[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H708-H710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENSE OF CONGRESS ON HUNTING SEASONS FOR MIGRATORY MOURNING DOVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ballenger). Pursuant to House Resolution 
353 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of 
the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the 
concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 275.

                              {time}  1319


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 275) expressing the sense of the 
Congress that hunting seasons for migratory mourning doves should be 
modified so that individuals have a fair and equitable opportunity to 
hunt such birds, with Mr. Shimkus in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the concurrent resolution is 
considered as having been read the first time.
  Under the rule, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the 
gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As the author of H.Con.Res. 275, I am pleased to present this 
legislation to provide badly needed relief to millions of dove hunters 
throughout the United States.
  Mourning doves are the most widely distributed and harvested game 
bird in North America. Dove hunting is a cherished and honored 
tradition in this country. Dove hunters pay millions of dollars in 
excise taxes each year that are deposited in the Federal Aid to 
Wildlife Restoration Fund. These monies are used to acquire and manage 
thousands of acres of critical wetlands that provide essential habitat 
for many species of migratory birds.
  Under current law, the hunting season for doves and all migratory 
bird games is September 1 to March 10 of each year. I am not aware of 
the rationale for these arbitrary dates and there is little, if any, 
discussion as to why that period was selected. While these dates may be 
fine for dove hunters in Southern California, they have a long-term 
negative impact on sportsmen in dozens of northern States. In fact, 
because of rapidly changing weather conditions, it is not unusual to 
have a dove hunting that lasts less than a week or even just a day in 
States like Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, et cetera.
  Furthermore, this is not simply a western States problem. I have been 
told that even States like Maryland have a very short dove hunting 
season.
  The goal of this legislation is to allow all hunters a fair and equal 
opportunity to pursue doves. Under the terms of this resolution, the 
Bush administration would be asked to begin discussions with the other 
signatories of the Migratory Bird Treaty with the goal of moving the 
season up from September 1 to the last week of August. Thirty-four 
northern States would be eligible for this earlier opening in the dove 
season.
  I have been advised by wildlife biologists that the last week of 
August is the traditional week that doves are not sitting on their 
nests, and that by advancing the hunting season it would not have an 
adverse effect on migratory dove populations. In addition, game 
managers will be free to update any regulations necessary to allow for 
a lengthened season and this legislation would not affect those States 
that do not have a dove hunting season.
  This measure is supported by a number of conservation organizations, 
including the Grand National Waterfowl Association, Quail Unlimited, 
Safari Club International, and the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.
  In summary, all hunters should have an equitable chance to harvest 
this tasty but apparently thin-skinned little bird. This is a common-
sense solution to a problem that has frustrated northern hunters for 
years.
  I urge an ``aye'' vote so that all hunters can have an equal shot.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. UNDERWOOD asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Chairman, neither myself nor the ranking 
Democratic member of the Committee on Resources, the gentleman from 
West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), have objected to H. Con. Res. 275. The 
nonbinding resolution of the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), chairman 
of the committee, seeks to expand the hunting season for mourning doves 
in the United States.
  As I have stated during consideration of the resolution in the 
Committee on Resources and again at yesterday's meeting of the 
Committee on Rules, the nonbinding context of the resolution does not 
make this a contentious matter at all.
  Nevertheless, if a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, I think 
it is worth repeating that even if this legislation were to pass, 
several important issues would have to be addressed nationally and 
internationally before the intent of the resolution becomes reality. 
Amending the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the underlying Convention 
for the Protection of Migratory Birds would not be routine. In fact, no 
one should underestimate the potential difficulties.
  The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the underlying Convention 
agreed to by the United States and Great Britain in 1916 are two of our 
Nation's earliest and most enduring conservation agreements; and, as I 
have

[[Page H709]]

