Posted on 07/17/2005 12:27:02 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Hunting Heritage Defense Committee Opposes Michigan Dove Hunt Ban.
Howell, Michigan 7/15/05 – Each year, Michigan’s 1.7 million outdoor enthusiasts provide the state with significant revenue. These individuals enjoy various sports with their families, friends, and neighbors while protecting the environment through fees paid for licenses and memberships in conservation organizations as well as income to local economies.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimates that our natural resources annually attract more than 800,000 licensed hunters (15 million days in the field), nearly 2 million licensed anglers (25 million days fishing) and more than 900,000 registered watercraft (logging more than 13 million boat days). Michigan hunter dollars provide contributions to citizen services as well, without which Michigan’s economy would suffer serious losses.
HHDC is a grassroots ballot question committee formed to oppose the 2006 ballot initiative that would ban the hunting of doves in Michigan. Our mission is to defend Michigan’s hunting heritage from well-funded out-of-state special interest groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) who want to ban all hunting.
HSUS holds over $99,000,000 in assets, and operates not a single animal shelter. Instead, as current president Wayne Pacelle stated in 1990, "We are going to use the ballot box and the democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States ... We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped in California. Then we will take it state by state.” Rather than caring for animals as is done on a local level by similarly named humane societies, HSUS devotes its funding to anti-outdoor legislation and ballot initiatives.
Dove hunters in Michigan are required to purchase a dove stamp. Half of the funds provided by this stamp are specifically dedicated to non-game habitat programs. While accurate hunting numbers for Michigan are not available as Legislation was approved on a limited basis in six counties in Michigan in September of 2004, by comparison, Texas generates revenues for its economy of $200 million per year from dove hunting. A similar amount is currently being spent in Michigan’s adjoining states where dove hunting has been a tradition for years.
As sportsmen and women across this state are coming to realize, the issue of whether or not we hunt doves has been drawn into the larger battle over whether we have the right to hunt at all. Anti-hunting groups worked most recently in Alaska in an attempt to outlaw bear hunting. However, they were soundly defeated by the grass roots efforts of the hunters, fishermen, and women of that state. These groups have now targeted the people of Michigan, our traditions and our economy.
The Hunting Heritage Defense Committee has one purpose: to educate and coordinate people interested in the issue. All of us will speak with one voice in telling these outside groups that the people of this state will uphold the long-standing traditions of hunting and fishing in Michigan.
To accomplish this we will be holding informational events coupled with voter registration drives across the state. We urge all groups as well as individual sportsmen and women to join the Hunting Heritage Defense Committee in preserving such an important part of Michigan’s heritage.
I'm not a mourning dove hunter, but I support HHDC 100%. We all hang together as hunters or gunowners, or we all hang separately. I already sent my donation.
Background - A bipartisan majority in the state legislature(as well as even Granholm) passed a trial mourning dove hunt which has Michigan progress like its neighbors in Indiana which already have a mourning dove hunt.
Out of state interests such as the Humane Society of the United State (Not your local pet rescue group) and Fund for Animals (Both backed John Kerry BTW.....) spent $50,000 to bring this to referendum. This places the hunting ban on the ballot to be decided on in 2006. That's why HHDC formed.
HHDC is supported by Michigan Gun Owners and SAFR, two pro-firearm organizations in the state(I'm a member of both). It's a legit ballot question committee filed with the State of Michigan, and it's ready to fight the anti-hunters and ready to drive them back to Washington DC.
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Interviewer: "Where would your organization support Black Bear hunting - anywhere in the United States?"
(Wayne) Pacelle(HSUS President): "Nowhere"
Interviewer: "Where does your organization support the hunting of deer - anywhere in the United States?"
Pacelle: "Nowhere"
Interviewer: "Where, in the United States, does your organization support any hunting of any species?"
Pacelle: "Nowhere"
Interviewer: "So the real agenda and goal of Fund For Animals is a total ban on all hunting everywhere?"
Pacelle: "Yes."
Interviewer: "So all this debate about whether or not the Black Bear is threatened or endangered and the actual number of Black Bear that we have in Florida is really irrelevant since the goal of your organization is to ban all hunting everywhere?"
Pacelle: "Yes"
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That's what we are up against.
"Humane Society of the United State (Not your local pet rescue group)"
Extreme lefty group. Mourning dove hunting was talked about in WI a couple years ago. I don't know what the outcome was, but there was sure an uproar from the liberals. Just imagine the overpopulation of deer in our areas (WI and MI), and other states like TX and PA, the starvation and deasease if hunting was banned. These libs are clueless, hunters actually contribute greatly to animal management.
When the anti crowd in Minnesota tried to defeat the dove hunting bill, they claimed there would be a environmental disaster.
Because doves eat weed seeds, hunting them would cause an explosion of weeds.
More weeds, more herbicides used by farmers and homeowners.
The bill passed and I still pull my weeds by hand.
The first time it was up, the dove bill lost by one vote(senate). It then passed the house twice more and finally got past the senate the second time it was up for a vote there. Granholm shocked me by signing it, but it went to referendum thanks to Parcelle's crew.
Extreme Leftists is right. Unfortunatly, most people think HSUS is about rescuing pets. Even a lot of hunters belong to HSUC thinking that what they are supporting. Similar names with the local humane society - but big difference in what the group does.
In Wisconsin, we had opposition to Dove hunting a few years back, including an expensive law suit.
Now that we have it, there is no change in the dove population and the whole controversy has been forgotten.
Hunting and fishing should be encouraged. Without it, the natural resources would suffer as the hunt and fish fees pay a big portion of the DNR budget.
Never mind the fact that is illegal and will always be so by the occupied building rule and trespassing laws.
But it's the bird of piece, I mean peace....even though they are nothing like the white doves.....
(Yes they are pigeons)
Mourning doves? I thought they were Morning doves?
Is there a difference?
I thought it was "mourning" based on that whiny sound they make.
"Extreme Leftists is right. Unfortunatly, most people think HSUS is about rescuing pets. Even a lot of hunters belong to HSUC thinking that what they are supporting. Similar names with the local humane society - but big difference in what the group does."
Yep, I make sure to educate those who don't know. I can't blame them the HSUS purposly picked a similar sounding name to create the image they are the sames as your local Humane Societies. Sleeze bags.
They are named mourning because of how they sound. Anyway, I hear they taste like chicken. *groan*
We have about 8-10 in our yard (we're country folks), and they're a pita. I wouldn't mind taking a shot at a few.
" whiny sound " ?
I thought they cooed?
hmmm....well, I see them mostly in the morning. ;~ )
Are they good with eggs?
Here's more from Pacelle -
"We have no problems with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding." – Animal People News, May 1, 1993
He's also opposed to pet ownership.
HSUS is typical of such who are stepping over the line!
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