We need better information on survival rates and recruitment rates of mourning doves. But we have to look at the availability and efficiency of non-toxic shot.

Mourning doves are ground feeders. They also are sight feeders, picking up visible seeds. They don’t scratch or dig. When snow covers a field, they have a hard time foraging.

I am concerned about what kind of fallout there might be and what it forces us into in other states.

They have studies that have shown where as few as one pellet resulted in about 50 percent mortality after 21 days. They forced feed doves in pens.

One problem is that it may not show up in dead birds in the field because they get weak and picked of by predators.

It’s way, way early. There are so many other issues out there right now.

There are some studies going on now in Missouri on penned birds where they were fed a certain number of lead shot. They’ve found that if they ingest even a small number of shot, they...