Posted on 03/31/2008 12:42:01 PM PDT by neverdem
Associated Press
Thousands of pounds of venison donated to food pantries this year has become a contentious gift in three states.
Officials in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa warn that the meat could be contaminated by lead from bullets. Hunting groups are calling it an overreaction.
"It's alarmist and not supported by any science," said Lawrence Keane, a vice president and lawyer for the Newton, Conn.-based National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. "High quality protein is now taken out of the mouths of needy, hungry people."
North Dakota health officials on Wednesday told food pantries in the state to throw out donated venison, saying it may have lead fragments. Officials in Minnesota and Iowa followed with similar alerts, asking that venison in those states not be distributed.
Gov. John Hoeven said the alerts were issued as a precaution. He said the state has a "tremendous working relationship" with hunters, and the questions raised about venison are new.
Safari Club International's Sportsmen Against Hunger program donated 317,000 pounds of venison last year to the needy, said Doug Burdin, a lawyer for the Tucson, Ariz.-based group. The meat donated by hunters was enough for more than 1.2 million meals, he said.
"It's provided a lot of free meals to a lot of people," Burdin said. "Hunters are doing something they love and helping others at the same time. This is disheartening, and we certainly don't think this program should come to an end on the unscientific assessment that has occurred here."
Dr. William Cornatzer, a Bismarck physician and hunter, alerted health officials after he conducted his own tests on venison using a CT scanner and found lead in 60 percent of 100 samples. The North Dakota Health Department confirmed the results on at least five samples of venison destined for food pantries.
"This isn't just a food pantry problem. This is a nationwide problem," Cornatzer said Friday.
Hunters have alternatives to lead, he said. "I'm a big hunter. I've already purchased four boxes of copper bullets to next year," Cornatzer said.
The North Dakota Community Action Partnership distributed 17,000 pounds of venison from 381 donated deer after last year's hunting season, a number that has tripled since the program began in North Dakota in 2004, executive director Ann Pollert said. At least 4,000 pounds of venison were in food pantries in the state when the health department issued its warning, she said.
The state has about 45 food pantries, and surveys have shown a need for more than 70,000 pounds of venison annually, Poller said. She hopes people will donate other types of meat.
"Meat is so expensive," she said. "This is going to have an impact - it's a quality, lean meat protein source that we're losing."
Jason Foss, president of Minot-based Pheasants for the Future, said hunters from his group donated about 100 deer this year to the program. He believes the issue of lead-contaminated meat is "a little extreme at this point."
"Sportsmen have been shooting deer for hundreds of years with lead bullets with no problems," he said. "I hope this program keeps rolling along because so much good comes out of it."
National Shooting Sports Foundation: http://www.nssf.org
I am not surprised, it had to come, they would prefer to see the over population of the deer and let them starve to death.
What I did not see, was who shot the deer that was tested, what kind of bullet was used?
Is it something that the normal hunter does not use?
I do not know much about bullets, but have read that some of them break more than others.
“This dermatologist must be some kind of environazi. “
Good chance that is the problem.
What I did not see, was who shot the deer that was tested, what kind of bullet was used?
I have no idea. The image from the CT scan leaves a lot to be desired.
Is it something that the normal hunter does not use?
Bullets come in a variety of designs, but most for big game are designed to expand into a profile like a mushroom and stay intact, not fragment.
Ah... I had actually read about these earlier.
It seems they still have a few problems with the weight and length of the bullets and the rifling twist of barrels.
It won’t be long before copper toxicity and poisoning comes up, though! Soon we’ll have a cat scan of venison with tiny bits of copper showing.
Anything to get a foot in the door to get rid of firearms...
Thank you.
Good photo and it fits what I was thinking.
I am glad you could show me what I had read.
If you can’t keep them from eating paint chips, you can’t stop them from eating lead pellets...lol.
A couple years ago my retriever had his a$$ loaded u with birdshot... the x rays looked horrendous in the amount of lead in his legs & back [ enough concentration to break on of the legs ]... there was zero concern about toxic side effects...
This 'doctor' is a tool/plant...
Very possible. Ignorant anyway.
LFOD...
Every critter I ever shot and ate had high-velocity lead poisoning.
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