My dad was the gunner. I just steered the boat, where he told me. I am quite skilled enough at that. There was a bit of a lop and safety first, one has to be sure of one's shot. Every time we got close, the seal would dive, only to resurface dozens of miles away.

I only got to do it once.
Of course because the season is so short and the quota so small, the window is very small in which to hunt. Before seals were as plentiful as they are now, often the hunt was closed before they reached our bay.