Non-Lead Ammunition: Good for Wildlife, Good for Hunters

Lead is toxic. This includes the lead in ammunition.

Lead bullets expand and scatter fragments far beyond the point of entry. These fragments can, in turn, be ingested by wildlife when they scavenge carcasses and gut piles or prey on other animals that have ingested fragments. Even small amounts can cause health problems and death, and birds, such as bald eagles and other raptors, are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning.

While lead ammunition is not causing wildlife population declines in Vermont, using it can hurt other wildlife unintentionally through the food chain. Lead is also a human health concern, and particles in meat are often too tiny to detect by sight, feel or taste.

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix -- the voluntary use of lead-free ammunition.

Biting the Lead-Free Bullet is Easy

• Non-lead bullets are factory loaded by most manufacturers in most popular big game calibers.
• Solid copper and copper alloy bullets offer consistent expansion and excellent weight retention and, as a result, deliver deep penetration.
• Less fragmentation = less meat loss.
• Non-lead bullets are longer. Consider reducing bullet grain size by 15-20% for comparable performance to your current load.
• Highly frangible (brittle), non-lead small caliber bullets are available for both centerfire and rimfire cartridges.
• Required for waterfowl hunting for over thirty years, non-lead shotshells now cover everything from woodcock to wild turkey.

To learn more about switching to non-lead ammunition and for tips to finding the right non-lead ammunition visit: http://www.nonleadpartnership.org and https://huntingwithnonlead.org/.