If you consider yourself a bowhunter, you know how long the summer months can be. There is nothing to shoot but targets, right? What if I told you there was a way to keep your skills sharp, pout that expensive bow to work and feel the rush of hunting?
Well, boy, do I have something for you!
Bowfishing
Bow fishing is defined as ”taking rough fish by archery where the arrows are tethered or controlled by an attached line.” It might not sound all that exciting, but it is.
This blog will be breaking down some tips on getting started in bowfishing. AS well as how to hone your skills and turn into a real robin hood of the lake this summer for some summer “hunting.”
The cost of entry isn’t high for bowfishing.
With traditional hunting, the cost of camo, scents, calls, ammo, different caliber guns all seems to add up fairly quickly. Even when you’re just getting started, the list of things you need to pull off a successful hunt can be a long one.
With bowfishing, the list is short. Bow. Reel. Arrow, and you are ready to fish. Now, a GOOD compound bow for hunting can be an expense some are not ready for. Fortunately for the man on a budget (and who isn’t?), there are a ton of ways to find quality archery equipment without paying the premium.
- eBay
- Pawnshops
- Craiglist
If you already own a bow, compound, or recurve, then you are the majority of the way there! You just need to pick up a reel and a handful of fishing arrows. Now those do run higher than normal arrows, but you only need a few!
Much like hunting, the act of where and how you are doing your hunting ranges. You could walk down the river bank and see what you can hit from there. Or find yourself on a 20-foot bass boat with a spotlight at night, finding massive carps and taking them home with you.
Wide Variety of Targets for Bowfishing
Depending on where you live in the country and what types of water you have access to greatly determines the species you will be bowfishing. The most common fish, however, are
- Common Carp. In many areas, carp have become a problem as they can affect the native habitats of other game fish species. …
- Grass Carp.
- Longnose Gar.
- Bowfin and Snakehead
- Catfish.
That gives the angler/archer multiple types of targets no matter what neck of the woods they call home. The wide varieties of species available also help add to the next awesome part about bow fishing…
Eat what You Shoot
The majority of fish that you will be taking down with your bow and reel are eaters! If there is one thing that makes being outside all day even better is when you get to leave with a cooler full of the freshest meat you can buy!
At first glance, you may look at the list of possible species and think they aren’t the best eaters. Well, let me the first to tell you that long nose gnar backstrap is AMAZING. Also, if you really want to make carp taste good, you can… recipe here.
Night “Hunts”
Other than the entire activity being great fun, one thing really amplifies the fun per minute of bow fishing.
Night Fishing.
Imagine this, you and your buddies load up at dusk onto your bass boat and drift through the canals. Spotlight on, ready to shoot anything in the water that moves. You go hours into the night; a cool breeze and night sky let you fish as long as you want without worrying about the sun or heat making you head in early.
End the night with a cooler for a fish ready for the fryer. Tell me that’s not one of the best ways to spend your nights this summer!
Conclusion
Overall, bowfishing is for anyone. More so, it is the best alternative that I have found to bow hunting in the summer months when things have slowed way down. Forget spending the day shooting at your targets, and start going for ones that move and swim! It’s a little bit harder and a lot more fun!
If you are a landowner or a hunter, then you need to be insured. See if you need a hunting lease policy here!
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