During previous hunting seasons hunters were allowed to use lead shot on state-owned management areas when hunting upland game and doves. However, they were required to have only nontoxic shot in their possession when hunting waterfowl, which includes ducks and geese.

“We’re very concerned because studies have shown that birds were ingesting lead on management areas,” said Laura Richards, staff biologist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW).

The Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners approved the regulation that requires the use of nontoxic shot on the management areas. The management areas include Overton in Clark County, Key Pittman in Lincoln County, Wayne E. Kirch in Nye County, Scripps in Washoe County, Humboldt in Churchill and Pershing counties, Steptoe in White Pine County, Franklin Lake in Elko County and Mason Valley, Fernley and Alkali Lake in Lyon County.

The new nontoxic regulation only applies to the state’s wildlife management areas and not on other public lands where lead shot will continue to be permitted for dove and upland game hunting. Hunters who will be hunting on federal refuges should check with the refuge prior to hunting to see if nontoxic
shot is required for upland game and doves.

Hunters who will be on the state’s wildlife management areas during the upcoming upland game, waterfowl and dove seasons can use any nontoxic shot that has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These include steel, bismuth and tungsten. Lead shot that is coated with copper is not permitted.

Richards said that a study that was recently completed by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at Overton Wildlife Management Area (OWMA) indicated there was a significant amount of lead on the area that is being ingested by waterfowl. The report said that, “Concentrations of lead shot in the soil at the OWMA are clearly elevated in the fields managed for dove habitat and the use of (lead) shot in these areas could be influencing elevated lead shot densities in the adjacent waterfowl management areas.”

The report also said that other species of wildlife besides waterfowl have been affected by ingesting lead shot. Much of the lead is coming from concentrated hunting in fields where cereal grains have been planted to attract doves.

In addition, managers of Nevada’s wildlife management areas have reported that there is considerable use by waterfowl of fields that have high use by dove hunters.
Concerns about problems of lead toxicity for waterfowl was first raised in the early 1900s. In 1959 a study by Frank Belrose estimated that two to three percent of North American waterfowl die annually as a result of lead poisoning.

In 1974 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began requiring the use of nontoxic shot for waterfowl hunting in certain areas of the United States. Beginning with the 1991-92 hunting season nontoxic shot was required throughout the U.S. for all waterfowl hunting.

Nevada’s mourning dove hunting season is scheduled to run from Monday, Sept. 1 through Tuesday, Sept. 30.