October 23, 1998
Future of dove hunting to be decided by voters
By Vicki Hunker
Staff Writer
State Issue 1 on the Nov. 3 ballot will ask voters to decide whether or not mourning doves should be hunted in Ohio.
Proponents of the issue say dove hunting &emdash; which now is legal &emdash; is cruel and unnecessary. Opponents say doves do not need to be saved and that the issue really is the first step by animal activists toward limiting the use of animals for hunting, farming, medical research and other human uses.
Literature from a committee in favor of the proposal says, ''A yes vote on Issue 1 restores Ohio's 80-year tradition of protecting mourning doves and stops the cruel and unnecessary killing of these gentle backyard birds.''
Sandy Rowland, state director of the Humane Society of the United States, said cruelty is the main issue.
''While there is no good reason to hunt doves,'' she said. ''There are plenty of reasons not to hunt them.''
According to Rowland, dove hunting is nothing more than target practice because the birds are not large enough to eat. She said hunting is bad for the environment because hunters discharge toxic lead shot, polluting water and poisoning wildlife.
''It would be hard to come up with a species as harmless and inoffensive as the dove,'' she said. ''These gentle birds are not a disease threat to our families.''
She said they cause no damage to vehicles or other property.
Literature from a committee in favor of retaining dove hunting in Ohio say the main backers of the issue are national animal rights organizations, three of which are The Fund for Animals, New York; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Virginia; and the Humane Society of the United States, Washington D.C.
''Mourning doves are the most abundant game bird in America. Numbering some 500 million, more doves exist that all species of ducks and geese combined,'' opponent literature says.
People in favor of dove hunting say hunting does not impact numbers of doves. About 10 percent of doves are hunted. The rest live less than a year.
''Tens of thousands of Ohioans and millions of Americans hunt and eat doves,'' said Robert Teater, chairman of Ohioans for Wildlife Conservation, a group formed to defeat Issue 1. ''One dove equals 10 large shrimp, one chicken leg, two chicken wings, 2 1/2 wieners, three sausage patties or one bratwurst.
''Issue 1 is bad for Ohio's environment and its economy. Its agenda threatens our health, food supplies and the very fabric of life in our state,'' he said.
''Issue 1 backers also oppose animal farming, horse racing, fishing and many other activities involving animals,'' he added. ''If we permit the animal rights movement to pass this ballot issue, it will open the way for the rest of their agenda.''