Hunters for Eagle Conservation

Good news - USFWS expanded its Voluntary Lead-Free Ammunition Program to 13 national wildlife refuges in 12 states (OR, WI, NC, NJ, MD, WV, ID, MD, NH, NY, VT, and MA), up from 7 last year. Partnered with Conservation Science Global, it helps to further protect eagles from lead poisoning.

Bald eagle’s deadly lead poisoning from spent ammo renews concerns ahead of deer hunting season When a bald eagle was brought into the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center this month, teams recognized the signs of lead poisoning and ran a blood sample through the clinic’s machine. The levels were too high...

A bald eagle in Virginia was recently found with 3,000 µg/dL of lead in its blood — it died within a day. Lead fragments from ammo in carcasses poison eagles every deer season. Hunters can help by choosing copper rounds. www.foxweather.com/earth-space/...
#LeadFreeHunting #BaldEagles #Conservation

Last weekend, NY Hunters for Eagle Conservation attended the NY State Conservation Council Meeting! We discussed our lead-free program and the North American Lead-Free Partnership led a ballistics demonstration showing superior performance by copper ammo vs lead.

#leadfree #hunting #conservation

Since 2012, we've tracked 250+ bald eagles (146 as nestlings)! One female, originally caught in OK and now grown up and nesting in KS, is now heading north. In winter, eagles feed on gut piles, risking lead poisoning from ammo. Hunters can help by switching to lead-free.

#BaldEagle #Conservation

🦆 Waterfowl hunters: bird banding needs your voice. Proposed USGS budget cuts could end the Bird Banding Lab—critical for setting seasons, bag limits, and flyway data. Hunters helped build this science. Let’s protect it. Share & speak up! #WaterfowlHeritage #SaveBirdBanding #HuntersForConservation

Juvenile bald or golden eagle? 🦅 Look for:
🟤 Feathered legs = golden
🟤 Proportionally large bill = bald
🟤 Dihedral glide = golden | Flat wings = bald
🟤 Color: goldens = clean white wing patches, white tail base, dark breast | balds = messy mottling
#Ornithology #EagleConservation

Our Wyoming lead-free ammo program is back for the 2025–26 season! 🦅 If you drew a limited quota deer, elk, or pronghorn tag in a target unit, you qualify for a free box. Watch your mailbox for a postcard + code to claim it! 💥 #LeadFree #Hunting #EagleConservation

We’re launching a brand new, voluntary lead-free ammo program in Georgia! 🦅 Deer hunters in select WMA's and counties can get a free box of lead-free ammo this season. These are eagle hotspots — let’s help protect them!
#LeadFree #Hunting #EagleConservation

Fascinating Eagle FAQ | National Eagle Center Learn about Bald and Golden Eagles—and how they compare to one another. Click the category you want to explore, and feel your knowledge soar.

🦅 Happy Independence Day! Bald eagles have symbolized the U.S. since 1782. While no longer federally endangered, they’re still threatened by lead poisoning and other human activities. Go lead-free to help protect them! Learn more facts about eagles: www.nationaleaglecenter.org/learn/faq/ #BaldEagle

Two more bald eagles are now being tracked in Missouri! 🦅 In partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation, CSG is studying territorial eagle movement near a wind facility using satellite telemetry—vital data for conservation.

#BaldEagles #Telemetry #WildlifeResearch #Conservation

Increase In Bald Eagles Along The Oregon Coast Needing Treatment, But Not From The Bird Flu With the avian flu affecting birds, another issue has popped up in Oregon

While avian flu continues to receive nationwide attention, lead poisoning in eagles remains a significant challenge that also deserves coverage. 2 of the 3 bald eagles admitted to this center in just a few weeks had toxic lead levels from scavenging carcasses from animals shot with lead bullets.

This past weekend, the Alaska Copper Ammo Challenge exhibited at the Fairbanks Outdoor Show! We introduced over 1,000 hunters to the benefits of copper ammo, from its superior performance to how lead-free ammo helps protect eagles that scavenge on gut piles.

#leadfree #hunting #eagleconservation

Visit huntersforeagleconservation.org to learn more about how you can quality for a rebate this hunting season!

In 2016, we tagged a golden eagle with the goal of learning more about their movements and distribution. In 2022, we found the eagle dead from lead poisoning. This is the sad reality of eagles exposed to lead ammo in gut piles, but hunters can help by switching to free or reduced cost copper ammo!

Copper will get it done - make sure you're ready for next season!

Check out huntersforeagleconservation.org/new-york/ to sign up and learn how to get YOUR rebate for lead-free ammo.

