Another Good reason to Use Steel Shot

[Gramps]

A couple of nights ago, I broke a tooth on a steel BB embedded in a slice of roast goose. Obviously, the slice was too thick, but it occured to me afterwards that from now on I should always scan every slice of Waterfowl with a stong magnet before serving so as to eliminate any risk of breaking another tooth - mine, or worse a guest's tooth. Has anyone else thought of doing this and if so do you have any advice for the rest of us?

Also, as I am fed up with eating lead pellet riddled Huns, Grouse and Pheasants, and given the above process, I am thinking of switching to steel shot for all my bird hunting from now on. Any suggestions on shot size and brands?

[RyanGSP]

My buddy shoot shoot 1550 for everything. I beleive waterfowl we use Winchester but for upland we shoot 5 or 6 shot Kent Ultimate Upland. We shoot huns, Pheasants, Grouse, and even take down low flying ducks.

[be2man]

I've a friend with a wand type metal detector that works well for knowing if you've got pellets in a bird. Not sure how well a magnet would work. For smaller birds and steel it may be tough to get small enough pellets for good pattern density and still have the punch past 30yds. Steel can also pattern tighter which you don't necessarily want for grouse and woodcock. Likely work fine for pheasant and sharptails. You can buy steel 7's as non tox target loads

[Gramps]

Thanks for the tips - I never thought of using a wand type metal detector which would allow me to continue to use lead shot. By the way, a magnet does work well on steel shot, so long as you scan every slice of meat.

[eden beardsall]

Sorry about your tooth Bill , I hope it can be fixed . One weekend when we went pheasant hunting at Pine Ridge it was very wet and the birds weren't flushing. My dog Ready would bump them with his nose and if they didn't fly he would grab them and retrieve them to me live . The shooting was not much fun but 8 of his 12 retrieves had no shot in them . We chose to have the birds cleaned and I made sure I got my own unleaded birds .I hate it when you find a piece of metal in my dinner. good luck with the metal detector,

[Greg]

Can't say I've ever had that problem. I look over the bird while I'm washing it before freezing and you can ussually see the hole the shot left in the meat then I either slice the hole until I find the shot or i'm cutting that area out anyways becuase of blood build up which can change the flavour of the meat (atleast that what I was taught to do)

[Gramps]

Eden, the tooth restoration cost me $179! A pretty expensive meal, wouldn't you say? So, how about taking me along on your next rainy day Pheasant hunt so that I too can enjoy some "shotless" Pheasant-under-glass.

And Greg, when your game birds' breasts are as full of shot holes as mine often are, cutting out the shot before cooking just takes too much effort. I suppose I could reduce the number of breast "hits" by using larger shot, letting the birds get farther away, and/:1: or only shooting them in the head.

[Huntingonthebrain]

interestingly enough... in all the goose and pheasant and chukar I have eaten... I have never found any shot in it.. Either I am really lucky (more than likely) or I am a better shot then I even thought (not so likely).

[Greg]

Well, Gramps.. it's always a surprise when I hit one LOL! So that's probably why I have very little shot in my birds HAHAH!

[Huntingonthebrain]

Wouldn't steel shot on a pheasant beat the crap out of meat... I mean would there be anything left? I guess that the size of shot might make dif, but I still think you would end up with ragged meat on a phez with steel. I don't know I have never tried to use it