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Aerial Bowfishing for Bighead Carp in Missouri's Lamine River
Aerial Bowfishing for Bighead Carp in Missouri's Lamine River
Photo by Rick Adair
Additional Info
Rick Adair, a photographer whose work appears regularly in Field & Stream, tells the story of how he captured one of the magazine's "First Shot" photos.
My friends Bill and John Marshall told me a while ago about bow fishing for jumping carp. Bighead carp. It's an invasive species, and a huge threat to the ecoysystems of U.S. waters. The fish is also a threat to boaters, because they leap high out of the water when a prop goes by (check out this story about one that broke a woman's jaw in Illinois). The government spends millions of dollars every year to prevent these things from spreading, but sportsmen have found a more interesting way to help control their population -- by driving around in boats and shooting them out of the air using bows and arrows.
I knew that John was a great shot with his bow, and so I figured I'd get the chance to capture some great action on film (and maybe land one of my photos in a "First Shot"). Here are some of the images I came back with.
The shooters are Tyler and Doug Burke and Bryant McCartney. The location is the Lamine River in central Missouri. The guys shot 80 carp while I watched. The largest weighed 15 lbs.
Click through the slides to check out my photos. - Rick Adair
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Photo Gallery Comments (14)
Awesome spread guys!! That would be such a blast. I wouldn't want to take one to the jaw like that one young lady. Great work though!!
what do they do with the fish after just toss em huh?
That is awesome. They shot a ton.
awesome pics. Ive always wanted to try, looks like a blast. A case of duck loads and an IC choke would be a hell of a lot of fun too. Albeit much more dangerous and messy.
This looks like fun. Hey riverrunner, you're right. A shotgun really would be a "blast" but probably too dangerous.
Oh man! This looks like sooo much fun! Amazing pictures too...
Great photos!!
While using a bow would be a great time, if they're looking to effectively put a dent in the numbers of them, I think a shotgun would be a better way.
As long as you used common sense & general saftey measures i don't see why it would be dangerous. You wouldn't want 3 people on the back shooting, but with one person I don't see why it would be an issue (as long as the laws allow it of course, which I don't know).
Spectacular archery, I must say.
Boat seems to be riding a bit low at the stern. Hoping to stabilize your shooting platform?
Kill 'em all. Alien species of that sort have no business being here. The other comment about shotgunning could provide a diversion for sporting clay fans.
They call this "extreme aerial bowfishing" but wouldnt it just be aerial bowfishing? Bowfishing from a boat isnt exactly "extreme", maybe if they were flying a hangglider or wakeboarding and bowfishing at the same time it would be "extreme". Just a thought.
I dont see why you couldnt shoot them as long as you were using steel shot, I would love to unload my Auto 5 on some carp!
RespectLife, If the fish were "guilty" would the archers get into heaven? And by stopping them from reproducing we would be disrupting God's creation and natural law by introducing artificial birth control something anybody in the real Respect Life movement would understand.
Invasive species cause many problems in an ecosystem and often cause more death than life by competing for food and habitat. Not controlling them rapidly is not respecting the lives of the naturally occurring species in the system.
Culling is the most effective way of controlling problematic species, and if some guys can have fun doing it in the process that's all the better.
These guys are being good stewards of the earth and having a blast doing it. They have a far greater impact than any animal rights activist who spends more time protesting than protecting.
Respect Life: If you notice the irony in your misuse of the term "inhumane", the root word obviously is derived from "human", which does not include animal/fish life. True, we need to be repectful and good stewards of what we have been given, including animals, but don't raise animals to the level of importance on this planet to ours. I guess it comes down to whether you believe the illogical theory that all life came from the primordial soup.
RespectLife: you have obviously taken a wrong turn on the world wide web.
This looks like a lot of fun, great shots btw.
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RespectLife, If the fish were "guilty" would the archers get into heaven? And by stopping them from reproducing we would be disrupting God's creation and natural law by introducing artificial birth control something anybody in the real Respect Life movement would understand.
Invasive species cause many problems in an ecosystem and often cause more death than life by competing for food and habitat. Not controlling them rapidly is not respecting the lives of the naturally occurring species in the system.
Culling is the most effective way of controlling problematic species, and if some guys can have fun doing it in the process that's all the better.
These guys are being good stewards of the earth and having a blast doing it. They have a far greater impact than any animal rights activist who spends more time protesting than protecting.
That is awesome. They shot a ton.
awesome pics. Ive always wanted to try, looks like a blast. A case of duck loads and an IC choke would be a hell of a lot of fun too. Albeit much more dangerous and messy.
Awesome spread guys!! That would be such a blast. I wouldn't want to take one to the jaw like that one young lady. Great work though!!
what do they do with the fish after just toss em huh?
Great photos!!
While using a bow would be a great time, if they're looking to effectively put a dent in the numbers of them, I think a shotgun would be a better way.
As long as you used common sense & general saftey measures i don't see why it would be dangerous. You wouldn't want 3 people on the back shooting, but with one person I don't see why it would be an issue (as long as the laws allow it of course, which I don't know).
They call this "extreme aerial bowfishing" but wouldnt it just be aerial bowfishing? Bowfishing from a boat isnt exactly "extreme", maybe if they were flying a hangglider or wakeboarding and bowfishing at the same time it would be "extreme". Just a thought.
This looks like fun. Hey riverrunner, you're right. A shotgun really would be a "blast" but probably too dangerous.
Oh man! This looks like sooo much fun! Amazing pictures too...
Spectacular archery, I must say.
Boat seems to be riding a bit low at the stern. Hoping to stabilize your shooting platform?
Kill 'em all. Alien species of that sort have no business being here. The other comment about shotgunning could provide a diversion for sporting clay fans.
I dont see why you couldnt shoot them as long as you were using steel shot, I would love to unload my Auto 5 on some carp!
Respect Life: If you notice the irony in your misuse of the term "inhumane", the root word obviously is derived from "human", which does not include animal/fish life. True, we need to be repectful and good stewards of what we have been given, including animals, but don't raise animals to the level of importance on this planet to ours. I guess it comes down to whether you believe the illogical theory that all life came from the primordial soup.
RespectLife: you have obviously taken a wrong turn on the world wide web.
This looks like a lot of fun, great shots btw.
Even though these are an invasive species, we should respect their right to live in our water. Perhaps we should find a way to stop them from reproducing instead of killing them in this inhumane way. Killing innocent fish is not going to get you into heaven!
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