Why It Matters: Maryland Senate Bill 181 (SB 181) requires the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create a lead hunting ammunition phase-out plan on or before July 1, 2029. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) encourages the legislature and the Department of Natural Resources to work together to implement incentive-based programs for the use of non-lead hunting ammunition by hunters, provided there exists demonstrable scientific evidence that such an effort is needed to address population-level impacts of lead exposure in specific wildlife species.
Highlights:
- SB 181 requires the DNR to “phase-out” (ban) the use of nonlead ammunition for the hunting of all game species on or before July 1, 2029, and requires the DNR to authorize the use of lead ammunition for muzzleloaders, handguns, rifles, and shotguns if nonlead ammunition is not commercially available for the specific weapon.
- CSF successfully worked to defeat the past two attempts (2024 and 2025) to ban lead hunting ammunition for all game species in Maryland.
- CSF’s Kaleigh Leager testified in person during the bill hearing on February 3, 2026, in addition to submitting written testimony, in opposition to the unnecessary legislation in the Old-Line 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 sportsmen and women (hunters, trappers, anglers, and recreational shooters) are the primary funders of the DNR. As of 2025, there were 113,137 certified paid hunting license holders in Maryland that generated $6,301,731 in hunting license sales and $8,323,089 in USFWS Wildlife Restoration dollars, totaling more than $14.6 million for wildlife conservation.
The long-term effects of a statutory ban on lead hunting ammunition will likely negatively impact conservation funding, which is directly funded and supported by sportsmen and women. As an alternative, there are numerous 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 suggests that Maryland establishes 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 ban of lead hunting ammunition through this legislation will ultimately eliminate sufficient opportunity for hunters to take game, as they will not be able to hunt if they cannot readily access affordable non-lead ammo. As such, 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. Further, the loss of hunters in the field will likely have profound impacts on conservation funding in the state – from both the lost license revenue, as well as from the state’s subsequent reduced capacity to access federal match dollars through the Wildlife Restoration Program.
CSF continues to work with the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus to encourage the legislature and the Maryland DNR to work together to implement incentive-based programs for the use of non-lead hunting ammunition by hunters, provided there exists demonstrable scientific evidence that such an effort is needed to address population-level impacts of lead exposure in specific species. CSF further recommends that such a program be developed and tested prior to any further consideration of a statutory ban on lead ammunition with its attendant and consequential diminishment of conservation funding.
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