Texas Bowfishing is a Sport?

Categorized | culture, sports

Texas Bowfishing is a Sport?

Posted on 17 January 2006 by DanielthePoet

A recent project has led me to learn about ATHA, bowhunting, and bowfishing. First of all, ATHA is the Association of Traditional Hunting Archers, and bowfishing is fishing with a bow and arrow (yeah… I didn’t get it at first either).

Bowhunting is fairly popular around the country. We all know someone who takes his deer rifle and/or shotgun out on at least one hunt per year. People go for all kinds of game: whitetail deer, turkey, dove, etc. Many of you also know someone, maybe the same someone, who prefers the “natural” hunt with bow and arrow.

That’s all fine and good. I can understand the draw of bow and arrow to someone who already likes hunting. It’s a sort of getting back to basics, and in many cases it even qualifies as a dignified alternative to gun hunting.

But bowfishing?!?!? Who the heck needs a bow and arrow to catch a fish, right? Well, let me tell you, you haven’t seen a freshwater fish until you’ve seen what bowfishermen catch. I’m talkin’ about eight to twelve feet long Alligator Gar, weighing in at over 200 pounds!!!! Try catching that with your puny little plastic Zebco reel!

They’re called Alligator Gar because they have two rows of jagged teeth on the topside of their jaws. They are carnivorous, and they even eat smaller alligators! Their scales are so strong that some gunshots and divers’ spears have ricocheted off to the side without any damage!

Okay, these monster fish are ugly as sin too, and they’re not really good for anything. They eat all the preferred game fish, they’re not edible (unless you live in Southeastern Texas), and they’re just plain ugly. They are the red-headed stepchildren of the aquatic world (my apologies to all you red-headed stepchildren who took offense to that last comment…without you, how would we know what normal should look like? I’m joking, PLEASE!!!! Put down the garden hoe!).

Where was I? Oh yes, ugly as sin. I honestly have no intention of ever hunting these ugly bastards, just because I don’t want to see up close and personal one of God’s creations look so horrible. It’s like an alien catfish mated with an alligator and their devil spawn was thrust into our lakes and rivers! What’s up with that?

I apologize profusely to each and every one of you who Google’s Alligator Gar after reading this to see pictures. I do hope you weren’t about to eat before seeing those pictures… especially fish.

What was my point in all of this? Oh, right. Bowfishing is a hunting sport. You take this funky looking bow and arrow and shoot it into the water at fish above or near the surface. If you happen to be so lucky as to hit a rather large Gator Gar, you then receive the even better treat of being pulled around in the river by a fish larger than you and your uncle. Did I mention that people do this for fun?

Well, I suppose if you live closer to rivers than cattle, then this beats cow tippin’ for sure. Of course, I’d rather be able to eat what I catch. Then again, my last catch tasted like Gar anyway.

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