Question about dove hunting and lead shot
micci_man
Somewhere in FLPosts: 14,641 AG
Question- can I hunt dove over a body of public water and shoot lead shot which requires shooting steel for duck hunting? Crazy question I know but I've been told the answer is YES and a friend was told yes by a FWC officer but we know that answers can vary from officer to officer. At least that's been my findings.
Thanks
Thanks
Common Sense can't be bought, taught or gifted, yet it is one of the few things in life that is free, and most refuse to even attempt to possess it. - Miguel Cervantes
Replies
The federal law passed in 1991 to protect certain birds from lead poisioning, not to protect the water and its non-feathered residents.
The federal law protects the ducks (and other birds in the Anatidae family such as coots).
It also protects upland birds in a National Wildlife Refuge when waterfoul is present.
I do not think the feds have jurisdiction over or seek to protect the doves on state land, regardless of whether you are shooting over a body of water. Nor would it apply on federal land if no waterfoul is present.
If this is true it would make sense that the steel requirement would not apply to doves unless you are in a National Wildlife Refuge and waterfoul is present at that time.
I am planning to continue to look into this and will update this post as it has been confusing us for some time.
Looking forward to some more responses to this thread as it is a good question.
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
Steel or "non lead" shot is required for waterfowl only except where otherwised noted in the regulations for a particular location. This issue is very much alive with some environmentalists and anti hunters (who want all lead ammo banned). The regs for dove hunting at Frog Pond adjacent to the Everglades National Park is one place steel has been required for doves.
Micci its one of those dumb quirks in the law. Common sense says it would be illegal to use lead but its not. However I know from first hand experience (snipe hunting on lake uncle was a game warden) that if waterfowl is in season don't have any decoys, calls, etc with you while shooting dove or snipe or anything else...if you're doing a combo trip have only steel with you.
Dumb quirk is an understatement. I am almost positive you can use lead to shoot gallinules and marsh hens as well! From FWC's website:
"The ban on the use of lead shot for hunting waterfowl was phased-in starting with the 1987-88 hunting season. The ban became nationwide in 1991. Nontoxic shot regulations apply only to waterfowl, defined as the family Anatidae (ducks, geese, [including brant], and swans) and coots. Nontoxic shot is defined as any shot type that does not cause sickness and death when ingested by migratory birds."
I think the place Newton Cook was talking about is one of the only spots where lead is banned for anything other than waterfowl because its managed by the feds or next to the NP. I do not know of any state waters where lead is banned for doves or snipe. If you are talking about your home lakes, I'm pretty sure lead is fine. Just watch out when any waterfowl season is open.
"Dove is not waterfowl so he can use lead shot. If he is shooting over water the ethical hunter will use steel so that ducks will not eat lead and die when they migrate through. "
So the answer to the question is... Yes as far as FWC is concerned.
And the moral of the story is an ethical hunter does not need to have the government pass a law to make him do what is right.
I like it.
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea