On February 5, the Senate Appropriations Committee will be holding a hearing concerning establishing the first dove hunting season in Michigan since 1904. The bill passed the House of Representatives last November. Please contact your State Senators and respectfully urge them to support the passage of a Michigan Dove Season. Please let them know that Michigan citizens deserve the opportunity to hunt doves, just as hunters in 39 other states currently have. Be sure to tell them that state wildlife biologists, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, support dove hunting.
Unfortunately, some people claiming to be a friend of sportsmen are proposing an amendment to the bill that would mandate the use of steel shot for all dove hunting. This amendment ignores the fact that the dove species is managed by USFWS under the Migratory Bird Treaty and USFWS has not found evidence to mandate a steel shot requirement. No other state has such a requirement despite the fact that doves are the most popularly hunted bird species in the country. The end result of a steel shot requirement would be a dramatic increase in the cost of dove hunting, making it difficult for the average sportsman and new hunters to afford dove hunting.
Tell your senators to see past the steel shot requirement for what it is-- an effort to restrict dove hunting to an elite few and keep hunters out of the field. You can find contact information for your Representatives by using the "Write Your Representatives" feature at www.nraila.org
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