It has been really interesting following the expansion of this bird. I’m kind of a self proclaimed bird nut. I love watching them, feeding them, studying about them, and probably most of all hunting them. It seems like it was just a few years ago that the first reported sighting of them in Utah caused quite a stir. The first sighting in out state was at the very Southern extreme of the state, now they are very common through out the entire state. I’ve had the opportunity to discuss this bird with a few of the state biologists here and more than a few of them think this bird could be as well dispersed as the European Starling in several years. I’ve read they prefer a more urban environment and are more tolerant of people then Mourning Doves are, but trust me, shoot a few out of your yard and they get pretty skittish real quick. I’ve had as many as seventeen of them in my yard on one time. They are edible but they do seem a little tougher then Mourning Doves. They are only slightly smaller than a pigeon and can take a pretty good hit to anchor. I guess all in all it’s a trade off, you guys have your squirrels you can hunt in your yards and I have the doves I can hunt in mine.
