Thought we’d completely dealt with the threat of poisonous lead in our hunting ammunition? Think again

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We all know hunters are, first and foremost, conservationists. In the early decades of the 20th century, after all, it was hunters who lobbied for more stringent harvest regulations to save numerous species, including antelope, elk and waterfowl, from catastrophic declines due to market hunting. In the century since, we’ve led countless more initiatives to conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat, willingly putting our time, energy and dollars to important use. We’ve also endorsed regulatory and behavioural changes whenever science has told us our wildlife are imperiled.

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The threats seem to never end, however, and newly emerging information suggests we’re now facing yet another. And it’s a threat many of us thought we had already put behind us: lead.