ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, September 16, 1996 TAG: 9609170052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Q&A - The inside on the outside
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
Q. I understand duck hunters can use bismuth shot as a substitute for steel shot, but doesn't it cost you an arm and a leg?
A. Maybe not an arm and a leg, but plenty. A 12-gauge box of 10 shells has been selling for about $18 to $19 at local gun shops when you can find it. That's 10 shells, not the traditional box of 25. Every time you pull the trigger, nearly $2 comes blowing out of your barrel. It is cheaper to play the lottery.
So are people buying?
``We've had quiet a few people asking about it,'' said Donna Wright, of Blue Ridge Sporting Supply in Salem.
Bryansteens Gun and Archery has sold a few boxes, said Paul Hilton, who works at the Peters Creek Road store. Some of the interest has been sparked by the early Canada goose season, he said.
Following considerable testing, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service extended conditional approval of bismuth for the 1996-97 waterfowl season. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries also has given the nod for its use.
Permanent approval should be forthcoming. That proposal has been posted in the Federal Register for 60 days of public comment (through Oct.15). Wildlife officials are encouraging hunters and conservation organizations to support the proposal.
Waterfowl hunters have long awaited a substitute for steel shot, which was mandated to replace lead several years ago following concerns about toxicity to ducks and geese who swallow pellets. Bismuth, a bismuth-tin alloy, has roughly the same characteristics as lead, but isn't toxic. In the minds of many sportsmen, steel has been a poor substitute for lead, which has more knockdown power.
One thing that makes bismuth expensive is the limited supply. Hunters hope additional use will lower the gold-like prices. Even now, if using it means killing shots rather than cripples, it is worth the price.
Best time to hunt/fish
Q. What happened to the Vector Table you used to print each week on the Outdoor Page?
A. The Vector people apparently went out of business - at least we were unable to locate them to renew the program. The table was intended to tell readers the best times to hunt and fish. We now are operating under the theory that the best time to go hunting and fishing is anytime you can get away.
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