California Dreamin’
City lights of bustling San Francisco shown dimly along the shore, while the headlights of cars making their morning commute streaked quickly along one of the towering bridges of the Bay. We floated below the cement city, rocking gently with the waves of the sea and sitting silently as the world woke up around us. As the sun rose with the people from its sleeping slumber, our group of hunters waited for our boat Captain, Melynda Dodds, to say the magic words: “Scoters on the horizon, get ready.”
San Fran Scoters
When hunters think of sea duck hunting, images of snowy, blistering winter conditions of remote Alaska or coastal Maine come to mind. And while it’s true these destinations see their fair share of sea ducks migrating through, so do warmer climates.
California is more than just movie stars and Los Angeles. It’s a state that is steeped in hunting heritage but often overlooked because of its Hollywood fame. The Pacific Flyway stretches some 4,000 miles north to south and encompasses The Golden State and the Pacific Ocean. The state is a waterfowl hunting destination as it sees thousands of birds migrate through including not only divers like goldeneyes and blue bills, but puddle ducks, and sea ducks.
Instead of ice and snow, hunters are given a unique hunt in warm climates as surf scoters make their way south along the Pacific coast from their far north breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada.
The surf scoter is a unique species of sea duck. The drakes are often referred to as “Old skunkhead” because of the unique black and white patches that line its head, while a bright orange and white bill is florescent against its black plumage.
Although they may sometimes fly inland to lakes during migration, their primary range is wide open seas. Like all sea ducks, scoters do not respond well to calling but rather are excellent decoy and flagging birds. They fly fast and low along the water, making hunting and connecting on this fowl a test in skill as you battle shooting on rolling oceans seas.
Unlike most hunting where you find yourself far off the beaten path and remote, a healthy population of surf scoters pass through the San Francisco Bay area, making for a unique urban hunt. Sprawling cities with tall tech buildings and refineries line the skyline and sit as your backdrop, while cargo ships sail by your small in comparison hunting vessel. While you swing on fast flying scoters, city life is thriving just a few miles offshore.
Captain Melynda
It was 5 a.m. and in the middle of December as my friends and I pulled into the boat ramp in the San Francisco Bay. We expected to see a line to launch duck boats during prime hunting season. Instead, it was empty except for a lone Toyota Tundra hauling a 25-foot Bankes Titan boat and two women moving with purpose around the vessel.
With skilled precision from many mornings of this same routine, Melynda Dodds, owner of California Guide Service, and her deckhand Maddie Day, prepared the open water boat for launch as we stepped out to greet our guides.
One wouldn’t know Melynda was an adult-onset hunter. Her depth of knowledge regarding how to shoot California sea ducks and skills as a boat Captain gave off the conviction that she had been hunting these open waters since an early age. Instead, Melynda began her love for the outdoors as a young woman growing up in Texas, a far cry from the busy San Francisco area.
“I grew up in a hunting family, but I was never invited to hunt, they didn’t think I would be interested,” explained Melynda. “It wasn’t until I was 30 that I would shoot my first deer and hog. I was told I couldn’t do it…you don’t tell a Texas girl that.”
After taking her first big game animals, Melynda was hooked on hunting and would make it her career soon after. Relocating with her family to the Bay area, she experienced the thrill of hunting ducks along the Pacific Flyway and never looked back.
“I was at a crossroads after my kids were both in school,” said Melynda. “I could either go back to corporate world or start fresh and dive into guiding for fishing and hunting, two things that I was actually passionate about. So, I dove right in.”
Starting from the bottom, Melynda began by working as a deckhand on charter fishing boats to gain experience before applying for her Captain’s license. Once licensed, she set out to learn how to drive as many boats as possible, skippering seven different boats—from 50-foot Deltas to Six-Pack boats to 56-foot Westports. While mastering her Captains license, Melynda’s knowledge for hunting ducks in the Bay went from novice to expert, and California Guide Service was born.
California Dreamin’
The boat ready for launch thanks to our skilled guides, I watched as Melynda backed the 25-foot duck boat down the ramp with ease, her years of hard work and experience showing itself.
We were ready for our California sea duck adventure. With gear loaded, and Melynda’s black Lab, Nova, in her place next to deckhand Maddie, Captain Melynda Dodds steered us through the harbor, the city lights twinkling in the distance.
Having embarked on blistering boat rides for sea ducks in years past, it was satisfying not to have to hunker down for warmth on the short ride before Melynda slowed the throttle. Working as a proficient team, our Captain maneuvered the boat while Maddie prepared and launched multiple strings of scoter decoys.
Soon after legal shooting light, flocks of scoters began flying. Unlike puddle ducks or divers that provide high in the sky shooting, sea ducks fly low and fast along the water, making it very difficult shooting to connect. If we were lucky, we could spot flocks of sea ducks off in the distance so we could prepare ourselves for shooting if we saw the birds turn towards our decoys. Other times, the ducks would zip into the decoys without notice, their black bodies blending in with the dark of the water. This proved to make shooting tough as you attempted to catch your barrel up to the speed of these fast flyers.
Your positioning in the boat tested your skills as a shotgunner. At times you were lucky, and the scoters would cup their wings for landing straight on in your shooting lane, while other times you were dealing with hard crossing shots. Because they fly low on the water, it’s easy to determine whether your shots are behind or ahead thanks to your shot string making a visual splash.
Nova sat patiently, waiting on us to get our sea legs under us so she could work. The drakes were easy to pick out of the flocks, the white paint on their heads serving as a makeshift target that was easily distinguishable from the all brown plumage of the scoter hens. Soon, Melynda gave Nova what she wanted, releasing her to dive into the dark seas to retrieve our quarry.
Knock Down Power
Sea ducks are tough fowl—really tough. Their plumage is made to withstand the harshest ocean conditions, making it hard for shot to penetrate. Additionally, close ranging shots on these fast flyers is rare—most of the time they’re zipping past the end of your decoy lines, keeping them at 30 to 40 yards at the minimum.
Scoters proved a fantastic opportunity to put an Ethos with the new Benelli Advanced Impact (A.I.) barrel technology to the test. Not only was extra energy at impact needed to bring down these tough sea ducks, but a uniform shot pattern as well to reach out and touch the fast flyers.
The new A.I. barrel is packed with enhanced features making it one of the most advanced shotgun barrels of all time. The interior contours as it makes its way down the barrel, making an hourglass shape that is extremely long and tapered. This creates pressure in the barrel that not only increases velocity and energy at impact but keeps shot strings compact and uniform. At 30 yards, velocity is 21 percent higher than a standard barrel, giving 50 percent more penetration on target than your everyday barrel.
My friends and I marveled at the scoters who humbled us for a time before we had our lead times tuned in to let the Advanced Impact barrels bark. Soon we were enjoying the cool California morning, picking our shots carefully on drakes while Captain Dodds and Maddie laughed with us at our epic hits and misses.
Dream Team
Melynda and Maddie worked as a smooth operating team during our two days hunting the San Francisco Bay. In fact, Melynda prides herself on being a Women Owned Small Business with a crew of only females for both her fishing charters and hunts.
“It’s important for me to provide opportunities to women and young girls,” said Melynda. “In this industry, ladies are generally guided by men—few are full female outfits. I want to show women that they really can hunt all on their own. I feel having a team comprised of all women helps to build confidence and expand possibilities for other ladies.”
Melynda and her crew had our respect long before the hunt began, but after days on the water together, that respect only grew. Her passion for hunting California burned bright, making this urban sea duck hunt one for the record books.
