Waterfowl are generally the species most affected by toxic shot. Since many
waterfowl hunting areas are used every year, the potential for lead shot to
accumulate where ducks find it during foraging is increased. When lead shot
was first banned, it was only banned for hunting over marshes, wetlands,
potholes, and other shallow water areas. It was believed that using lead
shot over large bodies of water such as lakes and tidal areas would not make
it accessible to waterfowl. However, it was found that diving ducks were
also injesting lead while feeding and thus lead shot was banned everywhere
for hunting waterfowl.

It is believed that since upland birds are generally more wide spread and
consequently hunted over a much larger area, their chance of injesting lead
shot is much more reduced. Thus, you can still used lead shot for hunting
upland birds with the exception of some NWR and management areas where lead
is banned all together. Lead fishing sinkers are also posing a problem now
in Common Loons breeding in Wisconsin, Michigan and upstate NY.
Manufacturers are working on an alternative to lead fishing weights now due
to the problem of injestion by loons.

Jeff Kozma
Yakima