Abstract: A shotgun shell wad may include a plurality of resilient flaps spaced evenly around a circumference of a cylindrical body configured to receive shot, with the flaps covering less than half of the circumference. The flaps may be in an undeployed state until a shotgun shell is fired and the wad exits the barrel. The movement of the wad through air may urge the flaps into a deployed state. The flaps may retard the motion of the wad gradually such that the shot and wad remain together for up to 20 meters before decoupling.