Spent the evening as the lone hunter in my section of the Bay. Between 4-530pm it was a bluebird day with very little flying. It looked like a mistake to drag myself onto the beach but a little after unloading my pack I was able to call a mallard hen back and got my first success. Then as the sun started coming down I went back to my original notion which was to walk out as far as I could on the beach and wait for the night flight to come in. I went out once and found a nice log that would provide some cover and then took another trip back to grab all my ammunition.
Before I get to what happened I have to backtrack and mention that when I took my first steps into the foreshore it was already one of my most interesting hunting experiences because standing just inside the path was Henrik Sedin and his son. I normally wouldn't pay any attention to a non hunter in the swamp because I don't want any opportunity for conflict so I just said hi and was about to step around them in my camo and shouldering my shotgun when Henrik asked me if it was hunting season. I stopped and his son answered for me. After looking up I realized I was talking to one of the Sedins and continued the conversation. I said it was goose and duck season. I said what are you doing here? He said just a little photography and I said "how about a little hockey too?" And he smiled said awww no and wished me a good day.
So even if that was the only interesting thing this afternoon it would have made my decision to go out for an evening hunt a good one. But onto the hunt.
It turns out just marching right out into the open can provide some fun new opportunities. Having located a sliver of a log out in the middle of nowhere I decided to spend the remaining daylight watching the sun go down. And as a bonus there was good 360 action. By chance the log was positioned between two rafting groups of ducks. Each of them about 100m or more away but they paid me no mind as I crept up to the log and then sat down to wait for something to happen.
At about 5:45 the tide started coming back in I stuck it out as the water rose up around me. And with the tide and the sun declining the winged action picked up. Trios then flights of ducks began circling. These were interspersed with the return of Canada geese lumbering across the bay. I was at the mercy of wherever the birds wanted to go but they seemed to be less wary. After some initial tries a flight came straight into the log and I sent one pinwheeling down. And once I stood up to collect it, both flocks took flight and that was it.
I potted a third on the long walk back to the shore as the tide came in around my feet and the evening fell into darkness.