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Many take part in Iowa’s 1st dove hunt since 1918

Ag/Outdoor, Sports

November 11th, 2011 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the state’s first dove hunting season in nearly a century attracted about 22,000 hunters. The 70-day season began Sept. 1 and ended Wednesday. Dove hunting had been outlawed in Iowa since 1918 but was legalized by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Terry Branstad this year. Efforts to allow the hunting of doves has been emotional in past years, and in 2001 then Gov. Tom Vilsack vetoed a measure approved by the Legislature because he said most Iowans opposed the change. The DNR says it will conduct a survey of the more than 22,000 people who registered as hunters to determine how many actually took part in the hunt and how many doves they killed.