At this time of year, when we see armed people dressed in camouflage charging toward the shore in an inflatable boat, we know that it’s not an act of war by militant Canadians. It’s duck hunters returning from a cold morning among the islands in Eggemoggin Reach.
Migratory game bird hunting here is extensively regulated by both State and Federal requirements. The hunting may only be with an appropriate shotgun, hand-held bow and arrow, crossbow, or by falconry.
Among many other requirements, the shotguns may be no larger than 10 gauge and cannot be capable of holding more than three shells at a time. The shot in the shells must be steel or otherwise approved as nontoxic to the birds, because they may later find and eat expended shot.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on December 15, 2012.)