That's why I don't shoot birds, they're dying by the millions, they don't need me adding to those numbers. Makes me wonder how they survive as species.
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Like using lead pellets? Collect the carcasses or risk losing lead entirely
- Thread starter dgeesaman
- Start date
" The facts mam, just the facts" ( Sergeant Joe Friday , from Dragnet ). As a matter of fact I tracked down as many remains that I could of the 18 groundhogs I layed out for the eagles & any other bird or critter that wanted them . This has been a 3 week span. Of all that I examined , none had the head / contents consumed other than eyes & nose flesh. So of the 6 shot w/ lead pellets , one shoulder through & through, two neck shots , also through & through . The remaining three were head shots , two Hades & one NSA slug. I position the chuck on the back & slice the underside open for easy ,quick meal access . Usually within 30-45 mins there is something on it. I have seen eagles , buzzards , ravens and crows feeding or hanging around for there turn. I will continue w/ my practice . The balance of G-hogs are taken w/ kill traps , so no lead chance there.
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Here in California, predator control is virtually non-existant. Mountain lion hunting is banned. We now have wolves, which are protected, and hunting bear with dogs is banned. It is no wonder why the deer populations are so dismal.
From my past 30 plus years of hunting experience, hunting game in general has been in a steady decline. As a kid to young adult pheasants used to be litterally everywhere. Lead was used for everything, but waterfowl back then. Now days pheasants are all but extinct with the exception of the pen raised clubs.
Some may say or claim the valley is turning into orchards now, but the problem started far before that transition. Other species like the mallard population has declined tremendously since around 2012. This is largely, in my opinion, due to the poor management of Tule Lake and the Klamath basin water issues. Deer have also been in decline. Harvest as a kid was around 20 to 30 thousand a season and is now averaging around 15 thousand per season.
I doubt lead is as big as an issue as what is being claimed. In California, one must consider how much more game there was in the past vs now. Especially during a time when lead usage was normal. There were also far more hunting licenses sold in California back then too.
I am by no means stating lead poisoning doesn't happen, but there is a lot of money being spent by organizations who are spent on banning the things we like to sway votes in their favor. A lot of it fits the gun control narrative. Just look at ammo costs. Who needs to ban guns when you can't afford the ammo to shoot it. For example, I used to get 10 rounds of 12 gauge turkey load for 8 to 10 bucks. With the lead ban, if you purchase tss it is 50 to 75 bucks a box of 5.
Some other issues besides predator control, which may be responsible for the rapid declines I have observed may be a result of farming practices like chemicals used, mosquito and insect abatement, urban sprawl consolidating predators, or forest management (non-existant). It is more than likely a culmination of all of it and more.
I can go on and on about the crazy ideology where I reside and how it trickles across the nation as well as issues I have observed related to hunting, lead usage, and the lack of predator control. My advice to some of the younger folks is don't believe all the bs your taught and have an open mind.
From my past 30 plus years of hunting experience, hunting game in general has been in a steady decline. As a kid to young adult pheasants used to be litterally everywhere. Lead was used for everything, but waterfowl back then. Now days pheasants are all but extinct with the exception of the pen raised clubs.
Some may say or claim the valley is turning into orchards now, but the problem started far before that transition. Other species like the mallard population has declined tremendously since around 2012. This is largely, in my opinion, due to the poor management of Tule Lake and the Klamath basin water issues. Deer have also been in decline. Harvest as a kid was around 20 to 30 thousand a season and is now averaging around 15 thousand per season.
I doubt lead is as big as an issue as what is being claimed. In California, one must consider how much more game there was in the past vs now. Especially during a time when lead usage was normal. There were also far more hunting licenses sold in California back then too.
I am by no means stating lead poisoning doesn't happen, but there is a lot of money being spent by organizations who are spent on banning the things we like to sway votes in their favor. A lot of it fits the gun control narrative. Just look at ammo costs. Who needs to ban guns when you can't afford the ammo to shoot it. For example, I used to get 10 rounds of 12 gauge turkey load for 8 to 10 bucks. With the lead ban, if you purchase tss it is 50 to 75 bucks a box of 5.
Some other issues besides predator control, which may be responsible for the rapid declines I have observed may be a result of farming practices like chemicals used, mosquito and insect abatement, urban sprawl consolidating predators, or forest management (non-existant). It is more than likely a culmination of all of it and more.
I can go on and on about the crazy ideology where I reside and how it trickles across the nation as well as issues I have observed related to hunting, lead usage, and the lack of predator control. My advice to some of the younger folks is don't believe all the bs your taught and have an open mind.
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In the case this thread is covering and most everything else in general....if critical thinking is used a sort of harmony is the result, it's the knee jerk reactions to most issues that seems to be the order of the day. This problem goes far beyond lead shot.
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Getting to be a common theme across most of the US.
I'm in Appalachian Ohio, and your comments could have just as easily have applied to this region. I'm not "that" old and in my youth I hunted groundhogs. They're all but eradicated here nowadays! If you catch sight of one it's under a building, near a house, etc. Mostly due to the boom in Coyote population, but can also be attributed to hawks and other predators as well. I haven't shot a groundhog in 20 years. Virtually every game animal has followed the same path. Bobcats? Rare in the 80's and 90s, now I see 2-3 a week. Hawks? Once more of a novelty, now everywhere I look. Eagles? Yeah, even an occasional eagle gets sighted. Bear? Not so uncommon. Hell, I even saw a mountain lion run across the road in 2019. How's that for an increase in predators? In the 80s as a boy I was allowed to play in the yard and woods without worry, nowadays I'd reconsider.
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