BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS -- In three weeks, voters will decide whether Ohioans can continue hunting a tiny bird known mostly for its mournful song.
But anyone who gleans their election news from 30-second TV commercials may have trouble figuring out that state Issue 1 only pertains to the hunting of mourning doves.
In a series of ads, a coalition of hunters contends the proposed ban would threaten children's lives, destroy farms, send food prices skyrocketing and imperil the freedom to hunt and fish other wildlife.
One of the ads features actors in pig and monkey costumes attacking a hot dog cart and smashing a window at a research laboratory.
"Don't let the extremists get started," the ad declares. "If your kid's life is on the line, you'll know how important it is to vote "no,' " says another.
None of the ads mentions that Issue 1 is limited to a referendum on the state's 3-year-old mourning-dove hunt. After a group behind the initiative complained, an Ohio Elections Commission panel determined there is probable cause to think the commercials are misleading.
"Their claims are utterly false and highly offensive," said Ritchie Laymon, whose group, Save the Doves, collected more than twice the 100,000 signatures required to put the issue on the Nov. 3 ballot. "The world isn't going to come to an end if mourning doves are protected from this senseless slaughter."
Organizers of the Save the Doves campaign say they want only to return the grayish-brown birds to the protected status they have enjoyed for most of the century. Dove hunting was banned in Ohio in 1917, allowed in 1975 and 1976 and outlawed again until 1995. Only a close vote during a lame-duck legislative session revived the hunt.
Judith Trent, a professor of political communications at the University of Cincinnati, said the pro-hunting ads are designed to stir up the fears and insecurities of voters.
However, she thinks the ads may backfire on Election Day because they obscure the underlying issue with ominous music and outrageous images.
"These are the worst kinds of political ads because they try to build fear that is unfounded and unrelated to the question at hand," Dr. Trent said. "They're just too weird to be believed."
Hunters contend the ads are accurate. They view the initiative as the first step in an effort by animal-rights activists to ban everything from hunting and trapping to animal research, zoos, rodeos and even some farming techniques.
Anti-Issue-1 campaign literature cites statements from groups backing the initiative that oppose animal research and the eating of meat.
"Issue 1 is the tip of the iceberg," the literature states. "It threatens freedoms and endangers our health and pocketbooks."
While most of contributions received by the pro-Issue-1 group have been for $10 or less, opponents note the largest donation received by Save the Doves came from the Humane Society of America.
The society gave $8,000 in cash and provided $7,000 of in-kind services for the petition drive, according to campaign finance reports filed with the secretary of state's office. More recent contributions won't be disclosed until Oct. 22.
"These people want to establish an animal-rights regime, impose radical farming methods and abolish all medical research on animals," said Rick Story, vice president of the Columbus-based Wildlife Legislative Fund of America.
Activists pushing to ban the hunting of mourning doves say opponents are resorting to scare tactics because images of the birds being hunted turn off voters.
Hunting doves is cruel and unnecessary, Ms. Laymon said. Her group contends the birds are shot mostly for target practice, not food, and wounded doves often are left behind to slowly suffer until they die.
In a videotape shot in Tennessee by undercover agents of the Humane Society of the United States, a group of camouflage-clad men is shown hunting doves. In several instances, the birds are shown still alive, flapping their wings along the ground. In other scenes, hunters twist off the heads of wounded birds to kill them.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife estimates that 40,000 to 50,000 Ohioans will hunt doves this year. Hunters are allowed to bag 15 of the birds a day during the two-month season. State officials say most of the doves are eaten.
"One dove equals 10 large shrimp, one chicken leg, two chicken wings, 2 1/2 wieners, three sausage patties or one bratwurst," according to a campaign brochure published by Ohioans for Wildlife Conservation.
While the two major candidates for governor have been sparring over health care and education, they also differ on the dove issue. Democrat Lee Fisher supports the proposed ban, contending the hunt is unnecessary. After initially refusing to take a position, Republican Bob Taft now says he opposes Issue 1 and wants the hunt to continue.
