Why are we offering a rebate on lead-free ammo?
Three reasons:
1. Reduce unintended consequences of non-target animals
2. Offer hunters an opportunity to try modern ammo at little or no cost
3. Preserve ammunition choice and the legacy of hunters as conservationists into the future
To reduce unintended consequences to non-target animals
Scavenging wildlife face many threats that are hard to address such as avian influenza or collisions with vehicles and infrastructure. Hunters, who are committed conservationists, are uniquely positioned to address one of these issues. Lead poisoning is a leading cause of death in eagles, and studies have shown that lead concentrations spike in the blood and tissue of eagles during and directly following hunting seasons1,2.
How could this occur?
Upon impact, lead bullets tend to fragment into innumerable fragments, some too small to see or find with the naked eye after impact, spreading up to 18 inches beyond the wound channel.
X-rays show how far these lead fragments can spread throughout game animals.
This video shows an example of bald and golden eagles scavenging on hunter harvested elk in Montana.
When scavengers eat from the remains of field-dressed game left behind in the field, they can ingest some of these lead fragments. Eagles and other raptors, which tend to scavenge more in fall and winter – coinciding with deer season – have an acidic digestive system that quickly breaks down lead so it enters their bloodstream. It takes small amounts of lead to cause health issues and even death.
You can learn more at the North American Lead-Free Partnership.
To offer hunters a chance to try modern ammo at little or no cost
A clean and ethical kill is the most important job of your ammo, so it’s understandable if hunters don’t want to change up what’s already working for them. This program gives hunters a chance to try out modern copper ammunition at the range on our dime. Many have already found the ballistics match or exceed the performance of their former choice of ammo. Copper’s expansion, penetration, and weight retention can offer the accuracy and lethality that ethical hunters demand, while reducing the chance that non-target species are unintentionally harmed.
Check out these lead-free testing videos from the North American Lead-Free Partnership, search their ammunition database to see what’s available, or go directly to our Find Ammo page.
To preserve ammunition choice and extend your legacy of conservation into the future
This program is NOT a push toward banning ammunition choice and it’s NOT part of an anti-hunting agenda. Hunters and their purchases are the top source of conservation dollars in the U.S. Ammunition choice is vital to hunting’s legacy and to its future. This program is about CHOICE. As the original wildlife stewards, hunters want to leave the landscape better than they found it. Learning about lead-free ammo and voluntarily making the right choice for their unique scenarios is just one more way hunters can put wildlife stewardship into action.
More Resources
Literature Cited
Hunters for Eagle Conservation is a program of Conservation Science Global, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2016 to advance conservation and management of our natural resources through science and education.