Seals

On a routine hunting trip for seabirds, towing my 22 foot spruce local built boat, the bay was frozen for about two miles, large chunks of ice moved around with the rise and fall of the tide. I noticed some activity by the locals on the ice, I decided to walk down and see what was going on.
They had cut a line of holes in the sea ice, and with a long stick with floats attached, played it through the holes with a rope attached. The idea was to tow a herring net under the ice, apparently there was a huge school of herring there, and they would make a few bucks selling herring. The herring is really a mass of bones, with some tasty fish meat, I bought a dozen.
This was a social event, and we exchanged yarns. Somewhere in the conversation they mentioned the seals had found out about the nets, and were helping themselves.
The seals bloated on the herring would get up on the ice mid day to sun themselves.
I drove out the bay and sure enough I could see about thirty resting on the ice edge close to the safety of the open water.
The adult seal for the most part is a wary animal , clumsy and slow on the ice, but fast and graceful in the water. I needed a plan, and would have to get really close, the 30.06 semi browning with a couple of clips the idea weapon, but off in the distance I  could see the houses of the village,
this would be a job for the 12ga slug.
The next day I was ready, the wind was in the bay, I drove well out the bay and secured the boat to a ice pan, covered the engine and boat  with a white tarp, this was going to take a while.
I was wearing a white ducking cap as well as a white face mask, I was using a model 37 pump with 5 slugs, another 15 stood up on the boat seat, i was sitting on life jackets placed on the boat floor.
Slowly but surely I drifted in, there seemed a lot more than yesterday, they were well spread out, and I drifted directly towards a large group. The pulse quicken, most appeared to be sleeping, but every now and then a head would rise and look to what i though was in my direction, I remained motionless.
The 12ga slug is a very short range weapon, I waited, at about 30 feet point blank i slowly raised the gun, off safety, and with iron sights took aim,and pulled the trigger, dead on impact, all hell broke loose, seals everywhere, it was all over in a few seconds, heading for the open water they came at me, 13 lay dead , the ammo gone, a lot of work tonight, and a lot of meat for the cans tomorrow.