 Brunner represented the Save The Doves Committee, an animal rights group that attempted to ban the hunting of mourning doves in Ohio via a ballot initiative. The group had previously attempted to petition the state to have the doves removed from the state game list. Ohio had formerly had a history of protecting mourning doves dating back to 1917, but hunting them was legalized starting in 1995. The doves had an Ohio population of 5 million and were legal prey in 38 states. A pro hunting wildlife group, unsuccessfully challenged the committee's petitions. The actual wording of the ballot issue, which became "No person shall take or hunt a mourning dove," was contentious. Some found the issue wording confusing because a "Yes" vote meant support for "No hunting". Television ads opposing the ballot issue also were hotly contested. This issue was the only statewide issue on the 1998 ballot. The ban proposal failed.
