Craig, you put the emphasis on the new ones in your post above. That's probably a good place to keep it. Those newbies are going to be shooting places where their trap clubs shoot. And yes, in my part of the world, they get plenty of financial support. And where I used to live in Iowa, our county PF chapter supported every school club in the county. And come banquet time, we typically gave away 20+ youth shotguns. I think most of the conservation groups know how important it is to bring more people not only into target shooting, but also into hunting. They are our future.

Clubs and ranges are far less likely to be restricted to nontox like you are for waterfowl hunting . . . or for that matter, if you also chase pheasants on public wetlands. And yes, why can't you drop as much lead as you want on the ground if it's not wetland type habitat so that waterfowl might be exposed to it? And you don't go through the volume of shells hunting waterfowl or pheasants that you do shooting targets. So the extra bucks for a couple boxes of shells is likely something they can handle. Or maybe even a hunting mentor will provide for them.

Our problems, at least currently, are at the state level (like CA now and perhaps MN in the not too distant future.) Here in Wisconsin, the DNR holds public meetings in the spring all across the state. They present new laws they're considering. Just a few years ago, one of those laws was to go all nontox on all DNR areas. Didn't make much sense to me other than on those areas already restricted to nontox: basically wetlands and fields where doves are shot. Areas of very heavy shotfall. I don't worry much at all about dropping lead where I hunt grouse and woodcock. Those areas aren't that heavily hunted, and it's not likely that grouse or woodcock will digest what little lead is scattered around. The vote went against that proposed law by a significant majority.


And if old boy shooting clubs don't welcome (and probably even support) young shooters, they have their heads square up their asses. They all do where I shoot here in WI, as they did where I shot in Iowa. Maybe we're more hunter/shooter friendly than some other states. If so, that's a good reason to live here.