Photo by Chris Isherwood, Flickr.

Listen to this week’s radio segment here or read the transcript below.  It discusses the use of lead shot during Iowa’s dove hunting season.

Many hunters view the use of lead shot pellets as part of tradition, but this tradition is spreading a toxic chemical throughout our environment.

This is the Iowa Environmental Focus.

A legislative decision allowed hunters to use lead shot during this year’s dove-hunting season. Several organizations, including Iowa’s Natural Resources Commission, attempted to ban the use of lead ammunition during the dove season due to its negative impact.

The largest environmental issue is the unwanted wildlife deaths caused by lead shot. Animals ingest the toxic pellets through eating uncollected carcasses and mistaking the pellets for food.

Advocates for lead shot cite that lead alternatives are more expensive and less effective.

Although those are valid points, they pale in comparison to the numerous animal deaths lead shot causes. Hunters should take the responsible step and choose an alternative to lead ammunition.

For more information, visit IowaEnvironmentalFocus.org.

I’m Jerry Schnoor from the UI Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research.

Thank You.

Check out these resoucres here and here for more information on how lead shot affects the birds.