Lead Decoy Weights?

[BlueBillStacker]

If lead shot is illegal how can they still sell lead decoy weights? and wouldnt they be equally harmfull to the resource?

[Tom7227]

If you find a duck that's big enough to eat a decoy weight you better have one big honkin gun to bring it down.

[Cedarcreek]

The weights are retrieved and not left in the slough. just try picking up all the shot LOL.

[shnelson]

I've always wondered the same about lead sinkers, I'm sure a number of those are lost to the depths each year - why aren't they illegal?

I know lead shot would fill up a slough a lot quicker, but I think the same concept applies?

[aanderud]

With lead shot, you're looking at hundreds of pellets PER SHOT, meaning thousands of pellets per hunting party per day. The shot is small enough that the ducks eat it and get sick from lead poisoning. That's the primary reason the law was put in place.

Sinkers? Sure, "a number" of those are accidentally lost...versus intentionally shooting birdshot. You're talking about several orders of magnitude less in quantity (many people can fish a whole day without losing even 1 sinker). Also, sinkers are a minimum of 10x bigger objects, which are less likely to be eaten by a duck.

Lead decoy weights? I don't even want to see the duck that will eat the weights off my decoys before I have a chance to retrieve them.

[brittman]

Plenty of pressure on removing lead sinkers, but the approach will be more difficult than with shotshells.

There have been tackle exchanges, etc... I would suspect one state or the Feds (ie National Parks or refuges) will make a play down the road to make lead sinkers (and jig heads) illegal.

Some evidence loons are impacted by lead sinkers.

[DTro]

Also it’s important to remember that lead is only harmful after ingested. Those decoy weights could sit and soak for decades without any negative effects.

[GottaGo]

Another aspect between the lead shot vs lead sinker, not only are you leaving hundreds of pellets in the water, it would be in areas where you know birds like to be (hence why you are hunting there). Fishing you want to be where the fish are and, at least for me, most of those spots are not were I see ducks or other birds eating food off the bottom.

[Lonedrake]

I can live with banning lead shot...but sinkers and weights? It has to stop somewhere,but I doubt it will. I saw an ad on TV the other day where some group was able to ban lead tire balancing weights....and they were acting like they did something good.

Maybe aliens were eating the car tires and getting lead poisoning????

[brmuskie]

If anyone wants to ban a lead product, they simply need a pretty photo of a loon and ask "Do you want to kill one of these?" The average person will just say no and give up their lead. IMO -Most people don't understand the risk or the implications of something being banned.

[dan z]

the only lead weights that I would be leary on are the rig em rights they are smaller in size and could possible be swallowed by some of the bigger divers/loons.