AGFD - Don’t forget the non-lead ammo

[Outdoor Writer]

GAME AND FISH NEWS       Sept. 14, 2020 Arizona Game and Fish Department   Gearing up for a hunt? Don’t forget the non-lead ammo Hunters asked to continue voluntary lead-reduction efforts this fall     PHOENIX — Arizona hunters have proven their long-held commitment to wildlife conservation by voluntarily working to reduce the amount of lead exposure to endangered California condors, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is encouraging all hunters to join the effort this fall.   Hunters drawn for hunts in Game Management Units 12 and 13 (north Kaibab National Forest and Arizona Strip) are eligible to participate in the department’s non-lead ammunition program and are encouraged to pick up their free ammunition early, while supplies last. Information about the program was mailed to those who drew hunt tags for the selected units.   Since 2008, 88 percent of hunters in Arizona’s condor range have voluntarily used non-lead ammunition during their hunts or, if they used lead ammunition, removed the gut piles from the field. AZGFD reminds hunters that if they have trouble finding non-lead ammunition, they can still support condor recovery by removing gut piles from the field that were shot with lead ammunition.    Hunters that remove their gut piles (lead ammunition only) are eligible to be entered into a raffle that offers prizes including an elk hunt on the Navajo Nation, Phoenix Zoo Total Experience tickets, Sportsmans Warehouse gift cards, and other prizes generously donated by multiple wildlife conservation partners.    “Hunters in Arizona have always been true partners in wildlife conservation,” said Allen Zufelt, AZGFD condor program coordinator. “Last year 90 percent of hunters removed approximately 4 tons of remains that were potentially contaminated by lead ammunition or voluntarily used non-lead ammunition. These successes are clear evidence of our hunters’ continued commitment to condor management.”    The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, which coordinates condor management with AZGFD, has implemented a lead-reduction program in southern Utah. As the condor population has become more established, the birds have increased their foraging area and now use southern Utah heavily during the fall hunting season.    Lead poisoning has been identified as the leading cause of diagnosed death in endangered condors and the main obstacle to a self-sustaining population in Arizona and southern Utah.    Studies suggest that lead shot and bullet fragments found in animal carcasses and gut piles are the most likely source of lead exposure. Many hunters do not realize that the carcass or gut pile they leave in the field usually contains lead bullet fragments. Gut piles from animals harvested with non-lead ammunition provide an important food source for the condors and should be left in the field.       Arizona’s condor population was reintroduced to the state under a 10(j) Rule, a special provision of the Endangered Species Act that designates the population as experimental and not essential to the species’ survival. The 10(j) Rule was used to obtain acceptance among communities in Arizona and Utah and assures that “current and future land…uses…shall not be restricted due to…condors” and that the federal government did “not intend to” modify or restrict “current hunting regulations anywhere…in the experimental population area.”    Information on non-lead ammunition and how hunters can help is sent by mail to those drawn for hunts in condor range. For more information on condors and lead and a list of available non-lead ammunition, visit www.azgfd.gov/condor.

[Flatlander]

You can’t post about non-lead around here. It violates the Declaration of Independence or the pre-amble or something. 

[UggRedBilly]

I got mine a few weeks ago! Mailed in the coupon as soon as I got it!

[452b264]

My son mailed his coupon in and they called to let us know they cant honor it and they would be mailing it back to us so we can take it to the az sportsman's warehouse. 

[PRDATR]

9 hours ago, 452b264 said:

My son mailed his coupon in and they called to let us know they cant honor it and they would be mailing it back to us so we can take it to the az sportsman's warehouse. 

I would call first before making the drive as there shelves are pretty bare.

 

[ThomC]

To heck with the game wounding left wing ammo.  And to heck with the Kalifornia buzzards.😷  My words were changed to protect the sensibilities of the libatards.  I said "He double toothpics."  😈

[Flatlander]

25 minutes ago, ThomC said:

To heck with the game wounding left wing ammo.  And to heck with the Kalifornia buzzards.😷  My words were changed to protect the sensibilities of the libatards.  I said "He double toothpics."  😈

Yep, that attitude is exactly what will really help ensure hunters get a seat at the conservation table. Perfect.

[elkhunter]

Any idea what AZGFD do with the gut piles that are brought back to them?

[NOTAGS]

My experience with the non lead ammo made me start using full time.  The Barnes bullets expand, retain weight, and deliver quick kills.  Plus most of my rifles shoot it lights out.  I have one that doesnt, so I dont take it to the Kaibab.  Down side is the copper fouling.  You dont want to shoot as much once you get to do a deep clean or two.

[trophyseeker]

48 minutes ago, ThomC said:

To heck with the game wounding left wing ammo.  And to heck with the Kalifornia buzzards.😷  My words were changed to protect the sensibilities of the libatards.  I said "He double toothpics."  😈

I've only been around here for about 6 years, and don't post too much. I do read a lot, however, and in all that time I can't recall reading any meaningful input from you., only sometimes incomprehensible snide or sarcastic comments such as above So why not surprise everyone by saying something intelligent on occasion??

[452b264]

Two years ago I used  some of that game wounding ammo to take a running shot on a bull elk through the timber. The 150 gr. TTSX from my 3006 spr. punched through the breast plate centered the heart and blew out the far side of the breast plate which on this bull was slightly over a half inch thick bone per side. The entrance  was about an inch and the exit was the size of a golf ball, the bull went maybe 25/30 yards spun a 180 and dropped. My sons 308 win. puts that same bullet into a 1 inch group at 200 yards.

[PRDATR]

2 hours ago, NOTAGS said:

My experience with the non lead ammo made me start using full time.  The Barnes bullets expand, retain weight, and deliver quick kills.  Plus most of my rifles shoot it lights out.  I have one that doesnt, so I dont take it to the Kaibab.  Down side is the copper fouling.  You dont want to shoot as much once you get to do a deep clean or two.

In the early 90's I started loading 120gr Barnes X Bullets for my 7 Mag with slow powders north of 3350 and they never failed to do the trick. I loaded the whole box and they lasted me until a few years ago. I would just shoot one bullet each year to verify zero before a hunt.

[NOTAGS]

2 hours ago, elkhunter said:

Any idea what AZGFD do with the gut piles that are brought back to them?

sell  them  for menudo....

[Flatlander]

2 hours ago, elkhunter said:

Any idea what AZGFD do with the gut piles that are brought back to them?

Pay some college intern to drive them off the plateau, from there, NOTAGS is probably right.  My guess is Aliberto’s.

[Outdoor Writer]

2 minutes ago, NOTAGS said:

sell  them  for menudo....

I love menudo.  I bought several pounds of tripe and a few pigs feet two months ago to make my usual 18 qt. pot full, but I haven't had the energy to get it done. So the makin's  sits in the freezer until I get to feeling better -- if ever. ☹️