I haven't hunted ducks quite as long as oskar, but share his addiction to them. He has had success with steel, as have I, but it has meant changing the way I hunt ducks. I was never a sky buster, but to say that steel today is just as effective as lead was in the old days, is wrong. We have adjusted, take closer shots now, and still kill limits. But, that does NOT mean steel is just as effective as lead as a killer of birds. It just means we have had to adjust. Those who were unwilling to make the necessary adjustments no longer hunt ducks, and blame bad, or misguided, research for their woes. I have a sneakin' suspicion that most of the people who say they can't kill ducks with steel today weren't great shakes with lead either. It's easy to blame poor shooting on sorry equipment. I will admit to refusing to give up lead for ducks here for many years after the ban, believing that, as Joe said, my ethics in not wounding ducks outweighed my lawbreaking. Steel loads are light years better today than they were initially.
I wrote protests to the agency that forced steel upon us, the USFWS I believe it was. I think it was a knee jerk reaction to a limited problem. But, it is what it is, and die hard duck hunters will do what it takes to kill ducks, in spite. My BSS is not a vintage duck gun, but it is a helluva duck killer over dekes, with good steel loads. When I really want to take my Foxes to the blind, I use bismuth, but in all honesty, it is only marginally better than the best steel loads, IMO. Oh, how I would love to pass shoot ducks leaving the roost with 3" magnum loads of lead #4s in my Super Fox, one more time.
SRH
