Precautions for Eating Deer Harvested with Lead Ammunition
MADISON -- Deer harvested with lead bullets have been shown to potentially have tiny lead particles or fragments remaining in the processed meat. These are often too small to be seen and can disperse far from the wound channel. Although lead in venison does not rival lead paint in older homes as a health risk for the public, the risk is not low enough to ignore. Children under 6 years and pregnant women are at the greatest risk from lead exposure.
The amount of lead found in a small percentage of venison samples suggests that long term effects of lead consumption could occur in people who regularly eat venison shot with lead ammunition. However, there is currently no known evidence linking human consumption of venison to lead poisoning.
These suggestions can reduce exposure to lead in venison:
* Consider alternative non-lead ammunition such as copper or other high weight-retention bullets, such as bonded bullets.
* Practice marksmanship and hunting skills to get closer, making cleaner, lethal shots away from major muscle areas. Aim for the neck or the vitals behind the shoulder. Don’t shoot at running deer.
* Avoid consuming internal organs, as they can contain extra lead from heart-lung shots.
* Request your meat processor to not use deer meat with excessive shot damage. If you process your own venison, trim a generous distance away from the wound channel and discard any meat that is bruised, discolored or contains hair, dirt, bone fragments or grass. Do not use deer with excessive shot damage.
* If you plan on donating venison to a venison donation program, please consider using non-toxic shot for those purposes as well.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Hauge (608) 266-2193
