Promotion aims to protect scavengers such as bald eagles, which can ingest lead in discarded deer remains
By Mike Lynch
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is bolstering its efforts to promote the use of non-lead ammunition among deer hunters in order to protect wildlife, such as bald eagles, that may later scavenge those carcasses.
On Tuesday, DEC wildlife biologists hosted a webinar on the subject with the National Deer Association (NDA), a nonprofit whose mission is to ensure the future of “wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting.”
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DEC’s Big Game Unit Leader Jeremy Hurst said the agency is invested in the issue of understanding the impacts of lead on wildlife for more than a decade. It has written about the issue in hunting and trapping publications during that time period.
Scavengers, including birds of prey, can be exposed to lead from deer carcasses they find in the wild. Hunters will leave deer carcasses in the woods or on the ice after they have taken the meat. These “gut piles” can contain lead fragments, which can be eaten by bobcats, bald eagles and other animals.
Animals that ingest lead can suffer damage to their liver, kidneys, the nervous systems, reproductive systems, and reproductive systems, Hurst said.
“Even at really low levels lead can impair animals behavior, reducing its ability to find food well and can impair growth,” he said. “So all these implications are detrimental to wildlife that are beyond our target animal.”
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The agency is part of a working group that includes the state Department of Health, Audubon Society, New York State Conservation Council, Cornell University, and Venison Donation Coalition, which is studying the issue and working to educate hunters on the topic.
“What we’re trying to do, as an agency, is educate you about that choice, recognizing that it’s not just simple ballistics but there are ramifications for your choice,” Hurst said, “and if you choose to use lead ammunition that has a consequence to other animals besides deer that you harvest.”
In recent years, DEC and its partners have created a rebate program to help reward hunters buying non-lead ammunition.
Hunters statewide are eligible for a rebate up to $60 on the purchase of non-lead ammunition and for participating in both pre- and post-hunt surveys. The rebate is good for the upcoming hunting season and is expected to continue for the next couple of years. The rebate is funded and administered by Conservation Science Global, a conservation-minded nonprofit.
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Hunters interested in finding out about the program and learning more about purchasing non-lead ammunition can do so on the Hunters for Eagle Conservation website.
Matt Ross, NDA’s Senior Conservation Director, said his organization has opposed legislative efforts to ban lead ammunition, including a proposal in New York, but has supported voluntary incentive-based programs such as this one.
“As an organization we don’t want to villainize anybody that chooses lead ammunition,” he said. “This is just an option for deer hunters, and we want to learn a little bit more about the research behind that option and the alternatives that folks have.”
An audience member asked why the DEC hadn’t placed an all-out ban on lead ammunition. Hurst said there’s a lot of obstacles to implementing a ban and it would risk ostracizing hunters.
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“The bans that have been placed, particularly in California and elsewhere, really have been problematic and haven’t necessarily demonstrated strong compliance or effectiveness in transitioning people towards non lead,” he said.
Top photo: Studies have shown that bald eagles are vulnerable to lead. Photo by Gerald Lynch
This is just gun control nuts teaming up with animal rights nuts to eliminate all lead ammo. The few people at the dec who know this is bs will soon be replaced and lead ammo will be banned in ny. They don’t care about right v wrong, they only care about their agenda.
The article clearly says that they are against banning lead ammo. Stop making up reasons to whine in an attempt to stir up controversy. You get a choice (FREEDOM!) to use whatever ammo you want, and if you go with the non-lead you can get 60 bucks (MONEY!) and potentially help save bald eagles (AMERICA!)… what could you possibly have against this…
Given the current regulations regarding necessary background checks on ammunition purchases, and the subsequent severe reduction in ammunition vendors, there is an exceedingly low number of options for hunters to purchase lead free ammunition even if they wished to.