Many of America’s hunters oppose bans on lead ammunition because of the higher cost of non-lead alternatives. Meanwhile, federal wildlife managers point to a growing body of research that shows the negative impacts of lead ammunition on fish and wildlife, and they’re looking for ways to cut down on the amount of lead that ends up in public lands and waters. So, instead of forcing hunters to quit using lead, the Feds are taking a new approach: paying them to quit.
On Wednesday the USFWS announced that it will implement an incentive-based rebate program on seven National Wildlife Refuges this fall. Under the new pilot program, hunters who voluntarily choose to use lead-free ammo on these refuges can get reimbursed for some of the cost. The USFWS will create additional incentives at a select few NWRs and will monitor the pilot program to judge how effective it is to see if it could be expanded to additional refuges in the future. Remember, non-toxic shot is already required for hunting waterfowl nationwide.
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Several conservation groups, including the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, have voiced their support for the new program, which was developed with input from hunters and several state game agencies. These groups say they’re encouraged to see USFWS taking a non-regulatory approach and using the carrot instead of the proverbial stick.
“The pilot program announced today is the right approach to a contentious and complicated issue. It is, in fact the best approach,” Boone and Crockett Club policy vice president Simon Roosevelt said in a statement last week. “Promoting non-lead alternatives and learning how hunters can best adopt them will most effectively address remaining concerns about lead.”
The USFWS says it created this new program with guidance from the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council. This advisory group, which is made up of 18 sportsmen and -women representing various stakeholder groups, was re-established in September 2022 to provide recommendations to the USFWS as it considers policies related to hunting, wildlife, and conservation. Around that same time, the federal agency was facing backlash from a number of hunter- and angler-led conservation orgs for its proposal to expand hunting and fishing at 18 NWRs while phasing out lead ammo and fishing tackle there. Among other concerns, these groups pointed to the price difference between non-lead ammunition and traditional lead-based ammunition — a cost difference that could legitimately keep some hunters and anglers out of the field or off the water. Concerns around affordability were also the most common reaction from hunters and anglers in 2017, when the federal government tried to enact a sweeping lead-ammo ban on all lands managed by the UFSWS.
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The HWCC recommended in 2023 that the agency pursue an approach that encourages hunters to voluntarily make the switch to non-lead ammo instead of forcing them to — at least at first. Stricter regulations will still play a role, and at least one of the refuges participating in the new pilot program (Patoka NWR) is already planning to phase out lead ammo and fishing tackle by 2026.
How the Non-Lead Rebate Program Works
The USFWS’ incentive program will be implemented on seven national wildlife refuges across the country starting this fall. The list of participating NWR’s and the kinds of hunting opportunities that will be allowed under the program are as follows:
- Blackwater NWR, Maryland – Deer hunting
- Canaan Valley NWR, West Virginia – Hunting for all species
- Patoka River NWR, Indiana – Deer hunting
- Pocosin Lakes NWR, North Carolina – Deer hunting
- Wallkill River NWR, New Jersey – Hunting for all species
- William L. Finley NWR, Oregon – Elk hunting
- Trempealeau NWR, Wisconsin – Deer hunting
Hunters on these refuges who opt to participate in the program will receive prepaid credit cards to reimburse them for the cost of lead-free ammunition upon providing proof of purchase. The USFWS does not specify how much will be put on these prepaid cards, but it plans to create a web portal that will allow participants to submit receipts and receive their prepaid cards. It’s likely that the agency will put a limit on the amount of ammo each hunter can get reimbursed for.
Additional incentives could include free non-lead ammunition for hunters who volunteer to test out the ammo and provide feedback, along with various educational programs to help hunters learn more about the performance of lead-free ammo.
The USFWS says it “will share refuge specific details as they are finalized” and keep hunters notified during the lead up to the 2024 hunting season. Interested hunters who spend time on the above refuges should stay tuned for more information about the program.
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