I've had beavers, muskrats and even a whitetail deer swim through my decoys. I've been stung by bees and startled by snakes during teal season. And once an eagle flew off with one of my ducks. But I have neither experienced nor heard of anything like what happened to these eider hunters off Cape Cod:
What incredible footage. However, I'm happy to watch the video rather than experience this firsthand. Can you imagine a wild seal jumping into your lap? My video would surely include far more profanity and girlish shrieking.
Captain Jeremiah Brooks of Ocean State Outfitters--the hunter who earned the marine mammal's affections--notes on his YouTube channel that he wasn't exactly comfortable with the seal's advances either: "All I was thinking about was the thing biting my face because he was so close. I could feel his breath on my face. I was trying to dump it back in the water! Just didn't work. It was scary, cool and exciting all at the same time! That area of the Cape is known for sharks, maybe there was something in the water!"
Regardless of the cause, I'm glad Brooks had his wits about him sufficient to film this. Is it not one of the craziest things you've ever seen befall a couple of duck hunters?
