A referendum to authorize the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) authority to establish a hunting season for mourning doves in the state failed by a substantial margin during this month's election, reports the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI).

Despite the fact that hunting mourning doves is a legal, popular and biologically sustainable recreation in 40 other states, despite the fact that the Michigan DNR determined that hunting was not detrimental to the state's autumn dove population and a consequent, potential economic windfall, despite the fact that harvests and populations levels of the migratory dove are monitored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as MDNR, Michigan citizens voted otherwise. Given the amounts of antihunting money and rhetoric used to campaign against the hunt?much of both from out-of-state sources?the outcome is not entirely surprising. What is surprising is that the vote was a complete contradiction of an earlier and forceful mandate from Michigan citizens to the MDNR to use sound science to manage wildlife.

As pointed out in the September issue of this news bulletin, Michigan voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative a decade ago, which required that wildlife in the state be managed on the basis of sound science.

"It clearly is the right of citizens to make decisions, good or bad. It appears that folks in Michigan have managed to do both on the same issue," observed WMI Midwest field representative Pat Ruble. "The antihunting contingent can crow?or coo, in this case?over its recent voting booth accomplishment, but as science has shown, Michigan's dove population won't be better for it. The so-called victory actually is tainted by the loss of a legitimate recreation and associated revenues, but more so by the compromise of wildlife management by science. The vote may not bode well for other wildlife species?game and nongame alike?in Michigan, if their management can be trumped by emotionalism, misinformation and anthropomorphic rhetoric."