bowfishing etiquette

[neil duffey]

id like to use this post to form a list of bowfishing rules and etiquette together to get stickied to the top of this forum... not necessarily legal rules, but rules we in the sport have set for our own to keep us in a better light w/ the public. for instance, my number one biggest pet peeve of bowfishing is those ho don't take the fish thy shoot w/ them... list your rule... then a brief description why we should adopt the rule if it isn't a regulation law... if its a regulation law just state that as the description. ill start w/ my pet peeve.

#1 - always take the fish you shoot w/ you! do not take the fish off the arrow and return it to the water.

reason: once you shoot a fish, 99% of the time ITS GOING TO DIE! it makes us look bad, as a sporting community. no one enjoys the smell of a rotting fish much less a couple dozen. even if its in a marsh where there isn't homes near by, people enjoy the marsh, be it other bow fisherman, hunters, hikers or what have you. be considerate to those people, and to the other bowfisher man, and take your fish and dispose of them else where.

[Lordofallthatswims]

I have learned to dig the hole before you go. Nobody wants to dig a hole at 6 am after being up all night, and nobody wants to deal with dead fish 12 hours later.

I hunt alot of inland lakes, be considerate and try not to shine your spotlight in someones home, directly or reflected off the water. And, because there are home nearby, keep it quiet. I don't use a generator. I have 3 deepcycles to provide power to spotlights and trolling motor. I hunt all night, on very populated lakes, and no one knows we're there.

[stickem]

I have learned to dig the hole before you go. Nobody wants to dig a hole at 6 am after being up all night, and nobody wants to deal with dead fish 12 hours later.

I hunt alot of inland lakes, be considerate and try not to shine your spotlight in someones home, directly or reflected off the water. And, because there are home nearby, keep it quiet. I don't use a generator. I have 3 deepcycles to provide power to spotlights and trolling motor. I hunt all night, on very populated lakes, and no one knows we're there.


i like to dig a hole like 12 to 24 hours after i get up the next moring:sick: i forget i have fish to tend too..one time i forgot for 4 days:yikes::yikes: i was real busy..talk about stinky!!!!

i used a spotlight when i just started to bow fish but now i go all hands free with the lights and genny..i have people all the time look out there windows at us on the lake but no one has came out and yelled or called the 5o yet...:D

[Jr.BowmanMI]

I dont like to shoot when people are near or passing by. Out of sight out of mind. I just think its rude to pull up a 35 in carp all bloody and splashing around when you have 2 kayakers sightseeing 50 yrds beside you lol.

[DuckMan87]

I dont like to shoot when people are near or passing by. Out of sight out of mind. I just think its rude to pull up a 35 in carp all bloody and splashing around when you have 2 kayakers sightseeing 50 yrds beside you lol.

lol ur better than me...i love walkin into the party store smellin like complete crap...coverd in carp blood n eggs...the looks i get are priceless!!:SHOCKED: and when people dive by flip me off and honk their horns makes me happy cuz in reality theys just jealous

[Carpman]

I think we should only kill the small ones and report any large carp over 35lb to me via PM. :D

[Lordofallthatswims]

I think we should only kill the small ones and report any large carp over 35lb to me via PM. :D


Dang, I wish I had known that last week, I would have passed on that 30lb carp and 42" gar. I'm sorry, I'll have to keep that in mind next week.:lol:

[stickem]

I think we should only kill the small ones and report any large carp over 35lb to me via PM. :D
you can catch em outa my 55 drum.....:D:lol:

[GiveUmTheShaft]

I dont like to shoot when people are near or passing by. Out of sight out of mind. I just think its rude to pull up a 35 in carp all bloody and splashing around when you have 2 kayakers sightseeing 50 yrds beside you lol.

its our lake too were not doing anything against the law so if the people get mad so what!! it is my right to be able to enjoy myself on the lake to. it is a public water way after all. i am not harming any other boaters or kayakers on the water by shooting fish.

i have found if you leave them alone they leave you alone. and if they yell at you or disturb you and threaten you to call the cops. just tell them about fishermans harassment and they'll shut up and leave you alone. as bowfishers we have a right to the water as much as anybody else. we should not have to prove to them that we should be able to what we do!!!, and im not taking a shot at you this is just how i feel.

