Get the Lead Out!

One shot, one kill; shoot clean

Hunting lead-free is choosing the best technology while maintaining a connection to our ancestors as care-takers of this land. Hunt in a good way - tamaa’lwit tuke’lii’kin. This ancient phrase means ensuring what we do to take care of our family’s health also sustains and heals Mother Earth. This is what being an hapáti’s is about, being a hunter-provider aligned with natural law to protect future generations.

Since 2009, the Wildlife Division has been following research from a variety of studies addressing lead exposure in wildlife native to our homeland.  Over this period, it has become increasingly clear that shooters and hunters play a key role in conservation and the successful stewardship of our life sources based on their choice of ammunition. 

The Nez Perce Tribe recognizes that hunters and other shooters possess the unique ability to help heal and protect our land from the toxic effects of lead poisoning by choosing copper-based, non-lead ammunition over conventional lead bullets. Both hit equally as hard, but jacketed lead bullets break apart and explode into hundreds of tiny fragments upon impact, whereas solid copper bullets retain their weight leaving nothing but damaged tissue behind. 

Lead fragments from conventional ammo can spread substantially away from the wound channel and cannot entirely be removed.  Contrary to popular belief, this exploding effect is not what contributes to the effective killing power of a bullet and only creates unnecessary meat wastage.  The terminal ballistics, or “kill power” of a bullet, is measured by internal soft tissue damage, which is caused by the wave of energy the bullet transfers into an animal based on velocity and penetration, not on fragmentation or mechanical damage.  Due to its superior weight retention, ballistics comparison studies show that the stopping power of non-lead ammunition is equal to, or better than, lead ammunition.

When toxic fragments from spent lead bullets get left on the landscape in gut-piles and un-retrieved animal carcasses, a single bullet, once fired, continues to kill and injure non-targeted wildlife. This impacts culturally significant species within the Nimiipuu homeland that seek out these sources of food and end up ingesting lead. Birds of prey are particularly impacted and research shows that eagle populations are being suppressed from lead exposure.  

Nez Perce tribal members may unknowingly be contributing to this wildlife loss while also putting their family’s health at risk from the potential consumption of lead-contaminated game meat.  Toxic exposure can result from eating game meat contaminated with imbedded lead dust and bullet fragments. When lead is consumed, even in very small sub-lethal amounts, it can cause permanent nerve and brain damage, especially in growing children.  It can also cause learning disabilities and increased aggressive behavior and crime in communities.

For the improved health of our lands and our families, we encourage everyone to make a voluntary switch to non-lead ammunition.  Leave lead ammunition for the shooting range where it can be properly managed and kept out of our food web.  Keep Mother Earth’s blood, and our own, running clean.

There are multiple benefits from choosing to hunt with lead-free ammunition, including improved performance and a variety of community health improvements. 

 Performance benefits include: 

• Higher projectile velocity (Feet Per Second) results in a flatter trajectory increasing shot precision.

• Deeper penetration offers more shot placement options.

• Increased terminal performance results in a smaller exit wound and minimal meat wastage.

• Rapid expansion without fragmentation results in a clean through shot.

 Ethical benefits include:

• Maximum transference of energy often results in a quick kill, reducing risk of animal injury and suffering.

• Hard-hitting penetration decreases the chance of losing a wounded animal due to poor shot placement. 

• Sets a positive example and helps protect our reserved treaty rights and life-sources.

 Conservation benefits include:

• Protects non-targeted wildlife from lead poisoning.

• Provides an important clean food source for scavenging wildlife.

• Preserves habitat by preventing lead absorption in soil and plants.

• Assists endangered species recovery.

 Social benefits include:

• Respect from our elders by upholding our spiritual obligations to protect Mother Earth and care for our animal relatives.

• Confidence from our families by eliminating the possibility of exposing them to lead in the meat we provide.

• Trust of tribal leadership and the non-hunting public by exercising our treaty rights in ways that safeguard future generations.

• Security from better community health outcomes for future generations.