CA: Proposed Upland Lead Shot Ban
A shot of a California quail (Natl Park Svc photo).
There’s an old saying that whatever happens in California is coming to the rest of the country next. It should probably be more like “Whatever [insert favorite belittling adjective here] stuff happens in CA will leak into the rest of the country eventually.” Anyhow, the CA legislature is looking at banning lead shot in upland areas on state lands. Here’s some info from early June.
From redding.com:
“…AB 2223…would ban the use of lead shot in California’s 667,000-acre network of state-owned wildlife management areas. Federal law banned the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting in the early 1990s after studies showed that ducks and other waterfowl were being poisoned by lead from the pellets that fell back into the water supply after a missed shot. There also were worries predatory animals would consume lead by eating downed birds that had been shot but lost by hunters.
“At most of the state’s wildlife areas, including a handful in the north state, hunters are allowed to use lead shot to hunt other small game like rabbit, quail, turkey, dove and pheasant. The author of AB 1810, Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, argued that research showed both wetland and upland birds will ingest spent lead shot, creating the potential for devastating effects on these bird populations. ‘The science is increasingly clear that lead shot poses a real danger to bird populations on these lands,’ Nava stated. ‘With viable alternatives to lead shot, this is just a no-brainer.'”
Mark Hennelly, VP of the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, a hunter and angler lobbying group opposed to the bill, said the science behind the lead ban proposal was much less clear. “He said the Outdoor Heritage Alliance would have preferred that the California Fish and Game Commission, which sets hunting regulations based on scientific surveys, study the effects of lead at wildlife areas.”
And from here:
“A total of 25 states have lead shot prohibitions for hunting beyond those required by the federal government for waterfowl. Of the 40 states that allow dove hunting, 16 have some level of nontoxic shot requirements specific to dove hunting.
“‘Allowing this situation to continue is inconsistent with the state’s mission to manage these wildlife areas to the highest standards,’ said Dan Taylor, director of public policy for Audubon California. ‘These areas are islands of habitat that serve as magnets to wildlife and human visitors with excellent wildlife viewing, fishing and hunting opportunities.’
“Assemblyman Nava authored and passed a state law in 2008 to prohibit the use of lead ammunition in areas inhabited by the California condor because of the dangers that it posed for that endangered species. ‘We need to get lead out of our State Wildlife Management Areas,’ said Nava ‘It makes no sense to allow people to leave poisonous material in the wild.'”
Our Take
We don’t hunt out there (haven’t yet but will), so can’t really give you an informed opinion. But we assume if that real science shows that a ban would be effective, just like with waterfowl hunters would support it. Just get the cost of those non-lead shells down! If you’re a Cali hunter, let us know what you think.
Category: CA, Legislation/Policy
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
