Dove hunting season started this week, and sportsmen across the state are getting ready. Many hunters say they are prepared to pay a little more this year.
"Since I was a little kid, every year this time of year when it's about to start, I come in and buy some shotgun shells," said hunter Drew Ward. "A couple of years ago you could buy a box for $4, and now it's $8 for a box of shells. It makes it a little more tough to do it, but it's something I love."
The folks at Ray's Sporting Goods in Dallas said there is at least one reason why prices are rising.
"The cost of lead's been going up steady for the last several years, and ammunition has a large percentage of lead in it," Chuck Payne said. "Shotgun shells have a lot more lead than, say, rifle or handgun bullets."
It doesn't stop true sportsmen from doing what they love, but some are cutting back on practice time at the shooting range.
"The cost of the most popular ammunition, which is 9 mm -- a year ago, two years ago, we were selling it for $14 for 50 shots," Payne said. "It's now $30."
He said the practice of "reloading," or making your own ammunition, is also gaining popularity.
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"You'll save about 60 percent over just buying the ammunition by recycling the spent cartridge cases, be it a shotgun, rifle or handgun," Payne said.
