An upcoming survey will ask dove hunters in Indiana and across the U.S. to share their experiences and opinions about dove hunting.
Topics in the National Dove Hunter Survey will include time spent hunting, demographics, constraints to hunting, and thoughts about potential effects of lead from spent ammunition on mourning doves and other wildlife. The study is a cooperative effort by state fish and wildlife agencies, including the Indiana DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife, the National Flyway Council, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
Mailing to a random sample of dove hunters will begin June 20. The survey will be completed by the end of 2013 and a final report will be delivered to involved agencies in March 2014.
We really hope each dove hunter who receives a survey takes the time to complete and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided, said Ken Richkus of the USFWS Population and Habitat Assessment Branch. Their answers are very important, and we appreciate their efforts to tell us what they think.
The National Dove Hunter Survey will give the USFWS a picture of mourning dove hunter thoughts and needs by state, region and nationwide, Richkus said.
Hoosier hunters harvest more doves than any other species in Indiana, typically around 200,000 annually. The birds are hunted in Indiana by more than 10,000 hunters.
Dove hunting is enjoyed by many hunters here in Indiana, and I am glad they will have the opportunity to voice their opinions about this very important game bird, said Budd Veverka, DNR Division of Fish & Wildlifes farmland game research biologist.
DNR Fish & Wildlife also works with the USFWS to conduct a statewide mourning dove calling survey each spring to determine population trends and a mourning dove banding program for a long-term harvest management strategy.