doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Punt Guns

Great video, CZ. I really enjoyed that, and another one where they sculled up on a raft of blackjacks. It looks like a way of chasing ducks I would greatly enjoy. Two things I noted, and both from my experiences trying to sneak up on ducks in a low profile boat.

First, divers are not nearly as cautious as puddle ducks. I drift and jump shoot woodies and you would never, ever, in a million tries, slip up that close to a bunch of woodies on open water with no cover. If I didn't drift creeks and rivers that were twisting and turning, providing me cover to close the distance, I wouldn't kill any.

Second, that guy in the front is very trusting of the man behind him with a loaded gun. I don't know of but possibly two men I would allow to have a loaded gun behind me. It can be supremely dangerous in the excitement of a drove of ducks rising off the water.

I usually drift alone, and scull this little rig with one half of a kayak paddle which is tied by a short length of camo rope to my belt. My gun is in my left hand, muzzles up, safety off. I scull with my right hand keeping the boat in position for me to shoot at a rise from about the 8 o'clock to about 12 o'clock positions (I'm right handed), as I let the current carry me. When the ducks rise I drop the paddle in the creek and mount the gun as quickly as possible. None of this is as easy as it sounds, and the devil is in the details. Much can go wrong, but it is all very sporting and fun. If you can picture this, a left hand curve is ideal. I will go around the curve, not pointed directly downstream, but a little catty-whonkered to the right, ideally allowing me a shot or two to my 10 o'clock.

My one man rig.





But ................ punt gunning fascinates me.

SRH

FWIW< I live in an area where market gunning flourished.
I've seen the tally sheets and price lists for the sale of harvested game. I don't think it was a big money maker.

Other opportunities (at least in this region) reduced/eliminated it's necessity.

I'm sure there was always a market for fresh shot game, but I think by 1920, the shipping of barrels full of salted/iced canvasbacks, was in the rear view mirror.

When I hunt my local marsh, I remember the earlier writings of a man that shot canvasbacks and rails on the very fields I see as having been diked and drained for food production. By 1930, cooperative flood control was in full swing.

No more celery beds at the end of my road.

I enjoyed the video too, CZ. Big water diver duck, and they got a cripple to pop back up. I'm with Stan about that back gunner worry, and I'm glad you mentioned turning the boat for the shot, but boy what a tough one depending how the pile moves around and the boat handles. It did look a bit like the back gunner wasn't on his most comfortable shooting position. Trolling for Walleye's and radios, old school?, made me smile.

I'd also suspect that domesticated livestock availability to the market had a fair bit to do with a shrinking market for game as a retail food source. Thanks again for the video link.

I confess to adapting to the times.
Bobbing like a cork, not being able to see over the swells, while trying to outsmart a raft of ducks is a primordial experience.
Michigan has enough water that you can make it as ...invigorating?... as you wish.
A radio seems a small concession.

Nothing to do with punt guns or waterfowl, but just the boom of a heavy black powder charge. I have over the years seen several anvils shot. Tried it once myself with about a 98 b anvil. Was a bit conservative with my powder & only lifted it about 3 feet. I was in a "Hollow" nestled between two hills & she still echoed down the valley. At a local $th of July fireworks show we had an older gentleman who would shoot the anvil out in the middle of a footbal field every year. He would lift his around 8-10 feet. The most spectacular I ever saw it done though was at an antique tractor & engine show. They carried their anvils out into an open field away from the crowd & set her off. When that top anvil reached its peak it was a mere speck up in the air, hard to even see. Wen she came down it buried itself in the ground & would have to dug out. That was spectacular. I can definitely imagine the sound of that big punt gun going off over water.

A few years ago, a neighbor of a friend's RSA farm invited the members of the RSA to come over to his pond to "take a shot". On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, "take a shot" means to bring a punt gun and kill some ducks. Hundreds of ducks from the RSA (regulated shooting area) had taken up residence on the neighbor's pond after having problems with the quality of water on the RSA ponds. My eight gauges were all 100 miles away, at home, but we showed up with what we had, no punt guns unfortunately. We did the best we could by surrounding the pond and having a good supply of ammunition. I would have paid a big buck for a punt gun that day.

I'm with you 110%. Glad that day has been long gone. The guns are interesting and I can understand that (I love "buffalo rifles" but not the results of historic buffalo hunting).

Wait a minute there. I thought shooting at migratory birds with anything bigger than 10 gauge was illegal. Whatever one may think of the law, if indeed that is the law, it must be respected. Well at least laws aimed at conservation of.

RSA are not migratory water fowl but birds raised and released. Just like a released pheasant does not count against a wild bag limit a bird released and shot on a RSA is not considered migratory and may be shot with what you want subject to current state laws.

I'm not sure how a game warden would interpret the use of an eight gauge on RSA birds. I would assume Jon is correct, but I'm not sure.