Lead ban on dove hunting on its way?

Last week an interesting press release was sent out by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD).

It dealt with a dove hunting survey being conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and at first seems pretty routine until you see the word “lead” in one of the quotes..

Here’s the excerpt.

An upcoming survey will ask dove hunters from across the U.S. to share their experiences and opinions about dove hunting. Topics will include time spent hunting, demographics, constraints to hunting, and thoughts about potential effects of spent lead from hunting ammunition on mourning doves and other wildlife. The survey is a cooperative effort by the state fish and wildlife agencies, all four flyway councils, and the Service.

“We are conducting this survey because hunter opinions and preferences are important and should be taken into account whenever possible,” says Dr. Ken Richkus of the Service’s Population and Habitat Assessment Branch. “The Service and the states want to make sure we use the best science-based information for the management and conservation of our migratory bird resources.”

Something tells me there is pressure from somewhere within the federal government to ban lead ammunition for dove hunting.

Over the last few years there have been studies conducted by TPWD on lead ingestion as well as pressure being put on all states that allow dove hunting to move toward non-toxic shot. This includes information spread on the web by the American Bird Conservancy.

Anyway, do not be surprised if we start seeing a move to eliminate lead shot from dove hunting in the near future. Momentum has been shifting that way for several years.

Tags: American Bird Conservancy, TPWD, Wildlife Service Service