Continuing the exploration of the swan hunting potential of North Carolina, Hovey visits Nags Head on the Outer Banks to duck hunt at Bodie Island on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. There he also finds swan, but having already taken his allotted bird he duck hunts from one of the public blinds.
Drawing on a hunt that was taken two years ago when cold weather had frozen nearly all the fresh-water ponds, Hovey relates how he took a swan that year with an original British musket that was made in the mid-1800s with a modern charge of non-toxic shot. This hunt was quite different from conditions in 2011-12 when mosquito populations were still high on the last day of December.
In sharp contrast to rural and sparsely inhabited Hyde County near Lake Mattamuskeet where he had killed a swan the day before and the mainland parts of Dare County, the Outer Banks from Nags Head north have abundant accommodations, tourist attractions, public entertainment and beaches that are largely unpeopled during mid-Winter.
These features attract nature lovers, duck hunters, surf fishermen and others who want a quiet place with modern conveniences to get away from the 24/7 drain put on them by modern society. This is a location not only to hunt and fish, but also to work on the book that you always wanted to write, finish your screenplay or obtain artistic inspiration from thousands of acres of wild lands on the National Seashore while you commune with the abundant wildlife and enjoy first class rooms and food as the mood strikes you.
By December the Hurricane Season is long over, the tourist season is but a memory and lodging that was very expensive may be had at deeply discounted prices or perhaps even free, if you know someone who wants a person they can trust to house-sit their condo.