Lead poisoning can leave wildlife and birds blind. They may get so weak they can’t stand. They may have trouble breathing. This is a death sentence for them. How does the poisoning happen?
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game trapped golden eagles as part of a national study. About 16% of the Alaska birds had lead in them. Nearly four dozen of the eagles were from the Gunsight Mountain area near Glacier View. The national study found nearly half of eagles in many states had high levels of lead in their blood.
Lead stays in the blood for about thirty days. This means that the eagles had consumed it recently. It didn’t take long to see that blood levels of lead in the eagles in Alaska went up around hunting season. The eagles were not being shot. They were scavenging on carcasses and gut piles left by hunters.
Even hunters that meticulously clean the meat off a harvested animal will leave gut piles behind. These are rich sources of food for scavengers like eagles and foxes. But when an animal is shot with a lead bullet, the bullet splinters into a toxic cloud of lead fragments that embed in meat and organs. That’s how the lead gets into the gut area.
Birds die every year during hunting season from lead poisoning. It only takes a sliver as small as a grain of rice to kill a hawk or an eagle.
No one can tweeze out the all the tiny fragments of lead from a gut pile. Instead, hunters can change the bullets they use. Copper ammunition is accurate and effective for killing large game. It is available at Sportsman’s Warehouse, Bass Pro Shops, and 907 Ammo. And now hunters can try copper ammunition for free.
Hunting organizations created the Alaska Copper Challenge. They make it easy and inexpensive for Alaska residents to try copper bullets. They offer rebates on boxes of copper rifle ammunition or bullets for reloading. They provide a list of qualifying ammunition and where to find it. And they are showing up at Sportsman’s Shows around Alaska to get the word out.
Chickaloon resident Ron Clarke used to hunt with falcons. Falconers were concerned that lead would make its way into their birds. Falconers are one of the partners in the Alaska Copper Challenge.
“People that try the copper really like it,” says Ron. “Some say it is all they ever use any more.” He asked hunters how they started using copper bullets. Some said that they tried it because they got a $40 rebate on the bullets at the booth at the Sportsman’s Show.
If you are getting ready for hunting season, consider taking the Alaska Copper Challenge. Go to akcopperchallenge.com for info.
In other news:
It’s primary election day. Polls are open until 8 pm. If you’re not sure where to vote, go to myvoterportal.alaska.gov.
The borough assembly meets tonight at 6 p.m.
The Alaska State Fair opens on Friday at 11 a.m. You have until Thursday to buy discount tickets in advance at alaskastatefair.org.
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Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.
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Kendra Zamzow reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.
That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Tuesday August 17, 2026.
Photo from https://akcopperchallenge.com
References
Alaska Copper Challenge: akcopperchallenge.com
Hunting with No Lead: huntingwithnonlead.org
ADFG news article (2022): https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=1052
National study article (2022): https://www.wafwa.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=librarypublications.wildlifepublicationsdetails&pubidentifier=10925