About 300 hunters sporting orange hats and camouflage rallied at the state Capitol on Tuesday, encouraging legislators to make Michigan the 40th state allowing mourning dove hunting.
With the sportsmen anxiously packed in the gallery above the House floor, the bill was passed 64-44 in the state House. Fifty-five Republicans and nine Democrats voted yes on the proposal. The bill now moves to the state Senate.
"Forty states can't be wrong," said Mike Wills, who traveled 90-minutes from Troy to attend the rally and talk to legislators.
The rally was led by bill sponsor state Rep. Sue Tabor, R-Delta Township. She was joined by more than 20 legislators on the steps of the Capitol cheering for the hunting change.
If the bill is passed in the Senate and signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, the classification of the doves will be changed from songbirds to game birds and will allow the National Resources Commission to establish a hunting season for the mourning doves.
An amendment allows the state Department of Natural Resources to use $350,000 to create and distribute brochures to help hunters distinguish the doves from other birds.
Opponents of the proposal say the 13-inch songbirds aren't big enough to supply enough food to be shot, and that lifting the ban would hurt the dove population.
Geologist Ian Halbeisen of Charlotte stood in the crowd of hunter enthusiasts holding a sign with the words "No Dove Hunting," saying the Legislature could find better things to do besides backing the hunters.
But rock 'n' roll star and avid hunter Ted Nugent said the ban is "retarded" and "weird."
"If they're too small, then let's ban shrimp," Nugent said. "I'm gonna eat doves for Thanksgiving; I'm gonna have doves next week; in fact, I'm gonna eat doves tonight."
Nugent said for those worried about the population of doves that "If they hear my music, they'll breed."
The bird has a grayish-brown back, black spots on its wings and white feathers in the tail.
The mourning dove is one of the most abundant birds, with more than 400 million in the United States and more than 4 million migrating from Michigan each fall, according the state Department of Natural Resources.
Other speakers said allowing more hunting could boost the economy by selling more outdoor supplies, creating jobs and allowing families to spend more time together.
In the Senate, Sen. Shirley Johnson, R-Royal Oak, introduced a resolution Tuesday designating the mourning dove Michigan's official bird of peace. It was unclear how much support the resolution had in the Senate.
"Michigan's Bird of Peace should not be degraded to 'game' status only to be maimed and killed for target practice," said Julie Baker, organizer for the Michigan Songbird Protection Coalition.
But Nugent held his position on the hunting bill.
"As soon as I get out of here, I'm killing something," he said.
