What is the best shot size for duck?

SPECIES	IDEAL RANGE	SHOT SIZE
Small Ducks	15-40 yds	4, 5, 6
Large Ducks	10-40 yds	BB,1, 2, 3
Geese	10-45 yds	T, BBB, BB

Is 7 shot good for ducks?

And if steel isn’t good enough, there are premium shotshells that can out preform lead in patterning and energy at distance. I agree with most others that 7 1/2 lead shot can be very effective on ducks within 35 yards, and even large ducks like mallards will fall to a tight pattern of the little shot.

Will 4 shot kill a duck?

Re: #4 shot for ducks If the birds are not decoying well, forget the 4s. With a good patterning load plus the 1550fps vels, the 4s will kill mallards to 40 yards but it can make for some tough shooting.

Will lead shot kill a duck?

And, I was reminded once again that lead makes a very effective waterfowl load. We shot Fiocchi 1 ¼ ounce loads of 5 shot and the first morning of our trip I made some long backup shots on lightly hit ducks that folded up like dishrags when the pellets hit them. But, lead just seems to kill them “deader” in the air.

Is 1 shot good for ducks?

I shoot 1-1/8 oz of #1’s for every type of waterfowl. From teal, to mallards, to snows, to cacklers, to giant canadas. It works great on all.

Can you shoot ducks sitting on the water?

Why is it illegal to shoot ducks on the ground/water in America? – Quora. Created with Sketch. It’s not illegal for ducks or any bird, at least where my friends and I hunt, but it is generally frowned upon. As others have mentioned it has to do with sportsmanlike conduct as well as safety.

Is 8 shot good for ducks?

If your questioning the lethality of #8 shot (or even #9) I can assure you it is quite effective on ducks. I shot it quite a bit back in the old days with great results.

What is the best shell for duck hunting?

Here’s a list of 10 duck and goose loads that won’t fail you.

Federal Speed Shok.
Boss Bismuth. Boss Bismuth.
Remington Wingmaster HD. Remington Wingmaster HD.
Winchester DryLok. Winchester DryLok.
Kent Tungsten-Matrix. Kent Tungsten-Matrix.
Backridge ITX. Bckridge ITX.
Rio Blue Steel. Rio Blue Steel.
Apex TSS. Apex TSS.

Why use steel shot for ducks?

With the advent of the 1991-92 season, steel shot will be required for goose and duck hunting throughout the nation. The switch to steel is being made because spent lead pellets accidentally ingested kill millions of waterfowl annually. Sometimes steel shot shells were unavailable.

Why can’t you use duck lead shot?

The ban, he says, “was done because there was unequivocal research that showed that waterfowl populations were suffering at the time from that lead.” (The birds can ingest sinkers and ammunition or encounter the toxic metal as it leaches into soil or water and gets sucked up into plant roots.)

How big of a shot do you need for a small duck?

Here’s the proper “translation”: Small Ducks Over Decoys, such as Teal, Ruddy, Bufflehead (and maybe Ringneck), shooting them from 20 yards to 45 yards. For steel shot, you can use #6 at 20 yards increasing up to #4 steel with a max range of 45 yards. You need at least 1-2 hits in a lethal area,…

Which is the best shotgun to buy for a duck?

Shot like Kent’s Tungsten Matrix and Environ-Metal’s Classic Doubles are for older shotguns, but then there’s Black Cloud, Blind Side, and Hevi Shot, which makes selection more difficult. These guidelines, broken down by species and size, should make shell buying easier. 1. Small Ducks Small pellets are desirable to fill a wide pattern. Alamy

Is it safe to shoot a duck on the water?

We fooled this duck once when we lured it into our hole, and again when we called it back into the decoys. It died instantly and was easy to retrieve. The shot was safe as there was no one across the water from us and, in fact, we had a high river bank as a backstop in case the steel ricocheted off the water.

Can you use No.4 shot on decoying Ducks?

Heck no! But on decoying ducks—25- to 30-yard shots and under—it’s deadly. Additionally, with proper pattern testing, this range allows the use of No. 4 shot, boosting the pellet count to numbers that compare or exceed many 12-gauge No. 2 loads.