I Believe in Fate and Destiny

Day three of this trip would turn what was golden into platinum. It was my crews turn to hit the land points again. With the Suburban being full, I rode out with a young Aleut native that helps Charlie during duck season. I believe in fate and destiny and only that could have prompted Dustin to have turned off early to another point of land famous for the Aleuts as they hunt sea lions and seals. We did this to have more room between both groups and me being the history buff; this was my chance to hunt with a native Alaskan and hopefully get him to talk about his people and their history here on the island. As we settled in; I found a somewhat flat rock and waited patiently for legal shooting hours. As is normal in most places in coastal Alaska and the Aleutians; the Harlequin started right on time by the hundreds!!!!! As Dustin I talked……you could see offshore on the horizon the King Eider in long strings of flocks by the thousands on the move. With another snow quall moving in; a flock approached probably within 30 yards……..boom!!!! Another big mature drake down!!! Dustin heads down to the water as the crashing surf pushes the big bird into shore and as soon as I look up there were flocks of Kings everywhere!! Flying over water, land, offshore…..just everywhere!!!! I pick out another nice drake……..boom!!!! I fill my annual four bird limit on Kings with what would end up the largest drake I would take on the trip. Dustin being a native has the right to subsistence hunt so I told him by all means I was finished and there were plenty of Kings to be had. I unloaded my shotgun and watched. Dustin shot a drake that ended up landing behind us on land. As he went to get it……..I had a flock of Kings fly within 15 yards of me head high. I could clearly see the eyes on the eider much less the lobes they were sporting. It was truly a magical moment. I would have never dreamed I would be close enough in my lifetime to see King Eider fly that close to me. Just incredible!!!!!!! After Dustin took a couple more drakes; I concentrated on keeping my eyes peeled for hopefully a nice White-winged Scoter drake. It’s all I lack to complete my Scoter slam having already taken a Surf and Black Scoter in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. We saw a couple of pair but too far to shoot at for a clean shot without winging one and taking the chance of losing it in the breaking surf. Still…….while waiting on the White-wings; it was an incredible thing to hear Dustin say as we scanned through the flocks…….”Don’t shoot; those are Kings”!!!!!! I seriously would have never dreamed that!!! With our hunt complete; I had Dustin drive me to a monument that marks the original Russian Orthodox Church that was on the island for a picture. By this time the sun was out after the snow squall and it was another day on this trip that I would remember until I quit breathing. It truly was a story book script……………