Pat, that's not so wide of the mark!
In my misspent youth, I went poaching with my uncle, using fishing line, a few No16 hooks and some raisins soaked in brandy. You'd flick 'em out into the coverts, wait for the birdies to peck at the raisin and then reel 'em in.
in hindsight it was hideously cruel to the birds (as well as highly illegal), but to an eight-year-old a sackful of free pheasants garnered in almost total silence was an awesome night's work.
And I did catch a sheep last year on a March Brown - the back-cast dropped low enough to snag the fleece of a sheep behind me and the bugger took off, stripping the line down to the backing. Oh, the shame!