Hunting birds in flight is a common activity. If you -as all projectile-weapon-wielding hunters should be- are aware of what is downrange, then shooting at thi

Hunting birds in flight is a common activity. If you -as all projectile-weapon-wielding hunters should be- are aware of what is downrange, then shooting at things in flight with a shotgun is a relatively low risk activity. A few bits of stray shot travelling at terminal velocity are unlikely to do significant lasting harm to someone on the ground. (For comparison, try to find out how many folks have had fatal encounters with pellet or BB guns. The size and weight of an average BB is in the same ballpark as a single piece of shot.)