If you are like many Penn State students, some aspects of the rural lifestyle, like shoefly pie or The Prairie Home Companion, are foreign to you. The start of deer hunting season is for many a day of importance just behind Christmas. Employers offer the day off; students have a temporary reprieve from the drudgery of school. Since yesterday marked the start of the legal period for hunting deer, we here at Onward State would like to offer a note of caution, a public health notice if you will, that eating Bambi may be hazardous to your health.

It was found that eating venison from deer killed by bullets lead to a significant exposure to lead, regardless of precautions taken during processing. Lead has been known to have profound effects in humans, especially children. It causes the growing brain to stop growing before reaching  full size, significant reductions in IQ and increased risk of heart and kidney disease. It has been strongly linked to depression and a predisposition to ADHD and criminal activity. Many of these effects are present even in people with lead levels within the normal range. Above all, children should not be allowed to consume venison or handle carcasses.

Have a safe and fruitful hunting season!