Deanimator
Member
This seems to relate almost exclusively to birds and bird shot. The thread title is misleading, and almost entirely irrelevant to handgun and rifle hunting.https://www.peregrinefund.org/subsites/conference-lead/PDF/0307 Tranel.pdf
"We found over 130 species of animals (including upland birds, raptors, waterfowl, and reptiles) have been reported in the literature as being exposed or killed by ingesting lead shot, bullets, bullet fragments, or prey contaminated with lead ammunition. The impacts of ingested lead on wildlife included decreased survival, poor body condition, behavioral changes, and impaired reproduction."
(Emphasis added.)
I'll leave you to sort through the citations for the full list of 130 affected species.
Then there's the assertion that lack of evidence of poisoning doesn't point to a lack of poisoning. Someone asserting a "fact" is obligated to prove it. There is no obligation to disprove it. If I assert that cannibalism is prevalent among anti-hunting activists, it's not on them to prove they don't eat human flesh.