NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/736554
70 NEBRASKAland • NOVEMBER 2016 The Hull Story By Justin Haag Shotgun shells continue to change with the times, some of which include advancements to make them better for the environment. W hen hunters take to the field and notice spent shotgun shells or wads at their feet, a mental scene of a flushed bird or an approaching flock may follow – along with hopes that a veritable replay will soon ensue. Some, however, might have other thoughts. How long has that cartridge been there, for instance? And, if nobody picks it up, how long will it be there before it disappears? Shotgun shells have considerably evolved since their invention, and continue to experience changes – one of which is for environmental considerations. In a detailed history of shotgun shells in a 2005 NEBRASKAland article, Jon Farrar reported that the first scattergun hulls in the 1800s looked much like today's rifle cartridges with an entire casing of brass. Any costs associated with production were largely offset by their resiliency to moisture and aptness for reloading. The production expense of metal eventually gave way to other materials, though. The first paper cartridges were introduced in the 1860s and found popularity with upland hunters. Waterfowl hunters jumped on board when those casings, known as hulls, were later waxed and lacquered. While the less durable components may not have been ideal for reloading purposes, they were more economical and, as a bonus that may or may not have been considered at the time, decomposed much more quickly than their metal predecessors. It's not likely that you'll see many of those old paper hulls still lying around at your favorite hunting spots, as they've been consumed by time. Following the trend of countless consumer products of the era, Remington revolutionized the field in the 1960s as the first American manufacturer to introduce hulls made of plastic – still used almost exclusively by shotgun shell manufacturers today. The plastic's resiliency to moisture made them desirable to hunters who didn't want to worry about water causing a misfire. The same properties that make them popular, however, are not always favorable after shots have been fired and the landscape becomes "decorated" with the hulls and the internal component that separates the metal shot from the gunpowder – the wad. "Hunters might consider shell hulls to be a product of the hunt and of the landscape, but they are no different than a fisherman's bait container – both trash," said Jeff Hoffman, the Commission assistant division administrator who oversees the state's many wildlife management areas. "WMAs are primitive areas with few facilities, including trash barrels, because we would rather spend money on habitat management than hauling trash." In an upland area where shots at prairie grouse come between lengths of extensive hiking, what's left behind might be hardly noticeable. Visit the confines of a waterfowl hotspot where stationary hunters regularly harvest incoming ducks and geese, however, and you are sure to notice some wads and hulls cluttering the landscape as evidence of past successful hunting. While some of what's left behind can be attributed to sloppiness, other factors are sure to blame. Tracking down wads after they are blasted from a shotgun barrel can be nearly impossible at some places, and even hulls can fly meters away when ejected from automatic, pump and some break-action shotguns. Such items that become concealed by lush vegetation in the fall may become visible after the landscape turns matted and brown in winter. The metal head of shotgun shells, commonly referred to as the brass, will eventually corrode and most A shotgun wad remains after a waterfowl hunt at Fliesbach Wildlife Management Area. The Bio-Wad, a "photodegradable" shotgun wad, is featured in Kent's Velocity steel loads.