Nesting of Mourning Doves in Eastern South Dakota

The mourning dove¹, not presently a game bird in South Dakota, is gaining support toward that status. During the 1959 state legislative season a bill sponsored by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks to place the mourning dove on the game bird list was passed by the House and defeated by the Senate. In a special dove issue of Outdoor California, January 1959, W.K. Kiel (9) stated there are currently 30 states which allow dove hunting. No state bordering South Dakota has an open dove season. However, in a special memorandum of March 7, 1958, the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission (1) stated they were actively supporting efforts to obtain legislation from the 1959 session of the Nebraska Legislature to allow the hunting or mourning doves. This bill failed to pass. There was also proposed legislation in Iowa in 1959 to place the mourning dove on the game bird list (Anonymous, 2). This also failed to peas. In light of progress toward game bird status, knowledge of production of mourning doves in South Dakota is necessary for proper management. Manipulations of hunting seasons and bag limits must be related to annual production and to the over-all dove population, for no other population tools have been developed for the management of mourning doves (Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners, 19). The duration of the nesting season is an important consideration in establishing the opening date of a hunting season. (See more in text.