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Wingshooters should watch for ban on lead
It may not be too long before Washington wingshooters will be asked to get the lead out.
Earlier this year, the state Fish and Wildlife Commission approved new regulations requiring nontoxic shot for upland game birds at several sites across the state, including the Sunnyside Wildlife Area. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also mandated nontoxic shot at its Two Rivers and Wallula units, formerly state wildlife areas. Nontoxic shot has been required for all hunting at the state's Skagit Wildlife Area since 1988.
In August, the governor-appointed wildlife commission debated a possible statewide ban on lead shot for upland bird hunting but decided to take a more measured approach to potential regulations involving lead shot.
Such a move, it should be noted, would make Washington the first state to ban all lead shot for upland bird hunting.
Don Larsen, a Fish and Wildlife Department biologist in Kennewick, said the commission directed state staff to study all the implications of switching to nontoxic shot statewide before making a final decision. Larsen said there are many issues involved in such a decision, including added cost to sportsmen, availability of nontoxic shot and enforcement.
However, there is little debate among sportsmen or biologists that lead is toxic to wildlife.
Problems with the use of lead shot surfaced in the United States after extensive testing during the 1970s and 1980s, which eventually led to the phasing out of lead shot between 1986 and 1991. A nationwide ban on lead shot for waterfowl was implemented in 1991. Canada followed suit in 1999.
Studies found that lead-poisoned ducks and other birds carrying embedded lead shot also were killing other species, such as bald eagles and other raptors, which fed on wildlife containing lead shot.
Recently published articles in the Journal of Wildlife Management and Ducks Unlimited magazine said the switch to nontoxic shot by waterfowlers roughly a decade ago likely has saved millions of ducks throughout North America.
In a study done by researchers with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Natural History Survey - in partnership with the Mississippi Flyway Council - gizzards from 16,651 ducks taken in the flyway during the 1996-97 hunting seasons were studied for ingested lead and nontoxic pellets. Among mallards, about 9 percent had eaten shotgun pellets, and of those about 2.8 percent had eaten toxic pellets. The rest of the birds had eaten only nontoxic pellets. Also, many of the lead pellets ingested appeared to have been deposited in hunting areas before the lead-shot ban.
From the findings, researchers estimated the lead-shot ban reduced fatal lead poisoning deaths by 64 percent - or saved about 1.4 million ducks during the 1997 fall flight - while overall ingestion of toxic pellets declined 78 percent from previous levels.
Moreover, the study also noted that about 99 percent of all hunters were complying with nontoxic-shot regulations.
In September, the Fish and Wildlife Service approved the use of tungsten-matrix shot, now giving hunters a choice of five nontoxic shots. In addition to steel and tungsten-matrix shot, hunters can also use tungsten-iron, tungsten-polymer and bismuth-tin shot.
Such studies provide powerful ammunition for sinking lead shot all together.
And, in several discussions with wildlife officials and sportsmen, many admit they believe it's only a matter of time before states - including Washington - will outlaw lead shot and that perhaps it's time for sportsmen to take the lead in getting the lead out.
With all the negatives anti-hunters try to pin on sportsmen, perhaps backing the switch to nontoxic shot could be viewed as a positive public relations move.
Nevertheless, the cost of nontoxic shot remains a barrier for many. Nontoxic shot often costs double the price of lead shot, and could lead to reduced hunting opportunities for small game such as doves and possibly create a conflict for trap shooters.
However, while the state has discussed banning lead shot, it does not plan to take any immediate action, said Tom Keegan, upland game manager for the state in Olympia.
"Right now, they've asked the staff to review the effects of lead shot on all wildlife and collect scientific information. I'm sure there also will be several public hearings held around the state next year to find out what sportsmen think about the issue," he said.
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