Copper bullets predicted to benefit hunters

It's a great day for California sportsmen and a bad day for California deer.A ban on lead ammunition that takes effect this week in much of the state will have a noticeable impact on how many deer are killed, says Becky Davis, vice president of an ammunition manufacturer in Goleta, Calif."My suspicion is that they'll have a higher take rate this year," said Davis, whose Custom Cartridge firm is one of eight manufacturers to produce ammunition certified by state regulators as lead-free.The reason, she said, is that a copper bullet fired from a good-quality cartridge "gives you a very high-quality, humane kill."Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the ban into law last fall, capping conservationists' years-long campaign to better protect the California condor. It applies to areas within the condor range, generally from the coast to the eastern Sierra and from Stanislaus County on the north to Los Angeles County on the south.Lead poisoning is the leading cause of death among condors in the wild, a reality underscored recently when seven condors were taken from the wilderness for emergency treatment and one died. Mounting scientific evidence points to lead bullet fragments in animal carcasses as the primary source of the poisoning.Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, who steered the new law through the Legislature last year, said conservationists "are looking at July 1, 2008, as the beginning of the condors' recovery."Although a few dozen of the endangered birds now fly free in California, biologists constantly monitor them. The scientists leave lead-free carcasses for scavenging and regularly test the birds for lead poisoning. Biologists hope the ban eventually will enable the condors to roam in the wild without such intensive management.Although most hunting and firearms groups opposed the bill last year, Davis said there were indications that hunters prepared for the law's implementation. Her company had seen "a good increase in demand" for its copper ammunition designed for big-game hunting, she said. "We're backlogged two to three weeks right now, when we're usually backlogged two to three days."The Department of Fish and Game has printed a notice of the new law on all deer permits and promises to step up education efforts for hunters."We're doing everything we can to make sure hunters have the information they need to follow the law and know which bullets are legal," said Eric Loft, chief of the department's Wildlife Branch.Custom Cartridge, a small company that sells mostly through phone and Internet orders, is offering a 15 percent discount on copper ammunition to any customer who mentions the word "condor" in his order.The Department of Fish and Game also has certified ammunition from large manufacturers, such as Remington and Winchester.The copper ammunition is much more costly than lead ammunition, but Davis said once hunters try it and experience the added value the cost concerns will be alleviated. She said the company would offer its condor discount for the rest of the year.Timm Herdt is a reporter for the Ventura County Star