Why It Matters: Maryland Senate Bill 983 seeks to require the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create a lead hunting ammunition phase-out plan and ammunition verification process by December 31, 2026. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) encouraged the legislature and the Department of Natural Resources to work together to instead consider implementing voluntary, and incentive-based programs for the use of non-lead hunting ammunition by hunters, only if there exists demonstrable scientific evidence that such an effort is needed to address population-level impacts of lead exposure in specific wildlife species.
Highlights:
- Maryland Senate Bill 983 had a hearing in the Maryland State Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee on February 27, 2024.
- CSF testified in person, in addition to submitting written testimony, in opposition to the unnecessary legislation in the “Old-Line State”.
- When it comes to lead ammunition bans, the negative impact to hunter participation, and ultimately conservation funding, is one of the greatest concerns of CSF.
- The legislation’s fiscal and policy note, points to the negative impacts this legislation will create in funding for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in addition to the potential increase in the White-tailed deer population, which is the largest contributor to human-wildlife conflicts in the state.
Hunters are boots-on-the-ground conservationists that continue to provide the most efficient and cost-effective method of managing wildlife populations. In addition, Maryland hunters are the primary funders of the DNR. As of 2023, there were 116,422 certified paid hunting license holders in Maryland that generated $6,337,975 in hunting license sales and $11,426,411 in USFWS Wildlife Restoration dollars, totaling more than $17.7M in conservation dollars from hunting alone.
The long-term effects of a statutory ban on lead hunting ammunition are extremely detrimental to conservation funding, which is directly funded and supported by hunters. There are examples of proven-successful voluntary and incentive-based programs run by other states to encourage hunters to switch to lead alternatives that avoid these unintended, but foreseeable consequences. CSF strongly suggested that Maryland looks instead to a similar program that could be managed by the DNR which would allow them to meet their management objectives without compromising their funding stream.
The eventual ban of lead hunting ammunition through this legislation will ultimately eliminate sufficient opportunity for hunters to take game, as they will ultimately not be able to hunt if they cannot access non-lead ammo. This unintended, but foreseeable consequence of the proposed lead ammunition ban will ultimately result in the legislature creating a new barrier for hunters to keep wildlife populations such as White-tailed deer within acceptable biological and social carrying capacities.
CSF will continue to oppose this legislation as written, in addition to working with the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus to encourage the legislature and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to work together to implement incentive-based programs for the use of non-lead hunting ammunition by hunters if there exists demonstrable scientific evidence that such an effort is needed to address population-level impacts of lead exposure in specific wildlife species.
