Guys, it is BUCKshot. True, some guys are termed "young bucks," but generally speaking, buck means something with four legs. Antipersonnel usage is just one reason folks buy buckshot.
Moreover, those round balls lose velocity fast. For situations where "area fire" may be necessary, or at longer range, one may want to launch those lead balls at a bit higher velocity. I like to keep a few standard-velocity buckshot shells handy when on police patrol, just as I like to have a few slugs handy, too, though I generally keep Remington 8-pellet shells in the magazine tube. Just to be clear, I don't regard "area fire" as something generally desirable for police patrol, unless perhaps terrorists tried to hit something in my area, and there were no citizens anywhere near the line of fire. (Don't laugh; my beat contains an Israeli Consulate, other consulates, a water chlorination plant, a very important rail line, a major highway intersection, upscale hotels, and an upscale internationally-known mall and more upscale hotels are within a block of my beat. Mumbai could come to Texas; it would be silly to remain complacent.)