What a debacle. Michigan almost had a dove hunting season, like most other farmland states. Unfortunately the local hunting lobby took the wrong tack. And the anti-hunters were as venal as ever.
The lobby didn’t defend the sport per se. Bad move. They opted for the slippery slope instead.
The anti’s chose several lies that proved effective: they said doves are songbirds and not shot for food.
It was an all-round embarrassment. A debacle. How did the public ever get involved in determining whether something should be hunted or not? What could the public know? It was a sad abuse of democracy to ask the public. Why not ask people what kind of traffic light is best for 5-lane road intersections? I mean, the question was ENTIRELY a matter for the animal management experts.
Anyway… Every bird is a songbird and doves are indeed shot for food. They are a large-breasted bird like a quail, grouse or duck, putting them perfectly in the gamebird category.Their small size is totally immaterial: no one cares that sardines, bluegills or shrimp are small. Size doesn’t matter!
The worst, most offensive implication was that hunters shoot game because they *dislike* it. No, hunters love animals and provide for their habitat and perpetuation in stellar fashion. Shooting and eating critters is not part of some emotional reaction against animals. It’s about food and challenge, and of course fresh air.
Many game animals are fed at feeders or are yard-visitors. This has NO bearing on their game status.
The dove hunt was shot down due to lies and ignorance. A social embarrassment.
People who have no concept of hunting or little day-to-day relationship with the land unfortunately felt free to make decisions about hunting. They should have opted out, to save their respect. They should have listened to the scientists, conservationists and the people most in contact with the land who all supported the dove hunt.
With the devastation of habitat and other misguided behavior by these same people, the population profiles of various species have changed in recent decades, with once-common gamebirds in decline, and once-scarce predators in massive accension. Gamebirds like doves and turkeys, however, have proved to be good competitors and have been easily managed to large numbers, providing great food resources and challenge opportunities for people of the land. I know that doves are tasty vittles. I would’ve appreciated the challenge of hunting them and adding to my own family’s food source. Thanks, ya wingnuts. I guess ya know better than I do about what my role should be in critter management and harvesting out in the hedgerows of the fields out yonder.
Unfortunately, the slippery slope argument is in fact correct despite being bad strategy. Wealthy antihunters/antihumans and out of touch cityslickers will indeed be encouraged to exert ever more coercive and divisive power over those whose lives they can’t comprehend in an attempt to make up for powerlessness in their own lives.
