NEW YORK — New York State is encouraging big-game hunters to use lead-free ammunition by offering a $60 rebate.
Here’s how it works: Purchase at least one box of lead-free ammunition in New York and save that receipt. Use that ammo to hunt throughout the season. Once the season is over, fill out an online form and upload a copy of your receipt. You should then get a gift card equal to the cost of the bullets, up to $60.
Conservationists said leaded ammo can be toxic to the wildlife that eats what’s left of the animals you hunt. Lead-free bullets are made of copper.
“Lead-free ammunition is just as effective as lead ammunition. It is a much harder metal, so lead itself is very soft and fragments upon impact,” Matthew Palumbo said.
“The scavenging animals can consume those lead fragments that are left behind and have detrimental consequences to those animals that eat it,” Palumbo said.
“Hunters in North America have been the backbone of wildlife conservation and have led the charge in numerous wildlife management successes, such as the restoration of white-tailed deer and wild turkey,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “DEC’s lead-free ammunition rebate program is yet another prime example of how hunters can help conserve wildlife. We thank the deer hunters of New York who volunteer to be part of the project.”
For a link to the rebate form, click here.
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