[fabsroman]

If you are hunting in the US, it is illegal to hunt over live waterfowl, even the stupid domesticated ducks that will not leave the pond. That is the first tip.

Canvasbacks can be tough birds, so I'm not surprised that it didn't come down at medium range with steel. I also think a Canvasback would be one of the larger ducks, but I cold be wrong about that. Personally, I have never had a problem with steel at 20 yards, and very rarely at 30 yards, if the gun patterns the shell well, I pick the correct pellet size, and I do my part. For canvasbacks, I would probably use #2's in steel at medium range, and #4's if they are coming in real close over decoys.

If you hit the bird 3 or 4 times, I am really surprised that it didn't drop dead. Did you recover the bird? If so, breast it out and see if you can find any pellets in it. If you find a lot of pellets in it, that will show you what kind of penetration you are getting with the load you are using. There is a huge difference between shooting the neck off of a mallard, and a body shot on a canvasback. Heck, there is a huge difference between shooting the neck on a mallard and shooting the body on a mallard.