Mike Powell

The waterside trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge are often flooded by tidal surges and littered with debris when the waters recede. Some of the debris, like driftwood, snail shells, and clumps of vegetation is natural, but much of it is manmade.

During a recent visit to the refuge, I was shocked to spot a different kind of shel than I am used to seeing—there were multiple used shotgun shells at one location. In some earlier postings I have noted that there are multiple duck blinds in the waters off of the wildlife refuge and during certain seasons I have seen and heard duck hunters using these blinds.

I assume that these shells floated in or were carried in by the tide from one of those duck blinds. (Do used shotgun shells float?) Hunting is definitely not permitted on the grounds of the refuge, with the exception of several days a year when the refuge is closed and deer hunting, which is part of the “deer management program,” is permitted. I am not a hunter, but recognize that there is an overabundance of white-tailed deer in our area that poses a threat to both humans on the roads and to the deer themselves, who may struggle to find food.

I tried to capture these images of the shell as artfully as possible, but the juxtaposition of the natural and manmade elements in the photos is nonetheless jarring for me, considering what the shells were designed to do.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.