Non-toxic shot now required for hunting on select conservation areas

Nevada Daily Mail

Well, spring is finally here. For some, it means the spring turkey season is finally here. You may be one of the many hunters that go to Missouri Department of Conservation public lands to chase the wily, wild turkey. If so, conservationists are urging hunters to keep in mind that it's always a good idea to check to see if there are any regulation changes in advance of your hunt. One notable change for the Four Rivers, Schell-Osage, Montrose, and Settles' Ford Conservation Areas are the expansion of the non-toxic shot requirement which started March 1.

The regulation reads "Non-toxic shot required for all hunting with a shotgun on this area beginning March 1. Possession of lead shot is prohibited." While non-toxic shot has been required on designated portions of these four areas for a number of years, hunters have been able to use lead shot shells for hunting "upland" game in certain areas. This is no longer the case.

In short, the change was implemented because the negative environmental impacts of compounds containing lead have been documented for hundreds of years, according to local MDC specialists. More notably, one study conducted in the 1880s found that numerous waterfowl had died along Galveston Bay from ingesting lead shot. This, among other cases prompted subsequent research to be conducted over the next 100 or more years. The findings from these studies led the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to mandate the use of non-toxic shot for hunting waterfowl. This mandate was phased in nationally from 1987 to 1992.

Hunters in Missouri were required to use non-toxic shot for hunting waterfowl beginning in 1990. Of course, restrictions on lead use isn't limited to just hunting. Lead-based paints are no longer used; lead additives have been removed from gasoline, and so on. So, in an effort to reduce lead shot ingestion in wildlife, these four Conservation Areas are part of a group of 21 areas around the state that now require non-toxic shot for hunting all species. These areas are all similar in that significant portions of the lands lie within a floodplain and contain numerous acres of wetlands. This is relevant because these areas also typically concentrate high numbers of waterfowl which are particularly susceptible to lead shot ingestion due to there feeding habits.

For specific questions about the areas mentioned, please contact the area offices.

To reach Four Rivers Conservation Area call (417) 395-2341. To reach Schell-Osage Conservation Area, , (417) 432-3414, and to reach Montrose Conservation Area call (660) 693-4666. For Settles' Ford call (816) 862-6488.