 noted in previous discussion, the Convention and MBTA has been amended 
only once since 1916, and that change was to allow for the subsistence 
taking of birds and eggs in Alaska and northern Canada. Additionally, 
that amendment was agreed to only after 20 years of negotiation.
  Opening the Migratory Bird Convention on the MBTA amendment for 
amendment for a single species would require the administration, the 
States, and our international partners to investigate the status of the 
entire continental mourning doves population. No one disputes that the 
population of mourning doves remains abundant across its range, and for 
many people, including hunters, that is indeed good news, because the 
bird is a species favored by sportsmen and women.
  If time had been available, I would have preferred for the Committee 
on Resources to look into this issue a little bit more. However, this 
is just the type of critical biological question I am sure the Flyway 
Councils will want to investigate before recommending any action which 
could conceivably impact the population in a negative way.
  There are other administrative and social considerations, but, 
frankly, there is little need to belabor the point.
  In closing, I want to reiterate that I am supportive of H. Con. Res. 
275, and I urge other Members to keep in mind the nonbinding nature of 
this resolution.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Housing Concurrent 
Resolutions 275.
  For thousands of years before the first Europeans set foot on the 
continent of North America on the East Coast of Florida in 1513, Native 
Americans were already the great hunters and stewards of the New World 
that was to become America. They hunted, gathered and farmed as a way 
of life, which allowed them to live and prosper long before the great 
societies of Europe began to flourish. The native tribes of Florida 
fished in the great bays and estuaries, such as Tampa Bay, and hunted 
in the vast swamps and prairies up and down the Manatee River where 
Hernando De Soto landed to embark on the exploration of the new 
continent of America. The Native Floridian way of life depended on the 
game they hunted, the fish they caught and the crops they could grow. 
They only harvested what they needed and never took from the wild more 
than they could use. This was the birth of the American hunting 
tradition of being a steward of game and wildlife while engaging in the 
sport of hunting.
  When Florida was acquired by the United States in 1821, Florida 
pioneering families, affectionately called ``Crackers'' for the sound 
their whips made when driving cattle, came to settle on the vast 
Florida peninsula to stake out a claim for a new life. They depended on 
the abundance of wildlife to support themselves and their growing 
families. What the Native Floridians taught the Florida pioneers was 
the same lesson that was taught to the Pilgrims at Plymouth hundreds of 
years earlier; the reward of being good stewards of the land.
  These basic truths, passed down through so many generations of 
Americans, Native and immigrant alike, are the values of stewardship 
and sportsmanship involved in hunting. The stewardship of the game 
populations that provide a bounty of food and sport is crucial in the 
survival of many game animal species. The gains achieved in the 
scientific management of game species can be linked to the efforts of 
hunters to maintain the populations and quality of the game they hunt. 
Populations of game animals have more than flourished through proper 
game management by concerned and devoted hunters. The populations of 
deer and turkey alone are far greater now at the beginning of this 
century than they ever were at the beginning of the last.
  It is in a hunter's best interest to maintain game populations so 
that they may continue to practice the tradition they love. Licensed 
game hunters are deeply involved in game management on many levels. 
They pay taxes on their arms and ammunition, stamps and permits; funds 
that all go to help protect and maintain the sport that they hold so 
dear to their hearts. The rules and code that today's sportsmen follow, 
serve to protect and improve the quality of game species for 
generations to come.
  In honor of the men, women and youth who continue to practice the 
time honored American tradition of hunting I urge the support of this 
legislation.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Chairman, this Member wishes to state for the 
Record that had there been a recorded vote on H. Con. Res. 275, he 
would have voted ``nay'' based on the concerns expressed by the 
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
  According to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, dove populations 
have been declining and biologists are concerned that lengthening the 
hunting season could be detrimental. Also, many fledgling doves are 
still in nets around the time of the opening of the current annual 
hunting season. Extension of the hunting season could have an adverse 
effect on fledgling survival rates. It appears that further study is 
needed before a change such as this is made.
  Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIRMAN pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). All time for general debate 
has expired.
  Pursuant to the rule, the concurrent resolution is considered read 
for amendment under the 5-minute rule.
  The text of House Concurrent Resolution 275 is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 275

       Whereas the vast majority of mourning doves that hatch, 
     fledge, and nest in States north of 37 degrees north latitude 
     migrate south beyond the boundaries of those States before 
     the national hunting season opening date of September 1, thus 
     denying hunters in those States an equitable opportunity to 
     harvest this species;
       Whereas mourning doves are the most widely distributed and 
     harvested game birds in North America;
       Whereas current regulated hunting for mourning doves has 
     been conclusively found to cause no significant effects on 
     recruitment of fledglings in mourning dove populations;
       Whereas sportsmen have a strong commitment to the health, 
     conservation, and enjoyment of wildlife, as demonstrated by 
     the millions of dollars they have voluntarily paid over the 
     past 70 years into the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration 
     Fund established by the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife 
     Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.);
       Whereas mourning dove hunting has been a cherished and 
     honored tradition in the United States for generations;
       Whereas migratory bird hunters provide millions of dollars 
     to wildlife conservation and local economies; and
       Whereas millions of hunters in States north of 37 degrees 
     north latitude are currently unable to experience hunting 
     conditions similar to conditions in other regions of the 
     country with respect to game availability because of the 
     current unfair hunting season restrictions: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that, to 
     provide a fair and equitable opportunity for individuals to 
     hunt for mourning doves--
       (1) the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 should be 
     modified to allow for mourning dove hunting during the last 
     week of August in areas north of 37 degrees north latitude, 
     as approved by the parties to the appropriate international 
     agreement;
       (2) such an extended hunting season will--
       (A) improve hunting opportunities in the United States 
     without causing negative impacts on mourning dove 
     populations;
       (B) through the sale of hunting permits, generate 
     additional revenue that may be used for the better management 
     and conservation of mourning doves and other wildlife 
     species; and
       (C) continue to provide for the conservation and 
     enhancement of mourning dove populations;
       (3) the United States should take immediate steps to begin 
     discussions with the appropriate parties to ensure that all 
     Americans have an opportunity to harvest migratory mourning 
     doves in an equitable manner; and
       (4) hunters in all States located north of 37 degrees north 
     latitude and the wildlife management agencies of those States 
     should support an earlier opening date for the mourning dove 
     hunting season.

  The CHAIRMAN pro tempore. During consideration of the concurrent 
resolution for amendment, the Chair may accord priority in recognition 
to a Member offering an amendment that he has printed in the designated 
place in the Congressional Record. Those amendments will be considered 
read.
  Are there any amendments to the text of the concurrent resolution?
  Are there any amendments to the preamble of the concurrent 
resolution?
  If not, under the rule, the Committee rises.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Ballenger) having assumed the chair, Mr. LaHood, Chairman pro tempore 
of the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported 
that that Committee, having had under consideration the concurrent 
resolution (H. Con. Res. 275) expressing the sense of the Congress that 
hunting seasons for migratory mourning doves should be modified so that 
individuals have a fair and equitable opportunity to hunt

[[Page H710]]

such birds, pursuant to House Resolution 353, he reported the 
concurrent resolution back to the House.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the concurrent 
resolution.
  The concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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