TPWD Releases Dove Lethality Study Findings

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Barnacle Bill
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TPWD Releases Dove Lethality Study Findings

Post by Barnacle Bill »

AUSTIN - Texas leads the nation in dove hunting with roughly a quarter million hunters bagging 5 million mourning doves each fall. Their success afield should not change with the type of shot used, according to the results of a just-released study examining the lethality of lead versus non-toxic shot for mourning dove.

The field collection phase of the study was conducted in Brown, Coleman and McCulloch counties during the 2008 and 2009 Texas dove hunting seasons. After recording more than 5,000 shots fired by Texas hunters during the two-year project, and then necropsying 1,100 mourning dove, researchers determined no statistical significant difference in harvest efficiencies between the three loads tested, regardless of distance.
Non-toxic shot has been required for hunting waterfowl for more than two decades. Despite studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of non-toxic shot for waterfowl and other game birds, the results of this study were not a foregone conclusion, at least not in the perceptions of dove hunters. Recent dove hunter surveys indicate that some hunters still believe non-toxic shot to be inferior to lead.
"Our findings address the efficiency of lead and non-toxic shot on mourning dove," said Corey Mason, a TPWD wildlife biologist and one of the authors of the report. "There continues to be a spirited national discussion on the use of lead and other types of shot and these results help inform one aspect of the conversation."

This study is the first on the lethality of lead versus non-toxic shot under typical hunting conditions for mourning dove to be published in a scientific journal. The Institute of Renewable Natural Resources at Texas A&M University, Thomas Roster, and Texas Parks and Wildlife authored report will be published in the March 2015 issue of The Wildlife Society Bulletin, a peer-reviewed, scientific publication containing papers related to wildlife management, conservation law enforcement, conservation education, economics, administration, philosophy, ethics, and contemporary resource problems. An advance release of the report is available online at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wi ... e_summary/

TPWD officials believe the research findings may be useful to Texas hunters as they make decisions on the type of loads they choose for dove hunting.
"We absolutely believe in hunter choice and we also want hunters to be as informed as possible on matters affecting their outdoor pursuits," said Carter Smith, TPWD Executive Director. "Dove are a shared international resource, and the question about whether or not lead shot should be banned for dove hunting is not something Texas is prepared to make independent of other jurisdictions and based solely on the findings of this study. This research offers an important data point in the larger discussion, but there are many other factors to consider."

An internationally recognized shotgun ballistics expert, who has authored more than a dozen similar studies involving waterfowl and upland game birds, designed the study. The study examined three, 12-gauge, 2 ¾-inch loads designed and manufactured to mirror loads that are used most often by dove hunters. The different load types included: 1 ⅛ ounce of No. 7 ½ lead shot, 1 ounce of No. 6 steel shot, and 1 ounce of No. 7 steel shot.
The cost of the study was approximately $500,000 and was funded with dedicated Migratory Game Bird and Texas White-winged Dove stamp revenue.



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Bigrock
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Re: TPWD Releases Dove Lethality Study Findings

Post by Bigrock »

So I guess what they are saying, in my case, is that one can miss just as efficiently with either one.
Barnacle Bill wrote:"We absolutely believe in hunter choice and we also want hunters to be as informed as possible on matters affecting their outdoor pursuits," said Carter Smith, TPWD Executive Director. "Dove are a shared international resource, and the question about whether or not lead shot should be banned for dove hunting is not something Texas is prepared to make independent of other jurisdictions and based solely on the findings of this study. This research offers an important data point in the larger discussion, but there are many other factors to consider."
I hope the dept will stand by this.
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Re: TPWD Releases Dove Lethality Study Findings

Post by Prof. Salt »

The debt will stand by it. Steel shot is expensive!

If I were an anti-hunter looking to eliminate dove hunting in Texas, this is exactly how I would go about it. I'm not saying this is what's going on, but I'm afraid the cost of steel shot shells is going to ruin dove hunting as a sport. I can't imagine TPWD putting this out unless change is in the wind, and it makes me nervous. What's next?

I'm not much of a dove hunter, but next will be rifle bullets...
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Re: TPWD Releases Dove Lethality Study Findings

Post by Cruisin_Cuda »

yep and coming soon lead shot will be banned for dove hunting as well....they'll keep chipping away at ALL hunting, shooting and anything firearm related until we the sheeple fight back or we become the next UK....
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dwilliams35
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Re: TPWD Releases Dove Lethality Study Findings

Post by dwilliams35 »

They more than likely limited their "test distances" to those where steel was still viable.. Laws of physics be damned, agenda full speed ahead..
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karstopo
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Re: TPWD Releases Dove Lethality Study Findings

Post by karstopo »

I'm suspicious of the motivation behind the study.
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