Mourning doves are the traditional bird of peace and a beloved backyard songbird. But some people use mourning doves as live targets, sometimes calling them "cheap skeet." Hunters kill more doves each year—more than 20 million—than any other animal in the country.
Doves are not overpopulated, and hunting them doesn't feed anyone or help manage wildlife. Mourning doves—called the "farmer's friend" because they eat weed seeds—pose no threat to crops, homes or anything of value to people.
Many hunters don't bother to retrieve the dead or wounded birds.
American kestrels, sharp-shinned hawks, and other federally protected birds look like doves and can be shot by mistake.
Mourning doves nest during the fall hunting season, and hunting can orphan chicks, who starve in the nest without their parents' care.
News & Events
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March 23, 2011
Statement on Iowa Legislature Passing Bill to Allow Mourning Dove Hunt
The HSUS expresses its disappointment that the Iowa Senate and House of Representatives have voted to allow the target shooting of mourning doves for the first time since 1918. This bill repeals nearly a century of dove protection policy in Iowa, yet lawmakers rushed it through the process without hardly a word of debate or a serious vetting of the issues.
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March 21, 2011
Majority of Iowa Voters Oppose Dove Hunting by Two to One
A statewide survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. has revealed that a 54 percent of Iowa voters oppose opening a dove hunting season while only 25 percent support.
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November 3, 2009
The Thoughtful Feeder
With the right techniques and precautions, bird feeding can benefit you and your feathered friends
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May 28, 2009
Minn. Legislature Adjourns With Victories for Animals
The HSUS thanks Minnesota lawmakers for their work to protect animals in the 2009 legislative session.
Our Victories
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September 6, 2011
California Legislature Passes Bill Banning Shark Fin Trade
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June 30, 2011
Federal Court Upholds Endangered Species Listing for Polar Bears
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November 3, 2010
Arizona Voters Shoot Down Prop 109
Voters sent a strong message to the Arizona Legislature on Tuesday by rejecting Proposition 109, a referendum that would have amended the Arizona Constitution to give the legislature “exclusive” authority over wildlife issues while seeking to also forbid citizens from initiating statutory petitions.
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September 24, 2010
The HSUS Applauds Gov. Rendell for Cracking Down on Poaching
The HSUS praised Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell for signing an important bill that cracks down on poachers who attempt to hunt in Pennsylvania when their licenses have been suspended in other states.