Pennsylvania Dove Hunters Urged to Take Part in Survey

Random sample of dove hunters to begin receiving survey in mail

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced that a random-sample of Pennsylvania dove hunters soon will be receiving a national survey seeking input about their experiences and opinions on dove hunting. 

Topics will include time spent hunting, demographics, constraints to hunting, and thoughts about potential effects of spent lead from hunting ammunition on mourning doves and other wildlife.  The survey is a cooperative effort by the state fish and wildlife agencies, all four flyway councils, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

"This survey is being conducted as wildlife agencies and the USFWS want to include hunter opinions and preferences about seasons whenever possible," Roe said. "The survey results will be used in conjunction with the best science-based information for the management and conservation of our migratory bird resources.

"If you are a dove hunter and receive one of these surveys, we encourage you to complete it and return it as soon as possible to ensure that Pennsylvania hunter opinions are included in this national survey."  

There are more than one million dove hunters nationally, with seasons in 40 states. In Pennsylvania, an estimated 19,900 hunters harvested more than 226,000 doves during the 2011 hunting season.

"We're surveying dove hunters in every state that has a dove season so they can give us their opinions on a variety of topics," said Dr. Ken Richkus of the USFWS's Population and Habitat Assessment Branch. "This approach will give us an excellent picture of mourning dove hunter thoughts and needs by state, region, and nationwide."

The National Dove Hunter Survey is scheduled to begin in late June 2012, and will be completed by the end of the year.

"We really hope each dove hunter who receives a survey takes the time to complete and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided," Richkus added. "Their answers are very important, and we appreciate their efforts to tell us what they think."

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SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission