Wildfowl hunting causes significant welfare harm through wounding rates, lead poisoning from spent shot and disturbance of wetland wildlife during critical periods.
Wildfowl hunting welfare is characterised by high crippling rates (birds hit but not killed or retrieved), lead poisoning affecting shot and non-shot birds through ingestion, and habitat disturbance affecting populations of multiple species. A duck that is wounded but not retrieved dies slowly from injury, infection and exposure - a welfare harm that occurs at significant scale. Lead poisoning from ingested shot causes a slow neurological death over weeks. The welfare case for steel shot is clear - lead is banned precisely because of its welfare and environmental costs - but enforcement must match legislation for protection to be real.