Cleaning deer of lead shot will take more care, DNR says

A study, spurred by venison contamination found in the spring, shows bullets from some rifles can disperse farther into the animal, requiring new guidelines.
By DOUG SMITH
Star Tribune
October 7, 2008

Some lead bullets fired from high-powered rifles scatter lead fragments much farther into deer than hunters might assume, according to a Department of Natural Resources study released Tuesday.

That means the state's venison processors and 500,000 deer hunters must trim much farther from wound channels to avoid lead contamination.

Lead was found up to 18 inches from wound channels in a study on sheep conducted by the DNR in July, said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game program leader. The sheep, euthanized first, are anatomically similar to white-tailed deer.



White specks on this x-ray of a sheep are lead bullet fragments, part of a DNR ballistic study. The study showed that some lead bullets fired from high-powered rifles fragment greatly, which has implications for deer hunters.

"Some high-velocity lead bullets break apart almost instantly, throwing small pieces of metal all over the place,'' Cornicelli said.

Routine trimming likely will not remove all fragments, and the agency can't make a recommendation about how far out from the wound to trim. The fragments generally are too small to see, feel or detect while chewing.

The study also found rinsing a carcass tended to reduce lead near the wound channel by about 20 percent, but also spread lead.

Cutting 2 inches around the wound channel removes only about 30 percent of the lead fragments, Cornicelli said.

Ballistic-tip bullets, made to rapidly expand on impact, fragmented the most. They averaged 141 fragments per carcass, with an average maximum distance of 11 inches from the wound channel.

Soft-point bullets and bonded lead-core bullets with exposed lead cores had an average of 86 and 82 fragments, respectively, also with a maximum distance of 11 inches.

Shotgun slugs and muzzleloader bullets fragmented far less than lead bullets fired by high-powered rifles. Still, shotgun slugs left an average of 28 fragments at an average maximum distance of 5 inches from the wound. About 25 percent of the state's firearm harvest falls to shotgun slugs.

Bullets with no exposed lead (with copper cases completely surrounding lead cores) or all-copper bullets would "significantly reduce or eliminate lead exposure.''

The study was prompted by discovery last spring of lead fragments in venison donated by hunters to food shelves in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. In Minnesota, venison was pulled from food shelves, and changes are being made to the program this fall to reduce lead contamination.

Despite the changes, state officials recommend that children under 6 and pregnant women not eat venison donated to food shelves. Exposure to lead can be harmful, particularly to children, and may not always produce visible symptoms, officials said.

The $50,000 study was paid for with venison donation program dollars.

Several types of bullets were shot from different firearms into 72 dead sheep in July. X-rays and other equipment were used to examine for bullet fragmentation.

DNR officials said hunters will have to decide how to react to the study.

"Our hunters are smart,'' Cornicelli said. "They will be able to measure what they need to do.''

Among the DNR tips:

• Nothing in the study suggest people shouldn't go deer hunting, but should take lead exposure seriously.

• Don't use deer with excessive shot damage.

• Bullet selection, firearm type and shot placement can affect lead exposure. Try for cleaner and closer shots.

•Trim liberally around the wound channel.

Study results and an online DNR presentation are at

www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/lead.

The link from the news article is dead, here's the the MN DNR link,
Lead Information for Hunters

sounds just like our politically motivated DNR here. spend the money from the venison donation, how spending the money from the anti's fund instead

I suppose we can all use lead free ammo, that ought to raise the price high enough to force a few more hunters and shooters out of the sport.

One step at a time, they will never stop till guns/ammo are out of reach for the average guy.

quote:

Originally posted by acsteele:
I suppose we can all use lead free ammo, that ought to raise the price high enough to force a few more hunters and shooters out of the sport.

One step at a time, they will never stop till guns/ammo are out of reach for the average guy.

It's not a question of "can", it's a question of "when"

I'm willing to bet that lead free bullets will be mandatory within 5 years in a large percentage of the US states.

Whew! It's a relief we're finally seeing a stop to the madness that is hunting with lead bullets. My uncle died from lead-poisoned meat from the game field.

Wait, no he didn't. No one has. Ever. This very concept defines the word "asinine."

One thing these "ban lead" proponents forget is all the other nasty crap in an animal's system that is far worse than a speck of lead from a hunting round. The deer you just shot with a copper bullet may have grazed on crops treated with pesticides, drank from a stream contaminated with chemicals from some asshole corporation, been exposed to radiation from god knows what, and on and on.

It saddens me to see this kind of stuff going on in America when there are so many blatantly larger, more pressing issues concerning public health.

I would need to see a study of the harmful effects of fragmented lead before I would change for THAT reasom. I grew up eating game- mostly birds- full of lead shot and except for the extra length of a certain appendage, I don't seem to have been affected by it. Maybe the amalgum fillings have made it less harmful. As they used to say, a little more lead in the old pencil.
Judge Sharpe (or dull depending on the day of the week.)

There sure is a lot of paranoia surrounding this issue. I think those that disregard this study out of hand are blinded by their own preconceived notions and agendas. I haven't seen anything that says that hunters shouldn't use lead bullets. It is only a call to attention to a possible health concern. New health risks are identified all the time by scientist. Just because this has possible future implications for our sport doesn't mean the findings are politically motivated or invalidate the results in any way. How many studies would need to be done with similar results before you would trust the findings? 2,10, 100?

Clearly, elevated blood levels are damaging to the nervous system (especially in children). Whether or not lead exposure from eating game is clinically significant is another issue which this study does not attempt to address. I highly doubt most of us will ingest enough lead in this manner to adversely affect us. The study does certainly give food for thought. As an avid hunter and physician, I am not surprised at all with these findings/x-ray. I for one will likely start using Barnes TSX exclusively for harvesting food. I'm not so worried about myself, but my little girl sure likes venison and her brain is far more susceptible to lead toxicity than mine. I'll practice with lead and kill with copper. (BTW copper is toxic in significant quantities as well) All this being said, I certainly hope this doesn't lead to legislation requiring lead free bullets. I think individual hunters are capable of evaluating their own risks of lead ingestion.

I think we should all take a deep breath and take this study for what it is. That is, it is a single, unconfirmed study that is only saying "hey, you may be unknowingly eating more lead fragments than you think." While I know I hold the minority opinion here, I am grateful for the information the study provides so that I can make choices for my family.

Wes

Woohoo! I'm doin my part using TSX's! lol Bet the people at Barnes are happy about this!! j/k I think its a bit of an overstatement, but, welcome to the modern America

let's all keep voting democrat!

quote:

The sheep, euthanized first, are anatomically similar to white-tailed deer.

Gotta love these guys. They killed them first before they shot them .

Ken....

This makes me wonder why my grandparents and all of their generation didn't just fall dead from all of the venison, small game, and fowl they ate over the decades that were most likely full of lead contamination

Have a Good One,

Reloader