coarsegrain 0 Posted March 11, 2011 Report Share Posted March 11, 2011 I signed up 12 months ago and it appears I didn't introduce myself or to be honest participate much. Please accept my apologies. I started my love of field sports at a very tender age controlling sparrows in the garden with a catapult and following otter hounds initially for free crisps and lemonade. Later my first terrier got me into ratting, rabbiting and fell fox hunting. At 11 years old my older cousin introduced me to wood pigeon and duck shooting. My "chore" was to clean and look after his gun.(yes it was that long ago) When the moon was up and Raymond on 12hours night shift I'd sneak out down the valley with his old Greener GP after duck. My parents would have skinned me alive if I'd been caught. I read every fowling book I could find in the school library, and during those innocent years I shot my first game bird in flight, a woodcock with a .177 BSA Cadet. An absolute fluke true, but then I've always been lucky shooting. At 16 a short interlude followed, motorcycles, girls etc (a bit of a greaser), I could never understand the flower-power stuff, strange people? Now I was mobile and I found the Solway, though it would be a few years before I would begin real wildfowling. And that would be in 1969, I believe I caught the last of the good times, the free times of few restrictions. I started punting as gunner in 1972 under the guidance of two mentors, perfect sportsmen and gentlemen, both now sadly past away. We wildfowled all over the country, and boy! did we have some fun and a few scarey times too. I've met many many sporting people over the years and without doubt hardly a wrong'un. Right now I'm pretty well worn out and wrecked, broken bones and cold soakings have taken their toll. I generally get out afloat or ashore on butterfly days with little chance of a shot but who would care, not me. coarsegrain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reabrook 6 Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Fowling Books in the School Library???? Those were the days. Mine had 1 but a few other shooting/fishing books besides. Bet there aren't that many now lol. RB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coarsegrain 0 Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Fowling Books in the School Library???? Those were the days. Mine had 1 but a few other shooting/fishing books besides. Bet there aren't that many now lol. RB I reckon I was lucky, we had at least two of BB's, two of Scott's, a Mr Crabtree (I think), and one by Bell the white hunter, there were a few of Scott's prints around too. You're right though, not the thing for todays kids to read, but I'll bet there's plenty of weirdo stuff. In music, the Teacher would have us singing old Lakeland hunting songs, our heritige she'd say. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest john5 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 hello is that a big single or a small double punt ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coarsegrain 0 Posted March 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 (edited) hello is that a big single or a small double punt ? She's a double just under 22foot with 4 foot beam. Small or medium take your pick. Edited March 14, 2011 by coarsegrain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reabrook 6 Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 My memories not that good but I do remember there was a BB in our library as it was the first one I ever read. To be fair to the school I don't suppose they thought there was much call for books on coastal wildfowling in a midlands town, just about as far from the sea as you can get in uk. Plenty of fishing books and a few shooting books besides. After all these years I'd love to go back and see just what is in there now!! A few years ago my son was at an Agri College studying Game and Wildlife Management. He had to do most of his online research at home as the College computers had been blocked from going to sites with referencr to guns and shooting?? When we brought it up they said it was because they had other students there as well as the Agricultural ones. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest john5 Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 hello is that a big single or a small double punt ? She's a double just under 22foot with 4 foot beam. Small or medium take your pick. well if there was two of me it is small , unless my partner is a dwarf Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coarsegrain 0 Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Well that'll be me, vertically challenged. The punt was professionally built in 1946ish and the cockpit is quite roomy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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