bowhunting for fish

[drakedeming]

I saw a video on peta's website( i like to see what the enemy is thinking) about bowhunting carp. These guys had about 20 carp in a trashcan on thier boat. My question is when bow hunting for carp or gar, do the bow hunters eat them or do they just kill them. I think it would be fine to bow hunt a couple of carp and not eat them but these guys had a very large amount. any insight on this would be nice

thanks

[BucketmouthAngler13]

They usualy just kill them and dont eat them. That is not right IMHO. Shooting carp (or any fish) and eating them is another matter.

[drakedeming]

yeah if you are not eating them, then it is messed up, unless you shoot a giant fish and get it stuffed or something. I could see that being ok.

[justfishin]

I thought about trying it once after watching some guys in a local creek shoot some huge carp but, I am a firm believer in eating what you shoot. I will not kill for sport only. If I don't eat eat, I don't kill it.

[flyphisher #]

In most areas, Carp/Gar are considered a nusiance. They are the biggest predator of gamefish eggs. Gar eat whole fish. I know guys that shoot them, I am going to get a set-up for my bow when I am able to start pulling it back again. Some people give them to folks that actually eat them. Some are real big believers in the nutrients that the carcasses provide. If no one takes them out of the food chain, even if they dont eat them, they will take over. I have seen several smaller lakes ruined by common carp and gar.

Just because you dont eat them doesnt mean they dont need to be controled, and doesnt mean the fish are not going to be used for something.

This crowd sure is quick to bash things they dont know all the details on.........

[RecMar8541]

I have actually been outfitting a rig to use at the lake here.  Several of the Large Bass i have caught lately in the 9-12 lb range have been huge scars, and no they arent from spawning.  Several neighbors have had small dogs, as well as chickens etc etc, vanish into the night.  I love swimmin in th3e lake in the daytime, but night is a whole new ball game.  Time for some thinin out, and firin up the deep fryer.

[G3 Fan]

 I had a friend who used to compete in bowfishing tournaments up on the Great Lakes and I am almost positive that all of the carp harvested went to a pet food company or a fertilizer company. That was back in the early '90's and they probably don't do that anymore, I don't know I lost touch with him but I am sure politcal pressure probably screwed it up.

 I also don't condone killing for sport, I get a little fired up about these closed minded activist groups that think they are doing some good.

 The thing that people should be concerned about and could actually do something about is stopping the introduction of non-native species into our waterways and wildlife. When they are discovered they shoule be eliminated. I get really fired up when boaters don't clean their boats after leaving an area that is posted (or not).

[Bassboy15]

wats IMHO?...

[MALTESE FALCON]

"In My Humble Opinion"

The guys around here that bow hunt the carp just use them for fertilizer as far as I know. In the spring my canal has hundreds if not thousands of carp spawning. Guys are always asking if they can come in my yard to hunt them. When I ask what they do with the carp after they shoot them, they say they take a few pictures and then bury them. That's when I close the door in their face.

Falcon

[PaparockArk]

I saw a video on peta's website( i like to see what the enemy is thinking) about bowhunting carp. These guys had about 20 carp in a trashcan on thier boat. My question is when bow hunting for carp or gar, do the bow hunters eat them or do they just kill them. I think it would be fine to bow hunt a couple of carp and not eat them but these guys had a very large amount. any insight on this would be nice

thanks

Growing up in the southern part Arkansas in the 50s and 60s my best friend (American Indian) and I bowfished carp. At the end of each trip we delivered our "kill" to the poor around the lake that were there fishing to eat and not just for fun. If they caught nothing they just might go to sleep hungry. Many times we would have to make the "threat" to throw them away if these poor would not take them as they often would protest that they did not "want to take our fish."

People like those that join Peta I doubt seriously have ever lived in an area and daily witnessed that type of grinding poverty much less gone without food on the chance another might do the same even when your belly is gnawing at your backbone at the sight of that offered food.

[burleytog]

Carp can sometimes be the prarie dog of the water.

[Bass Smacker]

Most people just kill them. Here in Calif. I beleve it is agenst the law to return a live carp to the water.  They are invasive fish that will eat every thing in a lake or pond... Then take over it. I use to fish this one pond that had some nice bass in it about 10 years ago. Now the carp are so thick in it that nothing else can compete.          

[flyphisher #]

Amazing how the same people that will whine about the quality of the fishing where they are, yet they get mad when people are removing one of the reasons that the fishing is going down. :..because they are not eating them......Well I cant eat coyotes, wild dogs or feral cats, but i still kill everyone I see due to the fact that they are not supposed to be here...guess that makes me a monster or something.....

[Guest avid]

I think burley said it best.  It's like "varmit hunting".  

Would you take your .22 and shoot the rats infesting your barn?

A lake full of carp or gar is like that to alot of guys.

[Jerkbate]

Carp are invasive species.  When bowfishing, we usually try to find someone who will take them, but if not, we bury them.  The carp are overrunning my local reservoir.  It has been nothing to see hundreds in the shallows the past couple of years.  In that same time the bream and bass fishing have plummeted to practically none existent.  I've included an excerpt from an article written about the affects of carp on a body of water.  I agree that shooting carp is akin to shooting prairie dogs.  They have to be controlled, and it's a ton of fun.

"After the tributaries were cleared of carp, we placed fences across two of them to prevent carp from reentering, and monitored bottom food organisms, zooplankton, water clarity, and submerged aquatic plant abundance above and below the fences. A comparison of the two locations would help us identify the effects of carp. Water samples collected before and after the rotenone applications are being analyzed by the North Dakota State Department of Health to assess effects on water quality. Of special interest is how decaying carp affected nutrient levels of the tributaries.

