Fowling

Fowling is the hunting of birds by humans, for food (meat), feathers or any other commercially value products, or simply for leisure ("sporting") or collecting trophies. It is comparable to wildfowling, the practice of hunting waterfowls for food or sport. The term is perhaps better known in the Fens of Eastern England than elsewhere, but was certainly not confined to the Fens. The land margins of the north produced down feathers from eider duck for eiderdowns and quilted jackets without necessarily killing the birds. In the Western Isles of Scotland, seabirds were taken from their nests on cliffs. In The Fens and other similar places, a decoy^[1] was part of a landowner's well-equipped estate.

The epitome of fowling was, however, the punt gunner. He had what amounted to a long, small-bore muzzle-loaded cannon. It was mounted along the centre-line of the forward half of a specially designed boat which slightly resembled a heavy wooden kayak in form. The fowler lay in the after half with paddle blades strapped to his forearms. The skill was to stalk a raft of duck until within the rather short range required and to fire the gun from which small shot scattered. It remained to gather up the harvest and get it to market. In the winter, the punt gun might be mounted on a sled and the procedure repeated on the same principles.

References

Notes

^ "THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS". Archived from the original on 2001-03-29.

Bibliography

Sly, R. From Punt to Plough (2003) ISBN 0-7509-3398-4.

For decoys, see pp. 131–133.
For punt gunning, see pp. 125–130.
For netting, see pp. 135–138.

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[1] "THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS". Archived from the original on 2001-03-29.

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History	Ancient Egypt Hunter-gatherer Medieval hunting Imperial hunt of the Qing dynasty North American hunting technologies
Forms	Bat-fowling Beagling Bowhunting Big–game hunting Coursing Game stalkering Gigging Green hunting Falconry Eagles Field sports Fowling Handgun hunting Internet hunting Layout hunting Montería Muttonbirding Persistence hunting Pest control Plume hunting Spotlighting Trophy hunting Trapping Trail hunting Treeing Upland hunting Varmint hunting Venatio Waterfowl hunting
Equipment	Camouflage Game call Duck call Ghillie suit Hunting bag Hunting weapon Air gun Assegai Bow and arrow Bear spear Boar spear Boomerang Blowgun Crossbow Pistol Punt gun Rifle Spear-thrower Shotgun Sword Throwing stick Silencer Shooting brake Shooting sticks
Game	Alligator Bear Big five Bison Boar Raccoon Deer Stalking Fox Hare Human Headhunting Jackal Mink Plains game Rabbit Rook Tiger Turkey Turtle Lion Quail Wolf With dogs Seal Squirrel Poaching Whale Aboriginal Dolphin drive hunting Subsistence hunting of the bowhead whale
Infrastructure	Buffalo jump Buffalo pound Chase (land) Deer park (England) Deer forest Desert kite Game larder Game reserve Game farm Guest ranch Hunting blind Bird hide Salter Sporting lodge Jagdschloss Wolf trap
By location	Australia Dugong Kangaroo Azerbaijan Tiger Cambodia Chad Elephant Greenland Reindeer India Tiger poaching Rhino poaching in Assam Kenya Elephant New Zealand Helicopter-based hunting in Fiordland Pakistan Trophy Hunting Russia Romania Spain Switzerland Federal hunting reserves Tonga Pigeon United States Alaska United Kingdom Driven grouse shooting
Regulation and conservation	Bag Bag limits Conservation officer Deer management Game Act 1831 Game law Game preservation Hunting license Hunting Act 2004 Hunting season Poaching Sustainable hunting
Culture	Bambi effect Blooding Canned hunt Car hawking Duck ague Falconry training and technique Fair chase Field dressing Gamekeepers in the United Kingdom Gillie Hunting dog Gun dog Hunting magic List of hunting deities List of big-game hunters Opposition to hunting Parahawking Professional hunter Killing of Cecil the lion Raptor persecution Safety orange Safari Take Tracking Wild Hunt White hunter
Organizations	Boone and Crockett Club Countryside Alliance Ducks Unlimited Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU Finnish Hunters' Association Hunt Saboteurs Association Humane Society of the United States League Against Cruel Sports North American Falconers Association People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Safari Club International
Other	Bowfishing Bounty hunter Blood sport Drag hunting Field trial Fur trade Ghost hunting Hunting hypothesis Hunting strategy Honey hunting Insect collecting Mushroom hunting Orchid hunting Overview of gun laws by nation Pearl hunting Spearfishing Wildlife farming

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Bibliography