They say that the use of steel shot save's 360,000 (I think) waterfowl every year do to "lead poisioning"

What I would like to know is...... How many ducks and geese are crippled each year, due to the use of steel shot, that go off and die to never be found by the hunter?

Also, what exactlly are the odds of a duck or goose swimming around and eating a lead bb that was shot from a shotgun?

The reason I am bringing this up is because I can remember duck hunting with lead shot when it was still legal. And it was AWESOME! Every time you hit your target, it was over.

Now with steel shot it sometime's takes more then one good hit to bring the bird down.

I know that this message won't change the steel shot laws, but I want to know how you guy's/gal's feel about it.

Ryan

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I remember one of the big deals about lead shot was that eagles (and other birds of prey) ate crippled and lead-laden ducks and geese and got lead poisoned. Think of our national bird falling dead everywhere from lead poisoning, that's good propaganda. Lead is hell on a bird's reproduction, so there were significant issues with hatch rates, etc., kinda like DDT. I think that may have played a larger role in the change to non-toxic shot. According to wildlife agencies it's working, the eagle populations are up and not as "sickly" as they were. Sounds good anyway.

You mean I can't shoot lead at waterfowl? (Smile)

I think it is a total feel good deal to make some people happy. How much lead does a duck have to eat before it really causes problems? In all the info that is out about how bad lead is this is never answerd. I once herd that the waterfowl would have to be on a pure lead diet before it would die.

Most people do not realize that we were stuck with steel in the US for the various reasons but you can go to Canada and all they shoot is lead. This was about 4 years ago and maybe it has changed but not that I know of. Just think we had our highest number of water fowl and the place they were coming from was being hunted with lead.

As far as eagles, you don't suppose the reason for their come back is because we started to replace their habitat and built nesting sights that actually did some good.

How much lead must a wood duck chug before a wood duck bites the dust?Sorry.The whole thing about lead shot was the eagles,nobody,meaning biologists,bird lovers,etc. really gave a ding about the ducks but there had to be a gimmick to hang the requirement on besides eagles,not enough eagle lovers out there at that time so ducks.I,m not knocking the issue,I like eagles and now we have resident populations here in Seark in addition to so many in winter that they have become common,nobody gets excited about them anymore.In that respect steel shot has been a resounding success.As to the crippling aspect I don,t know and the data is kind of all over as to the overall rate of crippling.I know that over decoys at 35 to 40 yds.cripples don,t seem to be a real problem particularly if you use number 2 shot or larger.

Another 2001 thread. Are you in a time warp or something?

Just responding to something interesting.Told you I don,t do math!

almost appears to be someone trying to get enough posts to sell something.

could be wrong, probably am, but thats still what it looks like.

Was thinking the same thing.

Would be a meaningful conversation, if there was any chance of reversing the lead bans. Most are to young to know the steel shot regulations were forced on sportsman by collecting dead waterfowl(avian cholera) not testing for bacterial or viruses but x-rays showed lead shot in the digestive tract of SOME of the birds.

Man you guys sure are hard on a fellow!Like I said I was just responding to something I thought interesting,I don,t know anything about that number of posts thing and I am not nor do i anticipate selling anything.I hardly ever look at the date of a post.Give a guy a break,ok?

searky, welcome aboard. You know how it is, they complain if you don't use the "Search" feature and if you do they complain about not reading the fine print.

Lead shot ban is water under the bridge, personally I never had a problem with it, steel killed just as well as lead for me over decoys, even in the early days, in MN we had to go with it in the late 1970's where I lived. The only thing I didn't care for was I was afraid to use it in my light weight double, I picked up a 26" SKB sxs. We used our open choked skeet guns anyway.

To this day birds still die from ingesting lead shot. In the Skagit river valley it is very easy to see as the birds with a problem are swans and they are very easy to see dead on the plowed/harvested fields.

These birds are actually tested.
https://www.goskagit.com/news/swan-hotline-open-for-season/article_e6fcffbf-ecb0-5e05-8158-ad227ad4b46d.html#:~:text=Some%20trumpeter%20and%20tundra%20swans%20die%20in%20Whatcom%2C,hours%20a%20day%20through%20the%20end%20of%20March.

Thank you for the kind reply,I appreciate it.I was beginning to get a complex from some of those guys.I agree with your comments on steel,never had a problem myself with it except as you mentioned in SxS.I have a Stevens 16 Ga.which is no Purdey but it fits me really well and I hit with it consistently so the steel thing put me out of business with that one.thanks again!Jim.