassifying mourning doves as game birds, setting the stage for Michigan's fields and meadows to become war zones for the state's bird of peace. In the fall of 2004, an estimated 3,000 hunters killed more than 28,000 doves. Since studies have shown a wounding rate of approximately 30 percent in dove hunting, we can conclude that another 8,400 birds were maimed and left to die from loss of blood, infection, dehydration and starvation.

The carnage was pointless. No one has ever claimed that doves are overpopulated; they do not damage crops or gardens; they are not a nuisance—in fact they help control weeds by eating the seeds; and when they are hunted, the little bit of flesh they have is so riddled with shot that few hunters even try to cook and eat them. Dove hunting is not about either wildlife management or food. It is about target practice with living targets. It is killing a harmless and beloved bird for fun.

Mobilized for Doves

In response, The Committee to Keep Doves Protected launched a signature drive to return mourning doves to the protected status they had been granted in Michigan for nearly a century. Volunteers collected 275,000 signatures, 73 percent more than the 159,000 needed to put protection for doves on the ballot. On Election Day, their efforts bore fruit as the people of Michigan told the politicians, the lobbyists, and the out-of-state special interests to keep their hands off of Michigan's mourning doves.

National groups like The Humane Society of the United States pitched in to help out, but local organizations like the Michigan Humane Society (not affiliated with The HSUS) and the Michigan Audubon Society were the heart and soul of this campaign.

"This was a grassroots Michigan effort from start to finish," said Mike Markarian, executive vice president of The HSUS. "The local groups put together the coalition and organized the petition drive. They lined up over a thousand endorsements from humane and civic groups, faith-based groups, and businesses. It was a long, tough campaign, but their faith and determination carried the day. In the final analysis, though, it is the people of Michigan who really deserve the credit. They saw through the propaganda from the supporters of the dove hunt, and they spoke up on Election Day for wildlife and for the Michigan tradition of caring for doves."

See the Video

Committee to Restore the Dove Shooting Ban

Dove Hunting

The Committee To Keep Doves Protected