FAQS
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GENERAL FAQs
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The initiative was designed after Teton Raptor Center researchers confirmed the connection of hunters using lead ammunition to the elevated blood lead levels in ravens and bald eagles. After a pilot outreach effort to supply hunters with lead-free ammunition and seeing a direct correlation in a decline in blood lead levels of these birds, it was determined that a more formal outreach effort was necessary and could work.
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We’re not your mama, we’re not going to tell you what to do!
There are several variables to this question.
1) Enforcing lead-free ammunition is incredibly difficult. When you take a ballistic tipped lead bullet and a copper bullet out of a box, it’s extremely hard to tell the difference between the two. Creating a tough job for enforcement personnel such as conservation officers and game wardens.
2) Ammunition for hunting is a VERY small piece of the pie for manufacturing. The process to build lead-free bullets is very different from lead bullets and involves different machines and technology. Forcing all ammunition to be lead-free would drive up the price of ammunition as manufacturers across the board would have to update their machining.
3) Lead is still fine to shoot at the range or trap and skeet clubs. Lead is cheaper than lead-free alternatives, so it’s great for target practice and getting used to your firearm.
4) As sportsmen and women, we know we’re the backbone of conservation. A lot of people are not aware of this issue. As soon as they learn about it, they’re happy to make the switch.
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Unfortunately, California led with legislation and not education. They told sportsmen and women what they could and couldn’t do but did not do a good job of explaining why or how. Additionally, California has many other regulations in place that make it difficult for their residents to get ammunition (they cannot order it online and they have to register every box).
While they had good intentions, they’ve created a very difficult platform for residents to positively make the switch.
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The North American Non-lead Partnership works with state and federal agency partners to implement lead-free outreach and information. Sporting Lead-Free focuses on individual involvement in awareness, community, and access building.
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The short answer is YES.
There is little to no risk when using lead ammo at the range for target practice. Each gun is different and understanding how lead and lead-free perform with your gun is important. Using lead ammo is great for getting used to your trigger, recoil, and general shooting practice at the range. Save lead-free to use in the field.
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As a raw metal, copper is more expensive than lead. For centerfire bullets, premium lead bullets like Nosler Partitions or Hornady ELD-X bullets will cost as much, and sometimes more than copper bullets.
Lead-free shotshells can be much more expensive than lead. Save these ones for the field and use your lead shotshells for target practice.
There are awesome performance advantages to lead-free tackle! Check them out here.
Remember that your ammunition and tackle are the most important element of your sporting activity. Much of the time, they’re the only thing that touches the animal. Purchasing good ammunition and tackle is a great investment for the future of hunting and fishing!
The more money we spend on ammunition and tackle, the more money get placed into PR dollars which directly support conservation efforts nationwide.
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Every gun shoots every bullet a little differently. It’s important to try a few different brands to see what your gun likes best. Just like shoes, many people’s feet prefer one brand over another.
If you and your friends shoot the same caliber, try buying different brands to share the cost and to see which brand works best for your gun.
Check out a short list of commercial brands here.
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We do not. But if you live in Minnesota, check out the Get the Lead Out campaign to trade in your lead tackle for lead-free tackle!
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Yes!
Due to its toxicity and durability, lead can remain in the environment for thousands of years, which is why it’s important to recycle lead whenever possible. Contact your local waste collection service and see if they have hazardous waste drop-off.
There are companies that will use the lead to make car batteries, bullets and agricultural components out of recycled lead.
If you have lots of lead ammunition, the range is a great place to get rid of it by shooting it and getting some target practice in while you’re at it!
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Copper bullets can be more expensive than lead bullets (but they can also be less expensive, it depends on which lead bullet you’re switching from)
Bullet expansion happens on a continuum. Many bullets will have a larger frontal diameter expansion at 100 yards vs smaller at 500 yards, though expansion still occurs. Copper bullets tend to not expand as much past 600 yards. Though there are new manufacturers coming out with amazing long-range lead-free bullets!
Check out McGuire Ballistics, Cutting Edge Bullets, and Hammer Bullets.
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Many hunters don’t learn about this issue when they take hunter education.
Many anglers don’t think about how the birds or fish around them may be impacted by something so small.
Research on this topic of ammunition and tackle impacting non-target wildlife species is still relatively new.
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Yes.
Lead ammunition for waterfowl hunting was banned in 1991 following the deaths of many bald eagles from lead poisoning, as well as huge die-offs of waterfowl from ingesting spent shot that was in waterways.
