How often do you see public (and for those of us who hunt on private) lands going "non-toxic" only?
I bring this up as I am facing more and more restrictions for hunting birds where a "wetland" is designated in the adjacent region.
Case in point:
I got permission last fall to hunt on private land (only cost me the effort to call ahead and sit down with the owners ahead of time), but, they had asked that I only shoot non-toxic.
1) they were aware that due to past flooding of a nearby stream, resource management had listed just a portion of their property as next to a "wetland". So, to avoid any possible implications, they don't let (bird) hunters use lead.
2) I got invited to a private hunting "game farm" (ironic that it is larger than the property I hunted on last fall) and they only allow non-toxic as well.
3) I was out a year ago and the other hunters who we exchanged pleasantries with had mentioned that the public land we were on is also home to migratory birds... to be "safe", they are avoiding issues by using steel.
So, for all of us "moving" (either voluntarily or by force) to non-toxic (for birds) loads, what are folks shooting in their doubles?
I had a chance to stop by Ballistic Products (home here in Coccran, MN) and they showed on a global map where they ship ITX and hevi-shot... They said 1/2 ton of ITX was shipped to the UK just last year. (didn't know there were that many reloaders over there)
My hunting buddy brought 50rds of ITX #6 loads with us last fall and it shot just fine. Same price as premium steel loads, but, since he loaded it himself, it was much cheaper than Bismuth or Hevi-Shot.
