I agree with the opinions above that steel shot is no friend of birds and. again, if I was king I would banish it from my realm, no ifs, buts or whys. I don't doubt the science, however, about lead. As Ted says, we're going to have to live with what we've got and may get. The problem. as I see it, is that steel may be all that many bird hunters can afford. I buy Main Street, at none of the big-box stores, but accept that Walmart prices are important to young families, getting their kids off to school.
There's another consideration: my wife and I were out to dinner Saturday night with duck hunter friends and their wives, a retired dentist, a retired Greek-Canadian restauranteur and a dairy farmer with several honey-holes for birds. The dentist's son and daughter popped in, and I asked Caleb how many in his graduating class of dentists are doing any shooting of any kind. He said only one other than himself.
Take steel out of the equation and that's it, until something better comes along and---who knows?
