Mike McTee shot his first weapon before he could recite the alphabet. Now, understanding weapons is part of his job. Mike’s career took this trajectory after he gained a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry. Curious about potential pollution at a historic shooting range in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, he earned an M.S. in Geosciences studying the site. Strangely, the sulfur inside the trap and skeet targets posed the main threat, not the lead in the shotgun pellets. But lead contamination soon grabbed Mike’s focus. Each winter at MPG Ranch, where Mike worked, biologists caught eagles suffering from alarming levels of lead exposure. Mike soon initiated studies on scavenger ecology and began investigating the wound ballistics of rifle bullets, the suspected source of lead. His research has appeared in numerous wildlife and environmental journals. Mike often connects with the public through his writings and speaking engagements, whether it be to a local group of hunters or a gymnasium full of middle schoolers. He frequently writes about the outdoors, with credits to The FlyFish Journal, Backcountry Journal, Strung, and Bugle. He lives with his family in Missoula, MT.
In McTee's brilliant, heart-breaking first book, he illustrates through personal accounts of his experience with birds of prey, that lead poisoning is an ongoing problem and taking a terrible toll. I highly recommend Wilted Wings to all naturalists and hunters. -Stephen Bodio, author of An Eternity of Eagles Wilted Wings brings us into the mountains pursuing big game. As a scientist and one of the nation's leaders in the fight for switching to non-lead ammo, McTee studies pathways by which raptors and other scavengers are exposed to lead. In this page-turning memoir, Wilted Wings provides the undeniable solution to lead poisoning in raptors. - Vince Slabe, Ph.D., Wildlife Biologist and Science.org contributing author Wilted Wings is the most comprehensive and readable explanation I've found on the science of lead poisoning in raptors and other scavengers, and on why hunters should consider switching to nontoxic bullets, as I did several years ago. Highly recommended for anyone interested in how modern hunters are leading our nation's conservation efforts. -Tom Dickson, Editor, Montana Outdoors, the Magazine of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Now, more than ever, it is imperative that hunters understand the technical, ecological, and social consequences associated with their choice of hunting ammunition. McTee explains why, in simple but technically understandable terms, switching to nonlead bullets is good for conservation, good for hunting, and good for people. Thoughtful hunters are well-served by McTee's research. -Gordon R. Batcheller, Certified Wildlife Biologist and President of The Wildlife Society A heartfelt call to action, Wilted Wings makes the compelling case that our choices matter-for humans, our winged fellow hunters, and many other wild species. Hunting lead-free is a win for us all. -Tovar Cerulli, author of The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian's Hunt for Sustenance