Punt gunners operated in the winter months when the wild fowl were at their most numerous and while they were not breeding. Punts were narrow open wooden boats of 10 to 15 feet long. A large punt gun which could be up to 8 feet long was fixed at the front of the punt.
The gun was fitted with a 3/4 pound charge and packed with up to 900 shot. The punt gunner laid face down in the craft with his face immediately behind the gun barrel and paddles the punt with small paddles. When he found a group of birds he paddles the punt so that it's bows faced the centre of the birds and then fire the gun. The spread of shot would move over a wide distance and could kill many ducks with one shot. Once the ducks were shot the punt gunner picked the ducks from the water and stored them in the punt.
The gunning-punts of the eastern coast are of considerable reputation, particularly those in the neighbourhood of Maldon, in Essex, the form of which is much in favour with those who resort to the pursuit of punting in winter as a means of subsistence. All the best punts are built in Maldon, and the builders will give an intending purchaser any information that may be necessary.
To give you some idea of what the Black-water may produce. In 1904 Herbert W Tompkins wrote a fascinating book called Marsh-Country Rambles during which he talked to punt gunners and records the following stories:
A Mr Mussett was with a party of 34 puntgunners at a favourite wildfowl feeding spot near to St Peters Chapel at Bradwell on Sea. An immense number of geese had alighted. They succeeded in getting within range without alarming the birds; the 34 punts returned with nearly 900 geese. Mr Mussett also recalled bagging 57 red-headed dunbirds at one shot.
Mr Fitch killed 75 Wigeon with one shot and further record is given of a gunner who fired into a flock of coots, when a great gull was hovering over them and bagged 63. Maldon gunners should be more famous than they are, for another performance is described of a townsman, William Handley, who once shot 120 geese in three successive shots; he shot 24 dozen geese that week besides.
This was by no means unusual:
* Harry Handley, of Maldon, once shot 432 Oxbirds (Dunlin) in two successive shots in Stansgate Bay.
* John Basham, junr., of Maldon, shot 108 Marl (Knots), in one shot out of a flock resting on the mud flats near Bradwell Chapel.
* Basham himself bagged 288 Oxbirds (Dunlin) at a single shot from a flock settles on the ice, and the gulls and crows took several dozen besides.
* Charles Hipsey, of Maldon, shot 320 Knots in one shot, just as many birds as there were shots in his gun (1/2lb. A.A. shot).
* Frank Hope, of Maldon, once shot 75 Curlew at once.
* Of single shots at geese, Stubbins, of Maldon, once killed 50 at the mouth of Thurslet Creek.
Enormous “bags” of black geese might be recorded. In January, 1871, 14 guns shot 471 birds at once; 32 guns bagged 704 on another occasion, and 18 guns bagged 360.
A = 32 guns bagged how many black geese?
B = William Handley once shot how many geese in three successive shots?
C = how many were bagged when a great gull was hovering over them?
D = Mr Mussett was with a party of how many puntgunners?
W = 18 guns bagged how many black geese?
X = Basham himself bagged how many Oxbirds (Dunlin) at a single shot?
Y = Mr Fitch killed how many Wigeon with one shot?
Z = William Handley shot how many dozen geese that week?