36 BROADLAND SPORT 



We do not suppose there is a public shooting water in 

 Norfolk or Suffolk which has been so harassed. 



Often are seen pictures in the London illustrated papers 

 entitled " Wildfowling on Oulton Broad," wherein the artist 

 depicts a shooter sitting on the bottom of a punt, in the 

 reeds, with his waterman holding an anxious-looking 

 retriever by the collar. Overhead are flying streams of 

 mallard and wild duck, arid the envious looker-on anticipates 

 that at least a score will grace the bag before the shooter 

 returns to breakfast. 



What a myth ! What a snare and delusion ! Years 

 gone by such a picture would not have been an exaggeration, 

 but now things are sadly altered, and if the shooter killed 

 one couple of mallard during the month of August on Oulton 

 Broad, he would be considered fortunate. In the first fortnight 

 of November a good many fowl drop into the water whilst 

 migrating towards other less-disturbed haunts, and during the 

 grey, cold mornings of that month, especially when the wind 

 is high, several are shot over decoys and by other means. 

 Borrow's Ham and the reed beds all round the entrance to 

 the river Waveney, or Oulton Dyke, are the favourite stands 

 to take, and the pulk holes and rands are worth carefully 

 searching and beating with the first streak of dawn. Teal 

 used to frequent Borrow's Ham about ten or fifteen years 

 ago ; now they are rarely, if ever, seen anywhere on the 

 Broad. In August there are a few redshanks, sandpipers, 

 turtle-doves, moorhens and snipe to be met with, but the 

 owners of private property round the shores of the Broad 

 have a strongly-rooted aversion to seeing the sandpipers 

 and turtle-doves (which come every year from Africa) shot 

 or taken, as the presence of these birds adds greatly to the 

 enjoyment of everybody. Snipe are found in November 

 round the rands of the Broad (in Carlton Ham especi- 

 ally), and heavy bags are sometimes made. When such 

 is the case great secrecy is observed, otherwise the next 

 morning sees a gunner to every bird. Punt guns are not 

 used on this water ; they would be very dangerous, and the 



