The poisoning of ducks, geese, and other animals from swallowing lead shotgun pellets is a serious problem. Three to four million ducks and geese die of lead poisoning every year. In March 1983, a whooping crane was found dead from lead poisoning on the Bosque del Apachee Wildlife Refuge where hunting is permitted. This is an endangered species. The woodcock is declining along the Atlantic flyway at a rate of about ten percent a year.
Biologists suspect pesticide poisoning.
Yet there has been no shortening or cancellation off woodcock seasons by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The threatened cougar is still hunted in some states. During 1981, ninety were killed for trophies in New Mexico. In Arizona javalina and coatimundi are legal game throughout the year, as is the Arctic fox in Alaska. The declining badger is a game animal in some states.