06-11-2005, 09:10 PM
[size 1]June 08, 2005 - Michigan voters will determine whether hunters have the right to shoot mourning doves in the state, as the State Board of Canvassers has verified over 200,000 signatures to put the issue on the November 2006 ballot.
The board's verification was announced on Thursday, June 2.
A nearly century-long ban on hunting mourning doves was lifted in September 2004 after the adoption of a bill authorizing a three-year, experimental season. Approximately 3,000 hunters participated in the six-county season that included Berrien, Branch, Cass, Hillsdale, St. Joseph and Lenawee counties last year.
The Committee to Restore the Dove Shooting Ban filed more than 275,000 registered voter signatures with the Secretary of State in March, requesting a referendum on the bill. The state verified nearly 250,000 signatures last week, officially putting the issue on the ballot. A total of 159,000 valid signatures were needed.
Julie Baker of the Committee to Restore the Dove Shooting Ban stated in April that mourning doves have been a protected bird for years, and that shooting them provides no value to the state or hunters. Further, Baker said there is no biological or ecological reasons to kill doves, and that teaching children to shoot them is "just plain wrong."
Many supporting a dove hunting season have labeled attempts to thwart it as an anti-hunting, animal rights initiative to end all hunting in the state.
Hunters supporting the season state dove hunting provides opportunities to younger and older hunters because the sport does not require extensive movement to shoot them. Further, they state the season would provide much needed revenue to the state's suffering economy.
The referendum also results in an immediate halt of the experimental seasons, under Michigan law.
"That is regrettable," said Sam Washington, executive director of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) of the experimental hunting season halt. "What the groups involved on the other side of this have really done is everything in their power to prevent us from being able to prove that (hunting) has no negative impact on doves in Michigan. They have effectively shut down the next two hunts until the voters go to the polls. And, there will be no data from the hunts that don't take place."
by [/size][url "http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/1editorialtablebody.lasso?-token.searchtype=authorroutine&-token.lpsearchstring=Kevin%20Elliott&-nothing"][#000000][size 1]Kevin Elliott[/size][/#000000][/url][size 1] [/size]
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The board's verification was announced on Thursday, June 2.
A nearly century-long ban on hunting mourning doves was lifted in September 2004 after the adoption of a bill authorizing a three-year, experimental season. Approximately 3,000 hunters participated in the six-county season that included Berrien, Branch, Cass, Hillsdale, St. Joseph and Lenawee counties last year.
The Committee to Restore the Dove Shooting Ban filed more than 275,000 registered voter signatures with the Secretary of State in March, requesting a referendum on the bill. The state verified nearly 250,000 signatures last week, officially putting the issue on the ballot. A total of 159,000 valid signatures were needed.
Julie Baker of the Committee to Restore the Dove Shooting Ban stated in April that mourning doves have been a protected bird for years, and that shooting them provides no value to the state or hunters. Further, Baker said there is no biological or ecological reasons to kill doves, and that teaching children to shoot them is "just plain wrong."
Many supporting a dove hunting season have labeled attempts to thwart it as an anti-hunting, animal rights initiative to end all hunting in the state.
Hunters supporting the season state dove hunting provides opportunities to younger and older hunters because the sport does not require extensive movement to shoot them. Further, they state the season would provide much needed revenue to the state's suffering economy.
The referendum also results in an immediate halt of the experimental seasons, under Michigan law.
"That is regrettable," said Sam Washington, executive director of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) of the experimental hunting season halt. "What the groups involved on the other side of this have really done is everything in their power to prevent us from being able to prove that (hunting) has no negative impact on doves in Michigan. They have effectively shut down the next two hunts until the voters go to the polls. And, there will be no data from the hunts that don't take place."
by [/size][url "http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/1editorialtablebody.lasso?-token.searchtype=authorroutine&-token.lpsearchstring=Kevin%20Elliott&-nothing"][#000000][size 1]Kevin Elliott[/size][/#000000][/url][size 1] [/size]
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