About 250,000 mourning dove hunters harvest 5 million mourning doves on an annual basis in Texas – making the Lone Star State the nation’s leader in both the number of hunters and harvest. The findings of a National Dove Hunter Survey will help managers better understand the opinions of this important hunting community at a national level.

The National Dove Hunter Survey is a cooperative effort by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Flyways Council and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Last year, the survey was sent to randomly selected hunters in the 40 states with dove hunting seasons. The large sample of 800 per state on average ensured that most of the survey results are applicable at the national, regional, and state levels. Of the 30,382 surveys successfully delivered, 12,631 hunters responded—earning a 41.6 percent response rate.

This survey was the first attempt to learn more about dove hunter characteristics; dove hunters’ time spent hunting; perceived constraints to hunting; and attitudes and opinions about potential effects of spent lead from hunting ammunition on mourning doves and other wildlife.

Why focus on dove hunters?
Mourning doves are one of the most abundant and widely distributed game birds in the country. Each year approximately one million dove hunters spend more than three million days afield and harvest between 15-20 million mourning doves.

Most of the individual surveyed said that they have been hunting doves for more than 20 years and spend $50 or less on shotshells. The majority of the dove hunters reported that they harvest fewer than 30 birds per season. Most of the respondents hunt on private land.

Cost of gasoline and cost of shells received the highest responses as hindrances to dove hunting.

What did the Survey discover about dove hunters and their opinions concerning lead ammunition?

More than 85 percent of the respondents said mostly or always use lead shot to hunt doves. Most responded that lead shot substitutes are too expensive. Thirty-six percent said that if lead shot was outlawed they would probably quit hunting dove.

A full report of the survey results can be found at http://bit.lv/DoveHunterSurvey.