Within 24 hours after the carp were removed, water clarity within the tributaries increased remarkably; from only a few inches with carp to more than two feet without carp. The increased visibility above the fences persisted the rest of the summer.

The clearer water above the fences enabled submerged aquatic plants to flourish, so that by the end of July, areas less than two feet deep were completely covered with submerged vegetation. Submerged vegetation abundance also increased in deeper areas of the tributaries, as well as in the main reservoir. In areas where submerged plants grew, seine catches of young-of-the-year game fish were five times higher than in areas without vegetation.

Overabundant carp can severely deplete lake bottom food sources needed by species such as yellow perch, bluegills, and channel catfish."

[justfishin]

I was just expressing my own opinion Flyphisher. I understand there is a need at times for pest control. No need to get all puffy. I was going to lash into you until I saw your age. I am not going to argue with a kid. I guess you just had a bad day. Relax. I am on your side. I hunt and fish too although I think your practice of shooting dogs is cheesy. Sounds to me like you are a immature guy who is trigger happy. I hope you grow out of this as you get a little older and wiser.

[Murray]

some of my best friends have given up fishing for L.M. on lake martin here in alabama and now just bowfish for gar...they are actually pretty good in gumbo. but anything is good with enough vegetables and hot sauce.

[flyphisher #]

I was just expressing my own opinion Flyphisher. I understand there is a need at times for pest control. No need to get all puffy. I was going to lash into you until I saw your age. I am not going to argue with a kid. I guess you just had a bad day. Relax. I am on your side. I hunt and fish too although I think your practice of shooting dogs is cheesy. Sounds to me like you are a immature guy who is trigger happy. I hope you grow out of this as you get a little older and wiser.

Immature KId having a bad day???? Not going to rip me, yet you did :...considering your usual persona on here, i think you may have had a bad day......I am 28 years old, 2 college degrees w/ a 3rd in progress,Have worked for and  Own everything I have, Trucks,boats, home, small piece of land on the farm I grew up on that my folks still own.....in the past show horses that cost what I wish i could spend on a newer bassboat now.......

I didnt even direct my comments at you......I dont think i am the puffy one. Not rip me????looks like you did...I dont just shoot random dogs or bedfish w/ dynamite ...I honestly hate killing dogs and have never disposed of my own dogs.... When you have hundreds of thousands of dollars of livestock and 3 hunting dogs roaming your famiy's dairy farm..With small county dumpster areas within a half mile of your farm, there used to be alot of sick strays plus we used to have to dispose of our own dead animals..used to be a problem..You figure out quick what dog is a threat if you are lucky enough to see them. Several have been rapid that my dad or I shot. Coyotes that you see, are sick or hungry/brave or bred w/ dogs, need to be taken care of...Have actually killed more coyotes than dogs in the last 10 years...Deer and feral hogs are pest here in many areas...not enough people help manage them..it just happens we can eat them though.

I would think most anti-bowfishers prollie dont bed fish either.Guys around here bowfish prior to the gar/carp spawn when they flood the shallows to feed on bream/bass and their eggs..... I personally have seen carp and gar in some areas of my homelake raid bass beds...Carp are the worst sucking up eggs like a vaccum cleaner...and trashing beds, Although you may choose not to do it, be glad some else is helping w/ pest control, what little dent they actually put in the population of trash fish helps a little...Not like they are putting the in the a dumpster(illegal) or playing sick pranks with them.....

[justfishin]

...and have a nice day.

[flyphisher #]

???????? :

[cart7t]

some of my best friends have given up fishing for L.M. on lake martin here in alabama and now just bowfish for gar...they are actually pretty good in gumbo. but anything is good with enough vegetables and hot sauce.

I've seen a few interesting recipes for gar. None of which ever included actually eating the fish after you were done cooking it.

[bassdocktor]

I'm glad to see this up here because I always wondered what most people did with the fish after they were shot.

[justfishin]

Hey FlyPhisher, no harm, no foul. Yes, I did get ruffled when you spoke of shooting dogs. I love dogs big time. If you are a farm boy I can see your point somewhat. I grew up working a dairy farm. When you first posted it just came about as you shooting anything that walked on your property, thats all. I cannot think of any reason to shoot a dog though unless you have a pack of wild ones that are getting into the animals. I know we had a small bunch that used to come in and attack the newborn calves and eat them from time to time. They had to be shot, as you know the price of dairy cattle from good stock. I guess I was too quick to judge and it is something I have to work on. Have a good one.

From one farm boy to another:

                Letter from a Farm Kid

(Now at Camp Pendleton, San Diego, Marine Corps Recruit Training)

Dear Ma and Pa:

I am well. Hope you are too. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer that the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay... practically nothing. Men got to shave but it's not so bad... there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie, and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you 'til noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much.

We go on "route marches," which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.

The country is nice but awful flat. The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.

Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake. I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds and he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join up before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding on in.

Your loving daughter, Tammy Jo

[RecMar8541]

That was a great read!

I went through basic in San Diego, and growing up as a farm boy, so much of that smacks so very true!

The only part wrong is that the USMC only trains women at Paris Island lol!  Other that that, and although I realize that was written as humor, it hit so close to home as being true!!  

On topic....

I dont see anything wrong with bow hunting in lakes, as long as its legally done and only aimed at "junk" fish.

Reccon

[Pond Hopper]

I know a guy around here that is very big into it and he takes the fish(pickups full) to trappers or to pig farmers who then feed them to the pigs.  Otherwise they become fertilizer for his garden.  They try to make the best use of the fish even though they may not eat them.