I am concerned about what kind of fallout there might be and what it forces us into in other states. |
It's way, way early. There are so many other issues out there right now. |
Mourning doves are ground feeders. They also are sight feeders, picking up visible seeds. They don't scratch or dig. When snow covers a field, they have a hard time foraging. |
One problem is that it may not show up in dead birds in the field because they get weak and picked of by predators. |
There are some studies going on now in Missouri on penned birds where they were fed a certain number of lead shot. They've found that if they ingest even a small number of shot, they have a very low survival rate. |
They have studies that have shown where as few as one pellet resulted in about 50 percent mortality after 21 days. They forced feed doves in pens. |
We need better information on survival rates and recruitment rates of mourning doves. But we have to look at the availability and efficiency of non-toxic shot. |