Lead Bullets and Poisoning

[MHMT]

I wouldn't want lead bullets banned, I just wanted to learn more about them.

 

[Horn Seeker]

You know, as a scientist or even just a rational person, you believe or are trained that you have to have evidence and conclusive studies before you make a decision.... Thats all fine and good... but dont you think you've made some pretty good decisions through the years on hunches. Sometimes things just make sense.

We KNOW lead is not a nice substance. It has all sorts of ill effects on living organisms. There are great alternatives to using lead in about every application, especially concerning hunting. So why not just make that choice? Help cut back on the lead contamination of the environment in general... Just from bits of reading I've done recently concerning birds and raptors in general, I'd say Fish and Wildlife Service will make this decision for us in the near future. (several years)

 

[6speed]

In a word "cost"

 

[Horn Seeker]

True... I guess I dont shoot enough for it to be a big deal... but if I shot as much as some of you, I'd probably feel the diff....

 

[Horn Seeker]

At the same time... if these raptors are being effected in some significant way, what is the cost?

 

[6speed]

That's part of the problem. As of yet I have found no evidence to prove that the lead levels will go down enough to make a difference by hunters changing over to lead free bullets. There is a lot of it out there and bullets used to kill big game makes up a small enough amount I would guess that more birds are killed by lead moving a few thousand fps than are killed by eating something with a fragment.

 

[Horn Seeker]

more birds are killed by lead moving a few thousand fps than are killed by eating something with a fragment.

Could be....

 

[sweetnectar]

I remember my Grandpa telling me a story of how he blasted a bald eagle off of a telephone pole at so many yards. He went on to say how he called the game warden and told him wear it was because the game warden liked to collect the feathers. Man how times have changed. I'm sure populations have increased from those days.
As for condors....I don't think they feed on killed animals from Montana.
I'm sceptical of Barnes bullets being all that. They have a lot of things right but seem to be missing density...the idea being a more dense bullet would have less surface area for a cross wind to act upon. I would bet a bullet that had mercury in a copper jacket would perform quite well in flight, but I'll settle for lead. I'm not sure if a condor will kick the bucket faster by ingesting mercury than lead but I figure if the last condor dies they are joining the hundreds of thousands of other species that have gone extinct. Now I'd better shut up and go read some Aldo Leupold book or something so I can get all spiritual over a condor or wolf or simply have my opinions change as to not offend people on this forum. So I'll stop thinking out loud and rambling.

 

[mdunc8]

I think the goose population could use a little thinning. I couldn't get any sleep on the river last fall because of those rotten buggers. Maybe we ought to switch back to lead for those critters.

 

[Horn Seeker]

http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/article_d2510c6c-e7a4-53f2-bb52-7c114382aab1.html