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The packaging will have a lead warning on it. If you no longer have the packaging, here are tips that may help.
The reality is that most fishing tackle with any density to it, especially older tackle, contains lead, based on current and historic trends in the tackle industry.
Lead is a dense but soft metal that is easy to mold and shape. Using pliers is a good way to test this out.
Lead is gray and dull. It will leave a gray mark if you scratch it on paper. If there is paint, it will still be able to leave a gray mark after the paint layer is scratched.
LEAD AND WILDLIFE FAQs
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Lead is a non-essential element in animal systems and there is no safe amount of lead to consume. Lead affects all animals in a similar way. The difference is the rate at which lead is absorbed between species. Birds have a much more acidic digestive system than humans and other mammals, which allows lead to be more readily absorbed. Also, just like any other toxicant, the ability to cope with lead depends on the individual and cumulative exposure. Lead is a cumulative toxicant that almost never leaves the body after it is absorbed without chelation therapy, which is a form of chemotherapy and just as hard on an eagle as it would be for a person.
Lead mimics calcium in the body and hijacks calcium’s role and receptors throughout the body. Lead can bind to calcium receptors in blood cells, neurotransmitters, and other areas that allow the lead to be directly transported to the brain, heart, bone marrow, and other regions of the body. By replacing calcium in vital functions, it can result in decreased oxygenation of the blood, decreased brain function, restricted blood flow, slowing the digestive system, and much more. As lead is transported in the blood, it causes unnecessary narrowing of the blood vessels, which increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, and other complications.
Small doses of lead may not kill an eagle right away, but as those small amounts build up over the 30-year lifespan of an eagle, they are stored in the brain and bone marrow forever.
When an eagle’s brain function is impaired, it increases the risk of starvation and vehicle collision due to slower reaction times, decreased productivity, cardiovascular diseases, and a host of other issues. In larger amounts, it simply shuts down the bird’s ability to fly, eat, or otherwise function normally and causes a long, painful death unless it is found and treated with chelation therapy by a rehab facility.
Learn more on our wildlife and human health page.
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There is no question that bald eagle populations are rebounding across North America following the ban of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), an insecticide used in agriculture, which was a leading factor causing them to become an endangered species in 1973. Following a remarkable recovery, Bald eagles were removed from the Endangered Species list in 2007. This is one of the best conservation stories in the US. Click here for details on the species status and recovery.
In the West, there are increasing concerns among biologists and wildlife managers about the status of Golden Eagles. Recent estimates by the USFWS have estimated that some regions in the Lower 48 may be stable, while others are experiencing declines. Click here for more details about golden eagles.
A recent study found that eagle populations (both bald and golden) are being impacted by lead ammunition. While their populations are on the rise, they could be rising at stronger rates if lead was not on the landscape.
It is the responsibility of our community to respect the four R’s of ethical hunting: Respect other hunters, Respect landowners, Respect non-hunters, and Respect natural resources.
The simple fact is eagles regularly die as a result of eating lead from sources linked to outdoor sports. Out of respect for our natural resources, we can reduce this risk to our national symbol and other wildlife by switching to lead-free ammunition and tackle.
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A general number is 20 milligrams of lead, which is about the size of a small grain of rice or the weight of a ladybug.
Just like a person can smoke two packs of cigarettes a day and never develop cancer while another might get cancer after quitting 20 years ago, eagles have individual tolerance levels that we don’t yet understand. However, in a study that experimentally dosed bald eagles with lead, it ranged from 19.4 to 129.0 mg of ingested lead to outright kill each bird. To put that in perspective, a 120 grain rifle bullet weighs 7,775 mg. If your bullet has 70% weight retention, it loses 2,332.5 mg of lead to those tiny fragments.
According to one study, a deer carcass has an average of 551 visible fragments per animal, then each particle is about 4.23 mg. In other words, as few as 5 lead fragments could result in an eagle’s death.
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In a study that dosed raptors with copper to directly address this question found no clinical issues with ingesting copper. They also found that copper was regurgitated in pellets at a high rate. Because most copper bullets are not frangible (they do not fragment) like lead bullets, there is also less risk since there are no tiny fragments to pass through the crop of a raptor.
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Yes!
Check out our research studies page to learn more.
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Loons, bald eagles, osprey, and other piscivores (animals that eat fish) eat a fish with ingested or attached tackle.
Loons can grab your bait or fish from your fishing line.
Waterbirds scoop up lead sinkers at the bottom of a lake, river, stream when gathering pebbles to aid in their digestion.
Learn more on our wildlife and human health page.