Gun Dog Forum

hey all, been watching a thread on antoher forum 16 ga. com and posted alink on a pheasant hunting site. it apeers Mn. and parts of Ca. are banning lead shot, I think it sucks! it could happen in your neck of the woods soon. what do you guys think? here is the link to 16 ga.com if you want to read more as well as reports from the Mn DNR.
the thread is titled "The end of lead shot coming soon"

http://www.16ga.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2

In ND it has always been against the law to use led shot for water fowl. I hope they don’t make us use steel for everything now. But I do see how they would want to change it.

Casey J.

I think it is already a forgone conclusion but... Until someone can provide studies that shows the small amount of lead shot from hunters that is dispersed in the uplands is causing major problems than I will always be against it. The small amount of lead shot that is thrown around in such a large area too me seems like a non issue as far a harm to wildlife and the environment. With Waterfowl most shot is thrown in a concentrated area and usually over water, so I can certainly see the arguement there.

If there was a viable option COST WISE to lead with similiar performance, I don't think anyone would have a problem using non-tox. But for now Steel is it, and not the best of options IMO.

It has not been a good opion for waterfowlers for over 30 years but they have to use it anyway. It is just politically correct.

The dumb part is that lead is a very naturally occurring mineral in the ground and all over the country.

I love the story some years ago that a condor had eaten a lead bullet from a deposed deer or elk that had been shot and sotten away. "How did they know that"?

Pepper

The funny thing is that 40 years ago Winchester came out with WinChokes for screw in chokes in shotgun and could not give them away, the lead shot thing came out and everyone had to have a new shotgun with the screw in chokes. How much did the gov't take in on taxes on those sales.

I have read that if MN goes through with the lead band down here they could face oposition from the NRA and Federal Cartridge Company. Federal is a MN company. I also read that the lead abn is not state wide it is just in the Farm Belt.

MN's natural resource agency is not proposing any lead ban at the current time, but legislation may be introduced to that effect. It's likely it will be restricted to the agr. zone in the state when it does come.

There's evidence of problems with lead in upland situations, particularly with doves and pheasants, the former being very solid evidence. Much pheasant hunting takes place near or even in wetlands so the problems that led to the lead ban for waterfowl can be added to by upland shooting.

There are also clear differences between lead shot ingestion and the small amount of lead occuring naturally.

I wish federal and the other companies would dedicate more resources to finding a cost effective non-tox solution. And work towards more availability of steel. Federal for example does not make a 20 gauge load for 2 3/4" guns in anything larger than 4 shot.