Fowling

Fowling is a term which is perhaps better known in the Fens of eastern England than elsewhere. It was more than the commercial equivalent of the field sport of wildfowling, in that it includes all forms of bird catching for meat, feathers or any other part of the bird which may have been sold on the market at the relevant time. However, it 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 was part of a landowner's well-equipped estate. See a brief description of a duck decoy. (Click the quotation from Lipscombe link.)

However, the epitome of fowling was 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.

Fowling (sport)

Fowling is a hybrid game that combines the equipment of American Football and Bowling into one sport with a similar layout as Horseshoes and Cornhole. Most commonly played as a pastime in a tailgate or campground setting across the United States, fowling was founded in 2001 by Chris Hutt from Detroit, MI. The object of fowling is for teams to be the first to knock down all opponent’s pins by throwing a full size regulation football at 10 bowling pins positioned in a traditional bowling layout.

Rules

The American Fowling Association (AFA) has established a set of guidelines in order to govern sanctioned tournament play. All AFA members are expected to comply with the rules and regulations established and any violations or offenses will result in a team forfeiture at the discretion of a judge or official. Players have the option to protest a ruling to an official if they feel a violation has occurred by the opposing team.

Gameplay