#leadfree #hunting #eagleconservation

The CSG team lucked out last week - we successfully trapped and tagged another beautiful golden eagle in Maine! These birds are opportunistic scavengers and frequently take advantage of free meals like deer carcasses and gut piles, underscoring the importance of hunting with lead-free ammo.

Nearly 9 years ago, CSG trapped and tagged 31 Bald Eagles. One of them, a nestling named Doc, covered over 680,000 GPS locations in North America. On Feb 17, he was spotted fishing close to his nest site! Doc’s journey is far from over, and we can’t wait to see where his adventures take him next!

Attention hunters in southeast WY - Good news! We'll be continuing our lead-free ammo incentive program to hunters that are awarded specific limited quota tags this upcoming season in southeast WY. More info coming soon!

#leadfree #hunting #eagleconservation

The Alaska Copper Ammo Challenge recently exhibited at the Great Alaska Sportsman Show this weekend and will be at the Fairbanks Outdoor Show in April - stop by the booth to learn more about how you can get free lead-free ammo and protect eagles!

#leadfree #hunting #eagleconservation

Tracking eastern golden eagles, elusive ghosts of the forest A team of researchers went into the woods of Maine searching for a mysterious bird of the eastern forests — a golden eagle. They're conspicuous in the American west but secretive in the east.

Our work with the Maine golden eagle project was featured on NPR's Morning Edition today! Here's a link to the story:
www.npr.org/2025/02/14/n...

Learn more about this project at
www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wil...

🌎 #RaptorResearch #MovementEcology #GOEA #Maine

YouTube video by The Peregrine Fund Lead it Go

Check out this new video from
@theperegrinefund.bsky.social
about how hunters can help mitigate lead poisoning in eagles! It also demonstrates key differences in ammo performance at the firing range - and a successful deer harvest.

youtu.be/sxS6mNzWIzQ?...

#hunting #leadfree #eagleconservation

Check out those talons! CSG participated in a study where we captured, banded and fit golden eagles with transmitters in the northeast to improve our understanding of their distribution and movements.
#goldeneagle #birdsofprey #science #ornithology
*Birds are marked and handled under USGS permits

Lead-free Image Details Why choose lead-free hunting ammunition? Lead ammunition loses weight as small pieces strip from the front of the bullet or shot as it passes through an animal. These fragments are found...

HFEC has recently partnered with USFWS and @theperegrinefund.bsky.social to begin a lead-free hunting incentive program at 7 national wildlife refuges! Hunters are eligible to receive free or reduced cost lead-free ammo at a variety of National Wildlife Refuges. Check out www.fws.gov/initiative/l...

Copper beats lead every time - both in performance and environmental impact. Eagles rely heavily on scavenging in the winter. Non-toxic carcasses protect them!
#leadfree #eagleconservation #hunting #baldeagle #goldeneagle

Compare the lead on the left with the copper bullet on the right. Due to their solid construction, copper bullets tend to maintain their weight better upon impact, with zero fragmentation and a mushrooming effect, allowing for deeper penetration.
#leadfree #eagleconservation #hunting

Lead-free ammo kills cleanly and gets the job done for a variety of big game in Alaska. Interested in free or reduced cost ammo? Rebates are going fast - visit akcopperchallenge.com to learn more about the Alaska program. #copperammo #leadfree #hunting

Eagles are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning but hunters can help by making the switch to lead-free ammo. There are still rebates left for hunters in New York and Alaska. Visit huntersforeagleconservation.org or akcopperammochallenge.com to learn more!
#leadfreeammo #eagleconservation #hunting

Our lead-free ammo programs in Montana and New York were very successful this year - over 1,000 hunters participated! As we continue to expand, check back at huntersforeagleconservation.org to see if you qualify for free or reduced cost ammo in your area.
#leadfreeammo #eagleconservation #hunting

TWS Journals Golden eagles face many anthropogenic risks and minimizing or offsetting eagle deaths caused by human-related sources is often viewed as an important management objective. In 2020 and 2022, we distri...

Did you know that we recently published research showing that lead-free ammo use results in fewer eagle mortalities? Our programs bring net-benefits to America's eagle populations. Visit consciglobal.org/publications/ to take a look at our work!

#eagleconservation #leadfreeammo #hunting #research

This x-ray shows how lead ammunition fragments disperse throughout a deer carcass. A tiny fragment can sicken an eagle that ingests it when scavenging. Visit huntersforeagleconservation.org to learn more about our lead-free ammo programs!
#eagleconservation #leadfreeammo #hunting