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Solstice Geoduck Hunt on Hood Canal

John Deleva (foreground) and Paul Schauburg, captain of the boat with his son Zack harvest geoduck in Hood Canal.

by John Deleva

There is such a thing as a free lunch, and summer solstice's extremely low tides on the Hood Canal had the whole neighborhood out for the feast. Great blue herons lined the mudflats looking for treats that only a minus four-foot tide can offer. Several bald eagles evaluated their options from above, while a six-pack of transient orcas pursued their favorite snack, harbor seal.

Meanwhile, men, women and children with shovels and buckets gathered shellfish from places the cabin and conifer-lined canal exposes but 10 times a year. We witnessed all this cruising the Hood Canal against a slight chop between Union and Hama Hama. The action was pure bonus as far as we were concerned, though. We were on a mission, not a sightseeing tour. We had been shut out on four previous geoduck hunts, but felt this time we would not return with empty buckets.

We understood and accepted that the geoduck is older, and wiser, than us. In fact, some of these football-sized bivalves have been living in the canal for 165 years. They know how to run . . . and hide. Instead of winging it on our own this time, we called Great Bend Charters, a new, local outfit that allowed guests access to private Hama Hama Seafood Company tidal flats - prime geoduck hunting grounds.

Once a morning tempest headed east, we aimed north to the broad Hama Hama estuary, where a blonde, bare-chested Hank Bloomfield slogged through brackish, ankle-deep water to greet us. We quickly learned the commercial method for getting geoducks - use a water pump to send air in and water out of the hole - virtually guaranteed a duck in minutes. Not for us. We wanted old school, a bottomless bucket, a shovel and advice - no more.

Hank's relatives settled here in the 1890's, about the same time the oldest living geoducks did. Hank's the fifth generation to work the flats, primarily harvesting oysters and clams, but he knows a good share about geoducks, too. Our three-man and one-kid team positioned the five-gallon bucket over an exposed quarter-sized portion of the duck's neck and began shoveling.

Two of us dug around the bucket while two others would remove sand, gravel and water from the inside, careful not to sever the ducks neck. That wasn't a problem, however, as the duck was able to retract its two-foot neck faster than we could scoop and dig. Soon enough, we reached the water table and bailing became a regular part of the process. We scooped, dug and bailed for a good hour, creating a pit three-feet wide and fingertip to shoulder deep. We took turns laying flat on the cold, wet muck, feeling the neck yet unable to reach the shell.

Hank and his genial co-worker, Adam James, talked about Johnny Deep, and our diminishing chances of getting him. I couldn't believe we were about to go oh-for-five. I begin thinking the headline of this story would end up being: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Buy 'Em. If we failed, we would not use the commercial pump. We would hang our heads and go to the Hama Hama retail store. Despite the incoming tide, we did have time for another attempt or two, though.

Hank led us to a portion of the flats with harder, more gravelly pack. We employed the same process as the water level rose. We dug to the duck's neck and held gently while working down through the harder pack. Sacrificing fingernails was nothing during this pursuit. Four hands and twenty minutes later, we had the shell surrounded and a two-pound duck on the way up. We beat the tide and snapped the streak. We had proven that summer solstice on the Hood Canal means you can have your duck and eat it, too.

If you'd like to experience the adventure of the geoduck hunt for yourself, contact Captain Paul Schaumburg at Great Bend Charters at 360.490.2777 -
(www.greatbendcharters.com).

If you're looking to buy some of this delicious duck, call the Hama Hama Company, at 360.877.6938 or visit their website at www.hamahamaoysters.com.

Better yet, take a leisurely drive up the Hood Canal and visit the Hama Hama retail store, located off Highway 101, just south of the Hama Hama bridges. The store offers an array of fresh delicacies, including their own smoked products. While you're there, take a tour of the oyster plant, take a picture of yourself atop a mound of oyster shells, and see for yourself how an oyster farm works.

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