[TrekJeff]

its our lake too were not doing anything against the law so if the people get mad so what!! it is my right to be able to enjoy myself on the lake to. it is a public water way after all. i am not harming any other boaters or kayakers on the water by shooting fish.

i have found if you leave them alone they leave you alone. and if they yell at you or disturb you and threaten you to call the cops. just tell them about fishermans harassment and they'll shut up and leave you alone. as bowfishers we have a right to the water as much as anybody else. we should not have to prove to them that we should be able to what we do!!!, and im not taking a shot at you this is just how i feel.

There are alot of issues that can be avoided by simply being courteous and having some tack. If enough people get annoyed and lobby together you will see how fast a local ordinance can get passed to regulate your local spot:yikes:. It's easy to stand on a podium and say it is your "right" when if fact it is a privilege. Don't take that for granted.
Take your kill, have respect for others. Don't give the impression that we are a bunch of ignorant rednecks wasting a natural resource and stinking up the lakes. A little goes a long way.:idea:

[LumberJ]

There are alot of issues that can be avoided by simply being courteous and having some tack. If enough people get annoyed and lobby together you will see how fast a local ordinance can get passed to regulate your local spot:yikes:. It's easy to stand on a podium and say it is your "right" when if fact it is a privilege. Don't take that for granted.
Take your kill, have respect for others. Don't give the impression that we are a bunch of ignorant rednecks wasting a natural resource and stinking up the lakes. A little goes a long way.:idea:

Great sentiments. I couldn't agree more

[DuckMan87]

its our lake too were not doing anything against the law so if the people get mad so what!! it is my right to be able to enjoy myself on the lake to. it is a public water way after all. i am not harming any other boaters or kayakers on the water by shooting fish.

i have found if you leave them alone they leave you alone. and if they yell at you or disturb you and threaten you to call the cops. just tell them about fishermans harassment and they'll shut up and leave you alone. as bowfishers we have a right to the water as much as anybody else. we should not have to prove to them that we should be able to what we do!!!, and im not taking a shot at you this is just how i feel.

well actually...i have used that line while i was ice fishin...lol dude said he owned the canal if i didnt move he was callin the cops blah blah blah...im like ok then i call a c.o. for harassment? then he got all loud tryin to fight me...he wouldnt jump down off his dock tho =( made me sad all that arguin and then he just stands there:evilsmile

[MERGANZER]

I think some of this depends on where you do your bowfishing. I do not bowfish lakes especially lakes with homes around them. In fact when I go it usually old drainage ditches and floodings such as the Shiawasee floodings. I can see how leaving your fish in the lake will really annoy people. When I was younger, the DNR stopped us cause we had left a few on the dyke when we were done (we thought the critters would benefit) well the CO asked us to throw them back in the water if we did nor want to take them home so that the turtles and other aquatic life would benefit from them. He never said a word about it being wrong to leave them. Again I think it has more to do with where you bowfish than anything. The flooding full of stangnant water and turtles is a little different from the sandy lake front beaches of the great lakes. JMO.

Ganzer

[TrekJeff]

I think some of this depends on where you do your bowfishing. I do not bowfish lakes especially lakes with homes around them. In fact when I go it usually old drainage ditches and floodings such as the Shiawasee floodings. I can see how leaving your fish in the lake will really annoy people. When I was younger, the DNR stopped us cause we had left a few on the dyke when we were done (we thought the critters would benefit) well the CO asked us to throw them back in the water if we did nor want to take them home so that the turtles and other aquatic life would benefit from them. He never said a word about it being wrong to leave them. Again I think it has more to do with where you bowfish than anything. The flooding full of stangnant water and turtles is a little different from the sandy lake front beaches of the great lakes. JMO.

Ganzer


Great points Ganzer,:D but so everyone doesn't get the wrong message, it is actually illegal to leave the carcasses. It's black and white in the regs. The snappers, coons and other critters will feast, but if they ate it all we'd never have an issue with dead fish on beaches and shorelines. A perfect example of the general public's pull on issues is the Dove Hunting issue, we had a season, then it went away on a ballot. This could also happen with bow fishing. So to all, keep that in mind. Now go out and conquer!:fish2:

[budgrouse]

Hell, it don't hurt to bring an extra trash bag-we end up filling it easily with other "sportsmens"worm containers,chip bags,pop and beer cans etc.Just something my long since passed Grandfather passed on to me.Also we have had homeowners come out and thank us for removing these filthy bed plundering pigs from there waters.Very few negative reviews and mostly just from PETA sorts that ain't happy unless they are miserable.I do my part to see that they stay that way.