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The love of hunting motivated the Shaw
brothers to take to the water. “I started
hunting pretty young … duck season is
my favorite season of the year,” says Riley (bottom
left), age 14. Riley hunts with his brother, Harris
(bottom right), and their father, Harry, either in
New Hanover or Hyde counties.
In the warmer months Riley likes to go cruising
along the Intracoastal Waterway and through
the marsh trails, and also appreciates the more
leisurely side of boating. “We’ll go to Dockside or
Causeway, dock there, and sit and dine,” he says.
The boys travel the waterway on their 20-foot
Jones Brothers skiff, which hosts their varied
interests. The shallow-draft boat is effective as a
hunting boat, but the hull sides are tall enough
to allow them to get out in choppier water where
they chase bluefish, Spanish mackerel and the
occasional cobia.
While Harris, 12, is a passionate fisherman, he
also is an avid and accomplished hunter, both on
land and water. “Around here when we hunt we
get mostly buffs (bufflehead ducks) and mergansers.
We get a lot of puddle ducks when we go up
to the impoundment in Hyde County,” he says
adding that while he enjoys fishing near shore, he
also looks forward to visits to the Gulf Stream.
Riley & harris
shaw
Riley (left) and Harris Shaw.
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