Lonely Shores

Where the waterfowling is greater than the sum of the ducks

he spooky ambience of a typical coastal Alaska duck hunt often derives from the quality of the light. Come September, dawn never really breaks that far north. Instead the sun slinks along the horizon like a misbehaving retriever trying to delay an inevitable reckoning with punishment, resulting in creeping shadows with softened edges, rich autumn colors when the skies are clear, and mysterious depths of gloom when they are not. And waterfowl largely abandon their usual diurnal flight patterns, which can mean fast shooting at any time of day.

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