Like using lead pellets? Collect the carcasses or risk losing lead entirely

[dgeesaman]

Just a friendly reminder that eagles and hawks also scavenge carcasses. So no matter what kind of hunting or pest control you do, lead pellets or lead fragments left in a carcass will get eaten and likely poison the scavenging animal. Only non-lead projectiles or clean through-and-through shots are safe for scavengers.

Wildlife and raptor rescue organizations have a constant influx of lead poisoned eagles and hawks. Even with expensive lead chelation treatment many don’t survive. I think this is the single biggest threat to those of us who want to avoid a lead ammo ban. We need to step up and make sure we aren’t leaving lead in carcass meat.

 

[Ricochet]

I've been messin with lead since i was a young boy. Pouring jigs, weights, making bullets, casting molds , loading shotgun shells, etc etc etc. If it could kill ya, i think i'd be dead by now. I think the whole lead scare is over rated. I know i'll catch a ton of flack for this statement, but it's how i feel. Will not respond to anything further, or debate the topic, just stating my opinion.

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

Handling lead vs ingesting lead is a major difference. Birds are also more sensitive to lead toxicity than mammals.

 

[dgeesaman]

I've been messin with lead since i was a young boy. Pouring jigs, weights, making bullets, casting molds , loading shotgun shells, etc etc etc. If it could kill ya, i think i'd be dead by now. I think the whole lead scare is over rated. I know i'll catch a ton of flack for this statement, but it's how i feel. Will not respond to anything further, or debate the topic, just stating my opinion.

Would you like to see eagles with lead poisoning? I didn't think that posting evidence is really necessary.

The raptor rescue near me just lost two bald eagles to lead poisoning and several more recovered using lead chelation treatment. They were most definitely poisoned with lead.

David

 

[davecole]

What is equally sad is some farmers and ranchers put out poison for some pests, like prairie dogs. The ones we shoot either fall back into their burrow or we collect them (without actually handling them) and drop them back in the burrow.
If the department of wildlife and services in some states would suggest to these landowners to reach out to those of us who are responsible and capable of eliminating such pests with little to no harm to those majestic creatures, more may be saved.

 

[Triglav]

I'd say: lead for plinking, alloy for hunting.

 

[JimD]

I think cleaning up your kills is just good practice regardless of lead issues. Leaving dead animals around to rot just isn't going to make anybody a bunch of friends.

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

I think cleaning up your kills is just good practice regardless of lead issues. Leaving dead animals around to rot just isn't going to make anybody a bunch of friends.

I have a couple feral cats that take care of the sparrows and starlings I lose in my brush area behind the house. They don't bother my chickens, I guess we have an understanding.

These shots are almost always a pass thru with a 30+ fpe gun. Whatever trace amount of lead probably wouldn't hurt the cats, but might make them sterile which would be a good thing in this case. Mammals can handle alot more lead than birds. Raptors do seem to be very sensitive to it also.

I've actually had squirrels I've shot barely hit the ground and a cooper's hawk come in and take it while it's doing the death dance. That's completely out of my control at that point. Cool to see, sad to think it possibly got lead poisoning.

 

[SqrlHntr]

Come and swage it.
From my cast lead hands.

 

[Chukar60]

If I were that concerned about the birds of prey getting lead poisoning, I would be shooting non-toxic projectiles before I started wringing my hands over other people policing carcasses. Just do your part and shoot non-toxic pellets or slugs because you aren‘t going to collect all of your shot animals.
You go first but no complaining about the cost of ammo or the ineffective terminal performance.

 

[delooper]

Most of the birds of prey are no longer endangered, I thought?

There was a time you could only find bald eagles on the west coast of Canada, but now they're all over the States and the east coast of Canada, too. Where I live they're so abundant they're pretty much just "flying rats".

 

[dgeesaman]

I'd say: lead for plinking, alloy for hunting.

For birds and squirrels that’s what I’d do. I got really good results using the copper plated Baracudas. Those should punch through with enough fpe.

The other obvious answer is to always collect the shot animal and make sure it isn’t scavenged somehow.

Burying carcasses doesn’t necessarily work. Foxes will dig up shallow graves for example. When I had a horse manure pile that worked really well.

 

[dgeesaman]

Most of the birds of prey are no longer endangered, I thought?

There was a time you could only find bald eagles on the west coast of Canada, but now they're all over the States and the east coast of Canada, too. Where I live they're so abundant they're pretty much just "flying rats".

In the US, all raptors remain federally protected. The lead poisoning is getting a lot of attention by the wildlife rehabilitators getting out on local news to talk about it. As sportsmen, we need to do everything practical to keep lead poisoning cases from reaching them or else there will be new heat behind the lead bans.

 

[Miami Airgunner]

And this is why I've moved on to using nothing but depleted uranium pellets. Excellent terminal performance and none of that nasty lead problem.

 

[dgeesaman]

And this is why I've moved on to using nothing but depleted uranium pellets. Excellent terminal performance and none of that nasty lead problem.

What’s the best barrel cleaning solvent for depleted uranium these days?

 

[Miami Airgunner]

What’s the best barrel cleaning solvent for depleted uranium these days?

Mix of benzine and carbon tetrachloride with a splash of hydrogen peroxide ;-)

 

[fuznut]

Just stop hunting, pesting and shooting guns. Sadly raptors will see no benefit from your doing so. But the feelings of Karen's might. Guess that's what, and all that really matters. Then they can use science to prove how falconry is destroying the planet.

 

[JimD]

To be honest I would have lost a few pests if my little doggie had not sniffed them out for me. She loves doing it. Even when hit solid animals seem wired to try and hide. But I still look and with Cola's help we almost always find what I hit.

I still think that varmint bullets used on big game by PB guys is the most likely source of lead poisoning of raptors. If they do not place their shot perfectly into the lungs avoiding bones they create a big nasty surface wound that will kill but may take days. The hunter is unlikely to find what they shot but the raptors will. The bullet will be disintegrated and scattered in the animals flesh. Seems like the perfect way to poison the birds. Totally unnecessary too. Ethical hunters don't do this already. There are even all copper bullets for PBs that most guns shoot well and they perform really well on game. No reason to use an inappropriate bullet.

 

[Emu]

I've been messin with lead since i was a young boy. Pouring jigs, weights, making bullets, casting molds , loading shotgun shells, etc etc etc. If it could kill ya, i think i'd be dead by now. I think the whole lead scare is over rated. I know i'll catch a ton of flack for this statement, but it's how i feel. Will not respond to anything further, or debate the topic, just stating my opinion.

When I was a kid, myself, my brother and my cousins use to carry the Sheridan .20 Cal pellets in the mouth.

None of us had any kind of poisoning.

 

[Oquossoc]

Good post. It happened to waterfowl hunters, could happen to airgunners, I suppose. Lead poisoning is real. Anyone who doesn't believe it is in simple denial, and doesn't want the hassle of being responsible. If the shot is a pass through I put them were my local fox eats them, out of 13 red squirrels this winter, they have been 100% pass thru head shots. Someone isn't being a Karen when they take care by being responsible for their sport and showing some respect. When I plink I use a pellet trap. 30 pellets gives me a 240 gr muzzleloader round with my Lyman mold. I mold outdoors, which is just common sense.
Lead poisoning doesn't always kill, it can give you high blood pressure, make you irritable, give you a bit of diarrhea, make your joints ache or have a bit of muscle weakness, that kind of thing. Depends on how much, how often. It's real for sure.