INTRODUCTION 
An annual survey of the breeding population of mourning 
doves by a system of call-count routes provides an index to 
the status of the dove population in the United States. 
Through the cooperation of State, Federal, and independent 
observers, call-count routes were widely established by 1953. 
The hundreds of cooperators who participate in the call-count 
survey have contributed to data that form the basis for this 
report. 
Prior to i960, the annual status of the mourning dove 
population was reported in the Mourning Dove Newsletter. The 
Newsletter has been discontinued, but the annual status of the 
population has been published annually in the Special Scientific 
Report—Wildlife Series since i960. The i960 through 1963 
reports are numbered 1+9, 57, 70, and 73, respectively. 
In 1961, dove-call routes were set up and run on a trial 
basis in several Canadian Provinces. Results of these trial 
routes emphasized the desirability of establishing and main¬ 
taining a dove-call census in Canada. 
The Canadian dove-call census was conducted again in 
1963 and 196^, and the results of the censuses for those 
years are set forth in table 5 - 
It is expected that with the establishment of additional 
routes, the compilation of sufficient comparable data, and 
the incorporation of suitable weighting factors, the data pro¬ 
vided by the Canadian cooperators will prove extremely valuable 
in future management of the mourning dove. 
The call-count survey is conducted each year during the 
period May 20 -June 10 . Intensive studies conducted in the 
Eastern United States (Special Scientific Report—Wildlife 
No. 17 , 1952 ) indicate that dove calling activity is rela¬ 
tively stable during this period. 
In order to provide for the required publication of 
hunting regulations, the Dove Regulations Committee must 
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