LITTLE ROCK – Arkansans who hunt ducks, geese and other waterfowl are well aware that shotgun shells containing lead pellets are outlawed and have been for a number of years.

But what are legal shot choices for waterfowl? The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission rules are identical to those of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If the shot is approved as nontoxic, it can be used.

Steel shot loads have been used since the ban on lead and are readily available anywhere in Arkansas where shotgun ammunition is sold. Many hunters complain that steel loads are not as efficient as lead, that they fall short in killing power. Other materials have been brought into use for waterfowl shotgun loads.

In Arkansas, along with steel, these have been approved: Tungsten-iron, tungsten-iron (Hevi-Steel), tungsten-polymer, tungsten-matrix, tungsten-iron-nickel-tin (TINT), tungsten-nickel-iron (Hevi-Shot), tungsten-bronze-iron (TBI), tungsten-tin-bismuth (TTB) and bismuth-tin.

Waterfowl hunters are reminded that they cannot have lead shotgun shells in their possession while going after ducks and geese. Waterfowlers should check pockets, belts and other places to make sure they aren’t carrying lead-load shells left over from a quail, squirrel or rabbit hunt.

The largest shot legal for waterfowl hunting in Arkansas is size T. Buckshot is not legal. There is no proscribed minimum shot size for waterfowl hunting.