Not being a hunter, I will say right now that there must be something about this that I just don’t get. Why would anyone hunt with lead bullets when copper ones reportedly work just fine? The cost? I don’t think so. How much do hunters pay for their guns, tags, trucks, fuel, etc? No, if lead bullets were banned, alternatives would be rapidly mass produced, the market would respond and costs would go down. So, what is it? I attended a talk recently on an approach being used by the Arizona Dept. of Fish and Game to encourage voluntary use of non-lead ammunition for deer hunting in condor ranges in that state. The speaker presented X-rays of deer that had been killed with lead, and pointed out how the lead itself shatters when it hits bone. Why, he asked, and I wonder as well, would anyone then want to eat meat that is so loaded with toxic lead? I can understand, I guess, that many hunters don’t probably care about condors, but why don’t they care about the health of their families to whom they feed this venison?A recent bill to ban lead bullets in the Condor sanctuary in the Los Padres National Forest is waiting for the Governator’s signature, but we can be sure that ongoing lobbying by the NRA and others is relentless and may in the end prevail. Regardless of the outcome this issue is now of interest to a greater public than just the hunters and the Humane Society. If it doesn’t pass this year let’s hope it’s revisited again with greater support in the future.

There just doesn’t seem to be anything good about lead ammunition, other than to lead ammunition manufacturers. Given this is again the beginning of the hunting season on Santa Rosa Island, it should be understood that lead ammunition is being used there, where bald eages and foxes and other wildlife will feed on carrion. There was even an effort a few years ago by someone who said he would voluntarily provide non-lead ammunition to the Santa Rosa hunters, and they refused. Now I’m not necessarily opposed to the hunting operation per se, (an opinion that will get me hell, for sure), but it would be nice if they could just take this small extra step to help protect the island’s wildlife.