Is Illinois Headed for a Lead Ammunition Ban?
Earlier this year the Department of the Interior Director issued an order pertaining to Lead Tackle. You can read the full order here, but below is the exact words for the purpose of the order:
To establish procedures and a timeline for expanding the use of nontoxic ammunition and fishing tackle on Service lands, waters, and facilities and for certain types of hunting and fishing regulated by the Service outside of Service lands, waters, and facilities.
Waterfowl hunters have had to use steel instead of lead for some time now, but could Illinois be heading to an all out ban. We saw this coming several years ago and started using steel shot for all of our hunting.
On February 10, 2017 Senator Harmon filed SB 1985, which:
Provides that it shall be unlawful to use lead ammunition to take wildlife in State parks or natural areas. Defines "lead ammunition" as a projectile containing one or more percent lead by weight. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Sangchris State Park and Silver Springs State Park are just two examples of state facilities that have site specific rules regarding non-toxic shot for dove hunting. These small steps taken at each facility show that the State of Illinois has already started the process to ban lead ammunition. While the impact of something like this is non-existent for waterfowl hunters. It will be interesting to see what the impact for hunters across the state would be for deer and dove season.What are other states doing?
For example California is on its way to a lead ammunition ban. Currently, non-toxic ammunition is required in the eight-county historic range of the California condor. There will be a complete ban on the use of lead ammunition for any hunting purposes anywhere in the state by July 1, 2019.
If you would like more information regarding regulations on lead ammunition in other states, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment