Ensure charitable hunters can donate much needed venison to food shelves.
The recent article about lead in donated venison raised several red flags not just for hunters, but all Minnesotans. The article explains how all the deer shot each year is equal to 7.2 million pounds of venison, then suggests that this meat would be dangerous to consumers due to possible contamination with lead. Neither the Minnesota DNR nor the CDC have any documented cases of lead poisoning from consuming wild caught game. The article itself was not even able to provide any data on lead poisonings or other adverse effects from eating hunter harvested venison. I was disappointed in the blatant scare tactics used in this article. The truth is that lead ammunition has been used by hunters for years, with no issues. Every hunter should be able to choose the best ammunition for them. Hunters care about Minnesotans and their families, which is clear from the huge amount of venison they donate to our state’s food shelves every year.
Matt Seymour
Lake Shore
