Your thoughts on shot size?

[Locked Up]

Do you think if the government regulations on shot size for waterfowl increased that it would make a positive impact on the overall harvesting of waterfowl. I have heard this discussed on a few occasions and this is my thinking and just woundered if others thought the same and if not what you opion is. I know there are several things that could be changed to increase the ethics of waterfowl hunting and this one of them in my opinion. Make regs on steel to be no smaller than #2's and with the other non-toxics like bismuth and tungsten no smaller than #4's. I feel like this would make most situations of duck shooting a hit/kill or a miss situation and less 1000yrd flying cripple/dead ducks. Do you think this would make a difference.

[MSDawg870]

You can't legislate ethics into someone.

If the duck is too far to get a good kill shot on then the person holding the gun should have sense enough not to shoot.

I think the less the better when it comes to extra, unnecessary regs. for hunting and fishing.

[Prodrive]

I agree with MSDawg 870 I don't need the feds telling what size shot I can shoot at ducks with.

[Delta Duck]

I think everyone of yall should shoot lead! Bite the bullet, take the ticket, when the courts get so clogged with this type ticket it will make such a stir that maybe the law would get changed!!!

The thing about it is that everyone has to shoot lead! I mean everyone of yall!!

[triggerjw]

Just another way big GOV can get their grubby noses in on something they shouldn't have any say so on..

[Johnny Hall]

The last few ducks I killed this year were shot with #6 steel shot, they fell dead better than anything I shot all year or in years before with 2,3 or 4's. Had no cripples believe it or not
Now mind you they were well within shooting range around 25 yards and to top that off they were 2 3/4".
The only reason I was shooting these though was becasue they were all I could find around here the last couple of weeks I was able to hunt.
More government NO!
Like some earlier replied you can't govern good sense and ethics into anyone that don't want it to start with, I speak of skybusters and those who never do anysort of practicing

[Wildfowler]

Believe it or not, pass shooting for waterfowl is an commonly accepted, ethical hunting method. Particularly on geese on cloudy/foggy days. I'm afraid that if you restricted the shot size above what it is now, we would have untold amounts of crippled birds out there.

Pass shooting is not sky blasting. I saw no to limiting shot sizes beyond what they are now. I personally choose #2 shot for any kind of waterfowl I will encounter during the 60 days that duck season is open.

[saponi]

The Gov. needs to stay out of our sport and pay more attention to running the gov. Yall got to stick together and fight these stupid rules forced on us by people that don't have a clue .

[judge jb]

there are so many laws and regulations already, i'm scared to go hunting..

judge jb

[MemphisStockBroker]

there are so many laws and regulations already, i'm scared to go hunting..

judge jb

Now thats pretty bad, coming from a judge...

[Bankermane]

I think everyone of yall should shoot lead! Bite the bullet, take the ticket, when the courts get so clogged with this type ticket it will make such a stir that maybe the law would get changed!!!

The thing about it is that everyone has to shoot lead! I mean everyone of yall!!

Price of lead plus ticket is cheaper than heavy shot.

[Locked Up]

I also shoot #2 at just about anything. I have shot as small as #4's in tight timber holes. This was just a conversation I was apart of, I agree that the government has there hands in to much already also but used them in the post b/c we already follow there regs. By no means I don't want anyone to get me wrong on the ethics because as a whole, I think that duck hunters are some of the most ethical. Just a topic, don't mean to stir the pot.

[GordonGekko]

i think the government should subsidize my purchase of hevi-shot, to make it the same price as steel.... imo, putting multiple smaller pellets on a target is often more effective than a single larger pellet (provided the smaller pellets have "enough" energy)...

[dukhunter]

Smaller pellet size = a more dense pattern, and better penatration, we all know this, but even good ethical hunters are apted to make poor decisions on whats in or out of range from time to time and even more prone to making bad shots where only a few pellets hit on target, to me larger shot helps take care of my errant ways. AS for more GOV, NOT NAW BUT HE!! NAW.

[GulfCoast]

Frankly, the most ETHICAL thing we could do is make people take a shooting test before giving them the ability to go hunt birds. 70% of your cripples just went away.........Why don't we ever here folks wanting to legislate THAT?????