preach on O serious duckhunter.


dove don't really present the same target as a duck.

I don't shoot dove with #5 hi brass with mod or full choke.

I used to tear up skunks and dillos with lead too.

It sucks that you can only use lead during early teal.

I would think dove are much smaller and easier to kill and I'm normally not shooting at them much farther than 35 yards...but if you are saying they are not then I can say I've also been pheasant hunting. You saying you never seen a pheasant shot and then run on you? Sure lead is a better shot material than steel but I think a case could be made that the average bag with moddern steel loads vs lead loads wouldnt be much different.

What is all this point system talk?

back in day it was point system for limit, each breed of duck had a number of points associated with it.. I think that is how it went

dove are harder to get the pattern on

pheasants are generally shot going away.

ducks are generally shot coming in.

Yea, and I can remember a box of 2 3/4" 6's or 7.5 costing around $1.50!

The point system really put the hurt on the sprig population and I've seen a huge change in overall duck numbers when the majority of ducks were at 10 points on the 100 point day system.

Sprigs, teal (except during Early Teal Season was only 4), spoonies, gadwalls, balpates, scaup, buffleheads, goldeneyes were all 10 points.

Redheads and canvasbacks were off limits (no open season).

Ringnecks I believe were either 70 or 100.

Mallard drakes and Mottled ducks (black mallards as we called them) went from 20, then 25 to 35 as did the species above.

Mallard hens were 90 and then 100 points, so you had to be careful not the shoot one early or not one at all.

It became really depressing when the first Steel loads along the coast became mandatory because that stuff would not hold a pattern and it did some significant damage/barrel scaring to more popular or I should say expensive guns like the Browning A-5.

Heck the goose loads were terrible and they even made a F load that really did some damage to better guns and they stopped making it.

It was great to be able to load your own lead shells and know you had a great load to hunt with. I have a ton of lead, wads for both 20 and 12 along with boxes of primers and around 1000 Super X 12ga high brass, once shot hulls. The only shot I probably will use to load is some #4 for squirrel hunting.

Sure miss lead shot and yea, that USFWS thing about lead shot killing/poisoning waterfowl, give me a break, we could shoot doves and quail over areas that were then flooded each year for ducks and geese and the Feds still allowed it. And when you questioned them on it, they gave some rigen-ma-ro about the number of migrating waterfowl were primarily on the coastal marshes and upland ponds and potholes and field where doves were shot only accounted for a fraction of the population. Huh, what?

Actually, the the EPA and State PWD's found that many differnet Ducks, Geese and Diving birds were winding up with lead shot pellets in their gizzards and thus using these "small stones" to grind their food. Consequently the "lead poisoning" scare was born.

Glad we have moved away from the points

but you can still shoot lead at crane... i don't get it. it's usually a combo crane/goose hunt, but ya can't shoot lead at geese... crane crumple good with lead bbb's.

Well you guys might not be able to use the "well I shoot lead at dove, crane, etc" example much longer. I'm sure you guys remember the studies done on lead vs steel for dove.

I don't know...I'd rather use lead myself but I could see how it can cause harm and there really is science backing those claims up weather yall you chooce to believe it or not is another story.

So what you are saying is our government has never skewed science for an agenda that benefits a few of their friends?

My dad used to tell me the stories of how they used to murder the geese at over a 75 yards and longer with 10ga lead. Dropping them dead in the spread. He curses the steel shot every time he hears the pellets and the bird dont drop.

Every thing that sux starts in California!! Thats where this started. They tried again with steel rifle amo a few years ago but it got knocked down. And some lakes you cant use lead weight or barbed hooks.

I started duck hunting back in the late 80's at Lavon.

Was hardly ever another boat out there in those days and Farmersville was just a oil spot!

Used to go to "Oshmans" and get my #6 hi-brass lead and the limit was 3 ducks!

Now days you have to almost shoot everything twice to make sure it dead!

I said "#6 2-3/4" would cart wheel them and didn't have to worry about it hurting the A-5", what is so hard to believe about that?

I'm not saying that at all. That's why I say choose to believe it or not. I know you can skew research for anything the way you want it. What's the motivation? I know the motivation for the people on this site not to believe it...it's mine as well...I would like to use cheaper loads that have more range and knockdown power but at the same time I'm pretty motivated to make sure there are the same amount of ducks in the air or more in the future. I'm a hunter and conservationist...which is a common combo.

If we look at when all this stuff started the ducks were in a major decline in population. Numbers have since rebounded greatly. All this stuff is beyond me...I'm not a scientist. I'm kind of on the fence on this issue and can see both sides.

It's just subjective that's all but of course I believe you. I've cart wheeled ducks and geese with steel shot on occation so what's that tell you. On the face it would say they are equal. I know they are not equal. In the end I guess it just doesnt matter enough for me. I'm killing them fine with steel.

I could see someone being bummed about not being able to use some shotguns with steel shot and how that doesnt exactly motivate them to believe the lead ban is a good thing.

JJ!

You of all people ... as knowledgeable as you otherwise are! Do you really doubt that Lead pellets are fatal in waterfowl when ingested into their gizzard, stomach and bloodstream???

Shame on you!

http://www.vancouverisland.com/wildlife/...ter%20Birds.htm

Lead is poisinous to ducks especially out the end of my barrel.Now steel shot is deadly too.Feeds alot of critters that findem later and get a easy meal.

why dont they just coat lead with something cheap like aluminum?It still kills ducks like the plauge but no lead poision.

Canvasback = 100 points = done for day

Because lead is soft and it would open up no matter what. They have nickle and copper platted lead...but it's plated because it helps it pattern better.