A Shotgun Story: Get the Lead Out

Shotgun wedding? Reminds me of that Top-10 song by the one-hits wonder group from the ’80s “The Georgia Satellites” called “Keep Your Hands to Yourself!” That song rocks!

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No, not quite what I’m talking about, although probably a lot of ‘hillbilly marriages’ were officiated at the end of a shotgun barrel! Bottle of Moonshine, romantic interlude with Binny’s sweet twin daughters whom looked like Hollywood actress Linda Lee. At least, -they were both willing! Next day though, -they just looked more like plain ol’ twin sisters “Home” and “Ug”! (Thank about that for a moment… Read on when you’re ready.)

I am talking about the use of shotguns for legal, licensed hunting of waterfowl using what is popularly known as ‘buckshot’ pellet. A ‘load’ of ‘shot’ are numerous round lead pellets designed to bring down the bird (or several birds) with one shot.

Shotgun Casing On The Beach

Litter, litter everywhere. Irresponsible people do this. Not conscientious hunters whom care for and respect the land and the game laws of the country. A consciousness hunter would have picked-up the exuded shell casing after having fired the weapon at his quarry and disposed it it properly.

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A shotshell contains numerous little pellets, -usually made from lead, used to bring down waterfowl in the air. You didn’t have to be an expert marksman to ‘bag a bird,’ just point and shoot into the crowd. And, because of the many pellet-sized projectiles, it does not completely ravage the meat. But consider this, -what happens to the LEAD pellets that miss the target? They eventually fall to the ground, into the water, the field, wherever.

Waterfowl, game and fish, mistaking these round, hard lead pellets to be amphibian eggs or other foods, consume them! This is LEAD, poisonous lead! Their bodies now contain a potent source of lead, which over time, poisons their body, affects their reproduction and quality of life.

Buckshot Bullet Signage

This makes me angry. It is abuse of the tools of hunting, and of course, vandalism. It makes “No Hunting / No Trespassing” signs go up faster than the price of gas just before a summer holiday weekend.

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Well, in recent years and spare me your views on anti-hunting, pro hug-the-pretty-animals and such, things have begun to change. Most hunters are just fulfilling a right to legally engage in a sport that was around at the time of the founding our country, and is currently still protected under law. We the hunters would of course, welcome a more ‘conservationist’ approach for the ammunition we use without eliminating our freedom to actually engage in the hunt.

Instead of toxic lead pellets being used as projectiles, a similar metal-like material called “bismuth” is beginning to be used. It does not poison the environment and the living animals like lead does. We all know about the dangers of lead. Okay sure, -to the ducks, quail, pheasant, and turkey taken in legal hunting season by these devices, it still kills. That hasn’t changed. Many a Thanksgiving Dinner will be pridefully adorned with a wild-game turkey this holiday season. I grant this contention. But the bismuth shotgun pellet spray that ‘gets away’ is non-toxic to those whom escape the hunt and might ingest it later, thinking that this is some sort of food. And what is bismuth, you ask? It is a metal substance with similar properties to lead, but without the toxicity. -It is the main ingredient in Pepto Bismol, the stomach remedy! Bismuth is also being used for fishing sinkers and weighted lures, as these too are often ‘lost’ during normal fishing as well. It’s a start.

Those lead pellets used for the past 100+ years are in the ponds, lakes and fields of the states and provinces that permit regulated hunting, by the many thousands upon thousands, and it is lead, with all the bad things associated with it. In time, this switch to bismuth will make a reduction in the lead in the fat and tissues of animals, and in the rivers and streams. Maybe someday, hunting will be outlawed or make a graceful fall entirely from favor. Probably not in our lifetimes though. Getting the lead out of the equation is still a very necessary first step and it is, literally, conservation. It protects the lives and success of incidental animals not taken directly in the hunt.