# Lead



## Fowl habits (Dec 4, 2007)

Ok so this doesn't make sense to me.

we are not allowed to use lead shot

but yet our weights on the decoys are typically lead

so what gives


I was just shopping around for a cheaper solution to rigging my spread and was wondering if it's it ok to order lead or should it be something differant, i know when i flyfish i usually use the tin weight because its more enviromentally friendly. 

anyone got any ideas


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

The "Birds of Prey" can't swallow a decoy weight.... :wink: and neither can the ducks......


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## lunkerhunter2 (Nov 3, 2007)

The lead ban is because birds were ingesting the pellets. They can't swallow a decoy weight i presume. 8) As for an alternative, i have used steel bolts before with good results. I have seen some "tin cups" before that supposedly dredge the mud and stick to the bottom. Doubt they work very well.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

> Ok so this doesn't make sense to me.
> 
> we are not allowed to use lead shot
> 
> ...


Eagles and hawks don't eat decoy weights... They eat ducks that have eaten lead or have been shot and then they die of lead poisoning... What a tragedy... :roll:


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## Fowl habits (Dec 4, 2007)

ok well that answers that i learned me somethin new today, i always though that it was the lead leeching into the water that was the problem


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## 1BandMan (Nov 2, 2007)

Lead was also supposedly found in the gizzards of a fairly huge percentage of ducks as well.


Its just my $.02 but I think they spent so much money on the studies and such regarding how bad it was and ignored balistic issues and other options and issues to push it though that they simply pushed it through.

I wonder what the long term studies really are......has shooting non tox shells made the huge difference that they said it would???


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

> I wonder what the long term studies really are......has shooting non tox shells made the huge difference that they said it would???


Look around, the eagles and hawks are thick everywhere you go. They are defiantly NOT endangered any more.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Eliminating lead shot has done wonders to save the birds of prey, but then so did outlawing the use of DDT.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Here's a very good article about waterfowl diseases including diseases caused by birds ingesting lead. scroll down to the bottom for the lead poisoning part:

http://www.ducks.org/Conservation/Water ... eases.html

Wow, 70,000 lead pellets per acre!


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

That reads 70,000 pellets p/hectare.
Dictionary: hec·tare (h?k'târ')

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Home > Library > Literature & Language > Dictionaryn. (Abbr. ha)
A metric unit of area equal to 100 ares (2.471 acres).

That's still a lot of pellets!!!! Thanks for good read!


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## duckhunter1096 (Sep 25, 2007)

One thing that the switch from lead to steel did was save the birds of prey.....but it also increased the number of wounded birds ( i have NO statistical info to back up my claims, only what I have seen in the field). Lead was so much better, in my opinion. My shooting has gotten way better over the years, but my kills were much better in my younger days with lead. It seems it doesn't matter how solid I hit them, I always end up having to ring the necks of about 40% of my birds.


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

I actually use large steel washers as decoy weights. I get the ones that are like 1/8" thick and 2.5" in diameter. They work great for duck dekes, for goose dekes I use TWO washers.
I just can't afford either the cost of or the weight of that much lead. Lazy and broke is not a good combo, but IT WORKS. :mrgreen:


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