White-tailed deer are as synonymous with the ‘acreage living’ experience as fences and ragweed. And today, new challenges like that posed by Chronic Wasting Disease are elevating those responsibilities and require wide engagement in ensuring deer continue to thrive in Iowa.
Up to hundreds of tiny lead fragments can be left behind by a single bullet and when parts of the shot deer are left in the field (as is the case with gut piles or processed carcasses) other wildlife, including notably the bald eagle, can encounter the lead.
In February of 2018, wildlife biologists and veterinarians investigated the suspicious death of 32 trumpeter swans in a Clinton County wetland. This incident, and others, has prompted interest in finding ways to reduce lead exposure and curtail these unnatural deaths.
