Dove Hunting

[Scout]

Subject: MHS-HEAL PAC STATEWIDE LEGISLATIVE ALERT on HB5029-Doves, 4/14/04

Attention Alert Network Capts. & Participants:

The Legislature goes back into session next Tuesday, April 20th. I met with various House Democrats and staff in recent days and our message has now been received and understood: We are NOT in favor of them trying to protect the Governor by putting a voter referendum amendment on HB5029, now that it is back in the House (chamber of bill's origin) for a vote of concurrence with Senate changes to bill, and then vote for final passage. Although the latest survey proves a majority of Michiganians strongly oppose dove hunting, the NRA and others would spend millions of dollars trying to pass the referendum. We would have no choice but to meet them in kind as you cannot take anything for granted when money is being so heavily spent. MHS, HSUS, SPC, and others would have to create a special campaign committee that could legally raise the millions we'd need to wage this media battle, and even though we would rise to the challenge and fight to win, at what cost? We are charities who should better spend those dollars on our charitable purposes.

Secondly, the minority of hunters who really want to hunt doves are the type of people who didn't vote for Granholm in the first place. And frankly, even if she supported the dove bill they still wouldn't vote for her in 2006 as they are ultra-conservatives who oppose her on countless issues affecting our state. These are the folks who are currently referring to her in their internet chatrooms as "Her Royal Hiney" and "Governor Grandhole". There is no such thing as appeasement with people like this, and the Governor and her supporters need to realize this (most of them do).

Lastly, everyone in the Capitol is sick and tired of this issue and after the bill sponsor, Rep.Tabor, is term-limited out of office this Dec.31st, and if this bill has been vetoed, people in Lansing are saying it probably would not be introduced again until the Governor is out of office (hopefully in 7 after she's reelected in '06).

WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO NEXT
Beginning on 4/20 and continuing through next week, please
1) Phone or email your own State Representative and ask him or her to not vote in support of a voter referendum amendment to HB5029. (Refer to my comments above if you need to explain your position.) (If you do not know who your State Rep. is or how to reach them, phone the House Clerk's office (517-373-0135) and if you give them your address they can tell you your Rep.'s name and give you phone #s and email addresses).

2) Phone Governor Granholm at 517-373-3400. Since her email is down because of a serious virus, you can go to her website (www.michigan.gov) and then click on the word "Governor" in the right margin of the page that opens, then scrolldown and click on "Share your Opinion". You will see a box wherein you can write your message.

PLEASE NOTE: Those in favor of dove hunting have been swamping her office with calls these past two weeks. Further, I am being told that Republican House Speaker Rick Johnson may not allow the bill to come up for a vote as soon as they are back just to stall so more pro dove hunters can swamp the Governor with protest calls. They are having people from other states contact her office pretending to be from Michigan (one of their usual tactics), and having the same person call over and over but giving different names. The MHS and I do NOT want to you stoop to their level and use such unethical tactics. But, it is thus crucial that you and as many other people as you can find, make your own contacts via phone or email. Remind her that the pro-dove hunters and NRA targeted the Governor of Iowa for defeat after he vetoed a dove hunting bill there in 2001, but he easily won reelection in 2002. The people who want this didn't vote for her in 2002 and won't again in 2006, so she needs to support those of us who have supported her and will do so again.

Thanks as always for all your help, this is almost over so hang in there and keep working it.

Eileen Liska, Lobbyist
Michigan Humane Society
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[NWHarkness]

1. Q:Is hunting mourning doves a sport?

A: Only if you do it with your bare hands.

[bif]

2. My question is...

Are they hunted for food, or just for sport?

[Mari333]

3. for sport

thats all, it takes about 5 of them to make any kind of a meal
I fought this in the past, its just a bunch of Ted Nugent type assholes who like to shoot birds. Mourning doves fly erratically, and the idiot hunters think its fun to shoot at them.
I own a nature preserve, if I see anyone come on my land Ill break both their goddamn legs with a baseball bat. And thats the truth.

[NWHarkness]

4. I have doves beneath my feeders every day

picking up what the other birds knock to the ground. When we come out of the house, they don't even fly off, they just waddle out of our way.

It would sure take a manly man to hunt them.

[RoeBear]

5. Isn't it a combination?

Sure doves are small and it might take 5 to make a meal but shrimp are small too right?

[Zookeeper]

6. Pardon me....

for posting on the Michigan forum (although I am a native). I was just looking around and noticed this thread on Dove hunting. Minnesota just (last week, I think) passed a bill to legalize the hunting of Mourning Doves. I was appalled! We had a pair in our backyard for a couple of years, that always sat out in the open in the same spot. I don't really understand the "sport," I could have knocked them out by throwing a rock! And they can't amount to more than a meatball's worth of food.

Every Minnesotan I've spoken with has been surprised by this bill. It happened here under everyone's radar.

Good luck with your fight!

[bif]

7. Are they good eating?

I know theey're pretty small, but my brother hunts small birds like quail and makes a meal out of several of them. And I know they eat pigeons in Europe. Just curious.