Lead Shot in Geese

[Musky Buck]

I have cleaned a fair number of birds and found lead in some of them. Can or does the DNR have like a lead detecting device and if so what would that mean for me holding a bird that has lead in it? I just got back some jerky from a processor and a friend bit into a pellet. He showed me the pellet and I was like that isn't steel. An add on ? would be do processors send the meat through some sort of scanner as a crown after insurance is still about 450 clams? We also luckily bit into the slug that killed the deer, was in our processed deer brats if you can believe it. TY

[Musky Buck]

I'll add a bit, I'm guessing if the CO has a detector and finds a pellet or two they'd not bother with you, but 1 bird had at least 10 pellets in it 1 year, how would you talk your way out of that 1 since the DNR has heard almost every lie by now. The reason I ask is a friend claims a CO had some sort of handheld device that he ran over the birds my friend shot assuming they were checking for lead.

[Jmnhunter]

i know they carry magnets with to check your shells; not sure how much softer other non-toxic shot is compared to steel, but could it have been something else besides lead?

[123fish]

I found a pellet in one of the birds we cleaned opening day and jokingly accused my cousin of using lead. It looked just like a lead pellet. Turned out to be No. 5 bismuth. Fooled me.

[Muthagoose]

Some usually the feds carry Garret detector wands for checking pellets in birds..

[Musky Buck]

True enough, haven't seen bismuth or tungsten pellets, although some of them over the years were lead, how about the processors, do they scan the meat before making dentists happy ?

[brmuskie]

The shotgun slug made it through the screen in the grinder and into your brat?

[Musky Buck]

I should've stated it was a 180 grain core lokt soft point mushroomed bullet and yes I fractured a tooth on it and how lucky is it that the first, very first bite, very first polish I tried, I took into the polish and crack. I had dozens of them to pick from, kinda ruined my vibe on eating them at least the rest should be bullet free. I have no clue how it got in there or even if it was the bullet from my gun. I wonder if I brought the bullet in and showed them the crown I'll be needing if they'd believe it or not. I'm unclear as to how they make polish and like you said brmuskie there's a screen ??? So I have no clue how it got by and into the meat, my buddies thought I was full of it until I spit the bullet out and a 1/2 tooth to boot.

[Musky Buck]

I also should add pellet or not, my goose jerky was the best I ever had, not sure if I can put who made it or not, but near Alexandria.

[NR]

Ever been to a refuge or a busy public area? No CO is going to write you up for what's in a bird. That is insane. I'm 99% sure they are not checking carcasses for shot content.

Not to mention all the soft no-tox varieties out there, they aren't really worried about lead shot unless you actually have factory lead in your possession.

The meat processor that ground my stuff didn't give a hoot about pellets through the machine. I reiterated my concern for her grinder and she still said it didn't matter. Sure enough, found a few pellets over the years - some soft no-tox, some BB steel.

If you are going to eat game, you need to learn to chew softly or you will break your teeth. It goes with the territory.

[Musky Buck]

I hear ya NR, I think I had some false sense of security by bringing it to a processor I was figuring the meat would be bullet/pellet free. Might be insane NR but why did my friends birds get checked with some scanner even though he had no lead in possession? I just haven't been checked in 30 years of waterfowling so I was a bit curious as to what's the CO's routine is, asked my friends, so they say scanner you say no scanner so what's what?

[carpshooterdeluxe]

I've had federal wardens check my birds and ammo with a metal detecting wand, but both minnesota CO's and Sodak CO's that have checked me have only used magnets and visual id on all ammo i was carrying.

[Musky Buck]

Right on carpshooterD, not too worried since I've never been checked but my luck I'd be the clown standing there with a honker with lead in it and then what? But, I used to find more lead in them and it has decreased over time to it being pretty rare, before bismuth and tungsten etc. pretty certain I was finding lead, but now it's likely a non-toxic.

[SmilinBob]

I have seen small rocks get through, I would assume from the gizzard.

[brmuskie]

The core-lokt slug makes a little more sense to me but still.... All of the polish I have made first goes through the grinder. The screen/blade is where large things normally get caught. BB's make it through all the time on me because I use a screen with large holes for the first run through because i know that I am going to be making a second run through the grinder after I have added my seasonings ad mixed it with pork or beef.

I would definitely bring it to their attention that you broke a tooth on a rufle slug that they allowed through but I wouldn't expect anything from them. I guess that is one of the reasons why I process my own game - I would be trimming the area around the wound channels and throwing that stuff away most likely. The bullet would have been found and thrown in a jar with all of the other pieces of lead and arrowheads that I have removed from my deer.

[Musky Buck]

Right on brmuskie and no I'm not looking for them to pay my dentist bill, I will let them know. MB