The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced on July 24 that it will be implementing an incentive-based program on seven national wildlife refuges for hunters who voluntarily use non-lead ammunition for hunting during the Fall 2024 season. The FWS developed the pilot program working with the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council, a federal advisory committee established by the Secretaries of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and state, non-governmental and industry partners. After responding to proposed regulations to ban the use of lead ammunition on refuges, the HWCC submitted recommendations that federal agencies should instead pursue a non-regulatory, incentive approach to encourage hunters to voluntarily switch from using lead ammunition to using lead-free ammunition. A working group of the Council’s Wildlife Health Subcommittee was established to work with the Service in identifying options.

“The Service is committed to providing access to National Wildlife Refuges and also to minimizing the impacts to wildlife from lead exposure,” said FWS Director Martha Williams. “This pilot program and the lessons learned will be critically important in determining our best approach to managing lead use by outdoor recreationists on refuge lands and waters.”

The refuges implementing the pilot program are:

• Patoka River NWR in Indiana – Deer hunting
• Blackwater NWR in Maryland – Deer hunting
• Wallkill River NWR in New Jersey – Hunting for all species
• Pocosin Lakes NWR in North Carolina – Deer hunting
• William L. Finley NWR in Oregon – Elk hunting
• Canaan Valley NWR in West Virginia – Hunting for all species
• Trempealeau NWR in Wisconsin – Deer hunting

The FWS intends to implement a rebate program for hunters who provide proof of purchase for lead-free hunting ammunition. Refuge-specific details will be made available as they are completed, there will also be a monitoring component developed to assess the impacts of the program.

“As a member of the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council, we appreciate the Fish and Wildlife Service launching a process where hunters can make their own determination as to what type of ammunition they prefer while afield through voluntary, non-regulatory approaches,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President and CEO Jeff Crane.