OT - Donated Venison

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I'm not really sure of what to make of this. When I've shot deer, to the best of my knowledge and through the recovery of slugs (I use Nosler Partitions typically), most any of the lead that is fragmented from the bullet would end up in the internals (which I try not to carry out of the forest with me) or perhaps the rib cage walls. Of course, we're taking short shots here in the woods of the far Southeast and there's always the occasionally errant shot or tough quartering angle that might contaminate more of the take. In my mind, I can perhaps see some small portion of lead in some small portion of meat in the shoulder area ... lets say perhaps 5% of the overall meat taken. But to find so much lead in so much meat as described in this article ... I find it odd. Perhaps a bullet that was not recovered made it into a grinder somewhere and contaminated some of the ground venison? The conclusions of the article, that a majority of the donated venison is contaminated and needs to be destroyed, doesn't make sense to me.

Is this a scientifically dubious attack on the generally well regarded practice of donations by sportsmen?

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Mar27/ ... ad,00.html

[El Chivo]

That's why you shoot it in the chest.

There are people who lived their whole lives with lead bullets lodged in them, I doubt if a pellet or some dust passing through would cause that much harm.

I'm not going to eat any lead or lick my fingers after reloading, but does the lead even absorb into the system?

[gcs]

Probably, I've NEVER recovered a bullet, or fragment of same, in any of the dozens of deer I've taken.

Find bad sample, extrapolate, call chicken little.

[Old Ironsights]

...Is this a scientifically dubious attack on the generally well regarded practice of donations by sportsmen?

I'd say, Yes.

Of course all food-program meat is ground - and not by the donator - so there is no way to say who may have adulterated it.

[cnjarvis]

I note that they did not state how much lead was found in that meat or which processor it came from.

I doubt that the amount that was found would have caused harm.

[Jaguarundi]

Jeez what are the odds of ND undergoing a little "Californication".Give me a break !

[preventec47]

There is fuel to the argument for head shots in this article
as well as use of copper bullets I suppose. I am surprised
that the author is both a doctor AND a hunter so he must
have some understanding of the physics of terminal ballistics.

Specifically, if you shoot an animal in some place other than
what you are eating they there shouldnt be any lead in it.

I'd like to know how they did the testing for lead. The article
I think said there were 100 one pound packages collected.
OK, then what happens ?

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I guess it really has to do with the fact that it's ground, as OI noted, and that once something lead gets in the grinder, you could end up with lead in a good bit of it. I didn't realize that all of the donated meat has to be ground. Once you add in the grinding step, I can see how contamination could more easily happen.

[86er]

In many areas, WTD already have lead in their systems from water, chewing on lead stuff that is salty and drinking or eating out of old lead containter of any sort. This includes old glass and paint that they may pick up pieces of while browsing. One spot where I hunt is near a closed military base. They test the deer for free because there is frequently high lead and radiation levels in the meat - in which case they advise you not to eat it.

I doubt bullets had anything to do with the results in that article.

[Old Ironsights]

... One spot where I hunt is near a closed military base. They test the deer for free because there is frequently high ... radiation levels in the meat - in which case they advise you not to eat it. ....

But it's easier to see in the dark, right?