CALIFORNIA -- Tulare’s Steve Facchini said the start of dove hunting season is an important day on his calendar.
“It’s like a national holiday,” he said. “It’s a tradition.”
On Thursday, Facchini, his daughter, Jenna, and several of his friends woke up early and drove down to a property south of Tulare.
The season started 30 minutes before dawn. That’s also about the time the birds start to stretch their wings.
Mourning doves are native to the area and there’s a limit on the number that can be hunted. By law, each hunter can only nab 15 birds per hunting session.
Note how the author Luis Hernandez uses key words and phrases to take away from the fact that this story is about killing animals. Instead of saying kill he says "nab".
This year, the hunting limit was increased because there was a spike on the estimated dove population, said Ben Lewis, spokesman for California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Facchini hit his limit just hours into the hunt. Others took home 12 and 13 before calling it a day. Lewis, who ran a compliance checkpoint on Thursday in Fresno County, said many hunters were reporting 13 birds per hunt.
Note how Hernandez says Facchini "hit his limit" rather than shot and killed his limit... and that "[o]thers took home 12 and 13" rather than saying shot and killed. How many did they shoot and not locate? And of those not located that had been shot, how many were still alive and left suffering in the fields?
“The majority of the hunters follow the rules,” he said.
Hunters kill more doves each year — more than 20 million — than any other animal in the country, according to the Humane Society.
Fachinni said he has hunted the same spot for more than a decade. He’s also hunted with the same group nearly as long.
“We all know each other,” he said. “We are conscious about gun safety. I trust them and they trust me. We are not going to shoot across people.”
Lewis said dove hunting creates bonds between hunters and memories for groups.
“It’s not about taking birds,” he said. “It’s about the experience. It’s about the camaraderie.”
Notice it's the Fish & Game spokesperson who pushes this agenda... that it's really not about all that 'killing animals' stuff that gets everyone so upset, let's push a different agenda.
There seems to be theme here about hunters saying it's not about the maiming and killing. It's about the bonding experience(!). Look at this article from the Star Tribune: “It’s not how many you kill, it’s about having fun"
Fachinni said the hunt does include instances of good-natured ribbing for missing an opportunity.
“We do talk some stuff,” he said.
For Fachinni, dove hunting is a way for him to spend time with his daughter.
“It’s time to form a bond,” he said.
Steve Fachinni earned a total of nearly $150,000 in pay and benefits from taxpayers as a Fire Captain in Tulare last year (Regular pay: $71,919.00, Overtime pay: $31,020.00, Other pay: $7,502.00, Total pay: $110,441.00, Total benefits: $38,152.00 = Total pay and benefits $148,593.00)
Ironic, isn't it, that he works full-time saving people and animals and in his spare time he maims and kills animals?
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), “Dove hunting is a great opportunity for adults to introduce kids to
In preparation for dove season, Fachinni said hunters practice with clay pigeons and other targets. When the season kicks off, hunters check their shotguns, ammunition, gear and other items that will be used all season.
Lewis said dove hunting’s popularity relates to the calendar.
“It’s the first major opening for the [hunting] season,” she said. “It’s the first opening to get on the field and get some hunting done.”
There are two hunting seasons. The early season will continue through Sept. 15. The late season will go from Nov. 12 through Dec. 26.
Fachinni said most hunters hit the fields in the morning, while many go at dusk. Midday is too hot and the birds find shade in the trees. Mourning doves are sometimes called the "farmer’s friend" because they eat weed seeds and leave crops alone.
Lewis said Mourning Doves are migratory birds, flying to Mexico or farther south during the winter months.
“They migrate long distances considering they are a small bird,” he said.
There are other doves that remain in one spot, staying close to their nests.
“They are very fluid, very adaptive,” Lewis said. “That’s why they are so successful.”
Typically, most birds have a life expectancy between three and five years. However, a dove lived to be 30 years.
“That’s very old for a dove,” Lewis said.
Of the 20 MILLION mourning doves killed each year, how many are actually plucked and cleaned and eaten? Fachinni is one of the ones who actually does all this, but I doubt very many of the other 19,999,985 doves killed each year in the USA are eaten. After all, it's a lot of work ripping off feathers, pulling out guts and organs and cleaning meat to be cooked - especially when you're likely to only get about a few oz. of meat per bird.
DEATH IS NOT INSTANTANEOUS
It is estimated that 30% of the doves shot during "hunting season" fall to the ground and are never recovered by the killers (aka "hunters"). Are the doves dead, flapping their wings mortally wounded or minimally wounded only to fly away later with lead embedded in their bodies? No one knows. But what I do know is that an animal that falls to the ground after being shot is IN PAIN AND SUFFERING AND NOTHING IS DONE ABOUT IT TO END ITS PAIN AND SUFFERING. Why? Because the killers are too busy shooting other birds to be bothered with this little bird lying there suffering.
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| This mourning dove is still alive |
What do hunters have to say about injured birds?
"On dove and quail, I pop the head off about half the time when trying the twirl. I usually just choke it out if it has a lot of life in it or throw it in the bag if it looks like it's on it's way out [so the bird could end up lying in the bag suffering for hours before finally dying or suffocating from all the other dead animals dumped on top of it]. I have shot at dove while one was in my left hand flopping around. Now I leave it in the dogs mouth and scan the skies before grabbing it [meaning he lets his dog chew it to death]."
BTK KILLER AND THE "TAXIDERMIST'S PINCH"
"If you have a bird that you want to get mounted, the taxidermist's pinch is slower, but by far the best way. If you don't know, the taxidermist's pinch involves grabbing the bird under the wings, just below the breast muscles and applying pressure, thus suffocating the bird. It takes a minute or two, but it does less damage to the bird than any of the other methods, and your taxidermist will thank you." -- The BTK Killer suffocated many of his victims. How long do you think two minutes - 120 seconds - would feel like while you're suffocating and fighting to breathe?
ONLY ABOUT 5% OF THE US POPULATION ARE REGISTERED HUNTERS
There are only about 16.6 million registered hunters in USA compared to the population of about 318.9 million. That means just 5% of the American population enjoys maiming and killing animals.
I'm not against hunting as long as the person is skilled enough to ensure a quick death AND processes the meat to eat. I have serious doubts that people like this are the majority, though. I think most people who call themselves hunters aren't skilled at shooting, are lazy and set up bait stations, shoot at whatever is unfortunate enough to cross their path, don't bother to track down injured animals which flee, aren't 'responsible hunters', etc. - they just like killing animals or want a head to mount in their office.
(Visalia Times Delta - Sept 1, 2016)
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