Mourning doves lay just two eggs at a time. This is due to the specific kind of food the parents provide for their young. The parents feed their babies a substance referred to as “crop milk,” a secretion of fat and protein produced by the lining of the crop. This milk is regurgitated to the young and provides essential nutrients for their rapid growth. It takes both parents to successfully feed the babies, which develop quickly and are ready to leave the nest and forage on their own in just two weeks.
Mourning doves hold the title as the most hunted migratory game bird in North America. More than 480,000 will be killed in Oklahoma alone this fall, with an estimated 15-20 million shot across the United States. However, in Federal and State wildlife publications, the terms “killed” or “shot” are often replaced with the euphemism “harvested.” When I think of harvesting, it conjures images of crops like wheat or corn, not wildlife. Using such language feels disconnected from the reality of what’s happening.
The four photos I’ve used to illustrate this note were all taken after September 1st, the opening day of dove season. The last photo was taken on October 6th, more than a month into the hunting season. During this time, if the parents are killed, their babies will inevitably starve to death. This raises an important ethical question: is it right to hunt and kill adult doves while their babies are still in the nest, dependent on them for survival?
Personally, I believe it’s not. I don’t object to dove hunting in general, but I do have concerns about the timing of the season’s start. There are 16 species of migratory game birds in North America, and mourning doves are the only ones hunted while their young are still in the nest. This distinction makes me question whether the current hunting regulations adequately balance wildlife management with ethical considerations.
