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Wilted Wings

A Hunter's Fight for Eagles

Mike McTee Daniel J. Rice Estelle Shuttleworth

$32.99

Paperback

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English
Riverfeet Press
03 January 2023
2023 WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA SPUR AWARD FINALIST

In this groundbreaking work, McTee, a hunter and wildlife researcher in western Montana, exposes a terrifying link between humans and eagles, while building the framework for how to safeguard these iconic raptors.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in how modern hunters are leading our nation’s conservation efforts.  —Montana Outdoors

When two raptor biologists unexpectedly walk into Mike McTee’s kitchen with a golden eagle, the bird’s penetrating stare redirects his life.

After years of research and speaking with dozens of raptor experts, McTee discovers eagles across the United States have toxic lead lacing their veins, often from scavenging hunting remains peppered with bullet fragments. Armed with a background in chemistry and a deep knowledge of hunting, McTee latches to the issue, becoming an ambassador for eagles and lead-free bullets.

Weaving hunting stories and eagle encounters, Wilted Wings flies readers from Montana’s “Golden Eagle Highway” to wild British Columbia, and to the desolate Mongolian Steppe, where Kazakhs still hunt foxes with eagles. Drawing from historical records, wildlife research, and expert opinions, McTee illuminates the braided natural histories of humans and eagles, framing a path that would strip lead from the diets of these soaring icons.

McTee has conducted ballistics studies and hunted extensively with non-lead ammunition. For hunters interested in going lead-free, Wilted Wings finishes with a supplemental section that details how to find the right ammunition for your gun and understand its downrange capabilities.

By:  
By (photographer):  
Edited by:  
Imprint:   Riverfeet Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 215mm,  Width: 139mm, 
ISBN:   9798985398816
Pages:   250
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Table of Contents Prologue 1 - Delayed Ignition 2 - Capture 3 - Before Unleaded Gas 4 - Lead Shot, Dead Ducks, and Poisoned Eagles to the Rescue 5 - Bring Me a Carcass, Hold the Poison 6 - The Copper Option 7 - Small Game, Big Exposure 8 - Legislate or Educate? 9 - American Eagle 10 - An Eagle’s Value (in Tugrik) 11 - Hunters as Allies 12 - Release Epilogue Switching to Nonlead Ammunition Bibliography

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.

Reviews for Wilted Wings: A Hunter's Fight for Eagles

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


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