DHS and DNR refresh public guidance on lead in venison, target donors and processors

The Department of Health Services and the Department of Natural Resources described a coordinated outreach effort Sept. 24 to update public guidance about potential lead exposure from venison harvested with lead ammunition.

The agencies said existing messaging had not been actively refreshed for years and that new toxicology guidance and stakeholder coordination motivated a short-term campaign. DHS updated advisory language on its lead pages and DNR placed new guidance on its "Safely Eating Venison" web page and the electronic hunting regulations booklet. DNR communications staff also added lead-in-venison messages to the department's seasonal deer communication plan.

Key elements of the outreach include: a one-page consumer flyer describing safer preparation and consumption (avoid organs, remove cuts near wound channels, prefer meat harvested with nonlead ammunition); a notice for food pantries that receive donated venison explaining potential risks; and re-insertion of advisory language into the annual packet distributed to participating processors in the statewide venison donation program. The donation program currently has county coordinators in all but two counties and annually collects donated venison that serves food pantries.

DHS said its toxicology staff reviewed the advice and that the agencies' approach is twofold: encourage use of nonlead ammunition to eliminate risk and, when lead ammunition is used, give clear, practical steps to reduce exposure for consumers, especially for vulnerable groups such as young children. DHS noted that at present the state has not linked any confirmed childhood lead-poisoning cases to venison consumption but that the agencies view the guidance as a risk-reduction measure.

DNR and DHS said they will monitor the effectiveness of the outreach and update materials if new science emerges.

Why this matters: lead fragments can remain in game meat and organs after shooting. The state's advisory refresh brings public-health guidance, hunter-facing messaging and donation-program notices into alignment.

What consumers should do: where feasible, choose nonlead ammunition; avoid organs that concentrate contaminants; remove meat near wound channels; and follow guidance the food pantry or meat processor provides when receiving donated venison.

Next steps: printed hunter regulation booklets will include the guidance for the 2026 deer season; DNR will continue to work with processors and food-pantries on notice distribution.