idduckhntr, I'd be very interested in the studies you're talking about. Every study I've seen that looks specifically at spent lead ammo and its effect on wildlife shows health implications. In fact, in my searches I've found over 120 species that have been shown to ingest and suffer the consequences of ingesting, lead ammunition in the form of fragmented rifle bullets and shotgun shot. I'm a hunter in California and was forced to use non-lead for the majority of hunting. I was pretty upset with the legislation at first, but after looking into it, for hunting practices it seems logical. I've also had great success (on paper and game) with the Barnes TSX (especially the tipped TSX) and the Nosler E-tip. I just started testing the new Hornady GMX bullets, but don't have any on game experience yet. Whether I'm hunting pigs in California or Whitetail in Wisconsin and Iowa, I'll always use these new designs.

WA Mtnhunter is correct. I will go farther and state that it is also in the water. In estuarine waters where I live, it was discovered that lead shot washed down into the sediments where the brackish water corroded it. the lead was picked up by Nematodes and other critters that lived in the bottom sediment. Larger predators such as Blue Crabs preyed on the bottom dwellers and the lead moved up the food chain.
I still however am not convinced about lead from rifle bullets affecting upland fauna!

Who do you work for, idduckhntr. I have mixed feelings, myself about waterfowl hunting with lead. Eventually, that lead with leach into the water, causing the concentrations to go up. It can then get into fish, and when you eat the fish, into you. I can see the logic behind lead bans for waterfowl, but not for anything else.

What studies are you talking about. Sounds interesting.

Ok in the mid to late 80s they did a study on the efect on birds of prey and them eating waterfowl in the US and Canada and found no or little affect. Do I mind using steel shot on waterfowl,no and as far as using non lead rifle bullets well thats taking it to far, you might as well move out of your house because of the paint. The problem has already been solved by the F&W service lead does not cripple more ducks than steel, but the other preoblem is that alot of people dont take the time to pattern there guns and practice with it like they should. I dont want to get into a argument with anybody but I grew up shootin lead. Like I said the way steel has come up its not bad and cheaper to shoot at ducks to boot.

i dont know about around you but here where i hunt i hear hunters unloading full magazines, often several hunters per blind, several blinds per pit or field several times a day. estimating 3 shots per gun 3 hunters per blind and 3 blinds per pit. thats a conservative estimate of 27 shots fired everytime a few ducks fly over. consider that however many times a day multiply by the number of weekend days in the season... well you see it can add up even in a year. but its not just duck and dove hunters either. ther is alot of fishing (and i mean ALOT) going on in these same pits. how many lead sinkers and jigs get dropped or tossed into a 5 acre lake over a summer. now take that PLUS area polution and over the years, not only current and future years but also the hundred plus years till now and,yeah you probably get toxic fish. is it really not worth the cost of steel or tungsten or bismuth or whatever space metal they come up with to make your grandkid's hunting and fishing and life experience safer and better?

I too respect your point about the children, I just wish they could make a steel shot as effective in the killing department as lead is.

Shoot a deer in the arse with varmint bullets and you will have lead in the meat.