YES.

Basically, there is no arguing with the physics. Sure, steel can kill ducks. For some hunters, steel will kill all the ducks they shoot at. For other hunters, including me, some ducks are going to be recovered when shot with Hevishot that otherwise would not have been recovered if shot under the same conditions with steel.

I don't shoot a gazillion shells during duck season. I get to hunt maybe four weekends per year. On a weekend, I might shoot 20 shells, likely less. If I shoot Hevishot, that is $50 of shells or less. That may sound like a lot of money, but on this same weekend I've driven 500 miles (250 miles there, 250 miles back) and spent maybe $40 on gasoline. I've spent some money on food. It seems I'm always buying some sort of new gear -- decoys, game carriers, waders, anchor weights, etc., etc. Then there is the non-resident hunting license and state duck stamp and federal duck stamp. When it comes right down to it, my cost for Hevishot is less than 50% of my hunting expense, and yet it may have the greatest influence on how many birds I bring home with me. If I flat out could not afford Hevishot, I would shoot steel and be happy. I can, however, afford Hevishot and feel glad to shoot it.

I do sometimes think that maybe in the future I'll become a better shotgun shooter and may be able to perform well enough with steel to forgo Hevishot, but it would be a decision based on not having many cripples -- which I hate. It could also be a function of learning better how to pass on ducks that are beyond my range with steel. But where I'm at today I'm glad to be able to afford and use the Hevishot.