I usually don't participate in these useless rants, but this thread and others related to the subject of non-lead requirements have plucked my nerves.
A lot of you are too young to recall how all this started, beginning with the manipulated statistics surrounding the dying eagle found by the USFWS at Remington Farms in the late '70's which resulted in the lead shot ban for waterfowl, continuing with California's attempted ban on all lead ammo, and now an effort to ban lead for upland birds elsewhere. The end result of all this is (and will be) (1 ammo manufacturers will scramble to produce a product that meets the "requirements" at our expense, (2 the population who enjoys shooting sports will diminish further, and (3 loss of revenue from license sales will further cripple state wildlife agencies. The same scenario can be applied to the recreational fisheries industry.
I don't understand how outdoorsmen cannot see past their collective self interest noses when it comes to this subject-- the end result will be the destruction of all firearms-related activities--not just the use of vintage doubles.
I was (and am) waterfowl hunting before the lead shot ban, and vividly remember how poorly steel shot performed. Many times I witnessed shot geese and ducks, heavily hit, fly off to die from blood loss, never recovered. So, when improved non-tox became available I stepped up and purchased the best ammo available-- to the tune of $1.00+ PER SHELL. In all my decades of waterfowl hunting I've never found a duck or goose that seemed to be dying from some mysterious malady.
Allow me to pose a question--- have any of you found a dying Black or Turkey vulture or a coyote dead or dying????
We need to unite and be proactive regarding the lead ban-- rescind it!!!
