Hunters Receive Up to $100 For Trying Lead-Free Ammunition

The federal government is offering up to $100 in rebates to hunters who use lead-free ammo. (Photo by Bill Konway)

Hunters who show receipts for the purchase of lead-free ammunition and who hunt in at least one of 13 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges this season can receive up to $100 in rebates.

According to wyomingpublicmedia.org, the federal government launched this incentive program last year and is expanding it to more locations as a way of encouraging hunters to try shooting ammunition with projectiles made of non-toxic material, such as copper.

Lead bullets leave behind toxic fragments in animal carcasses after shattering on impact. Scavengers that feed on these carcasses can then suffer from lead poisoning, which is a top known cause of mortality for critically endangered California condors, accounting for more than half of their deaths between 1992 and 2022.

“We are committed to providing access to quality hunting experiences on national wildlife refuges and supporting the contributions of the hunting community to wildlife conservation,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik in a press release.

Aaron Kindle, the director of sporting advocacy for the National Wildlife Federation, says the transition from lead to another type of ammo can take some getting used to.

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“It's not just you put a different bullet in, and you go shoot it. You have to go to the range, sight it in, see how your gun acts with it. It might take several different sessions and multiple boxes of ammunition,” he says.

Kindle says while monetary incentives help encourage hunters to make the switch, it helps to also provide hunters with educational demonstrations that show the effects of using lead bullets.

“Not that long ago, folks didn't know about this, and now a lot of people do,” Kindle said. “The groundswell is happening. It's not something that's going to happen overnight; it’s just another indication that we're moving in the right direction.”

According to a USFWS staff report, during the first year of the pilot, more than half of hunters surveyed said they were more likely to use lead-free ammunition in the future.