There is a book called 'The Market Hunters' It's stories about the waterfowl hunters in the Chesapeake who harvested ducks & geese for the market. And there outlaws among them too. There is one story that 2 guys were sculling into a flock roosting on the water at night. The normal setup was a large block of wood against the transom for recoil stoppage. The warden was waiting for them in the marsh. When they touched off the punt gun, the recoil tore out the transom. The warden gave them a ride back to the dock in addition to the fine ... punt guns had been long deemed illegal firearms in the US. They are still legal in the UK but not used much anymore since steel shot has been deemed mandatory