Throw Down Your Shovel and Grab Your Bow:

Why February is the best month to be a bowfisherman
by Sam Wood

Being a diehard bowfisherman and an avid outdoorsman from Wisconsin, you might think that I view February as the worst month of the year. All the hunting seasons are closed, ice covers all the lakes, and frigid temperatures keep most people indoors reminiscing of past seasons or planning for the next. This is far from the truth for me. You see, February is one of the best bowfishing months in Wisconsin. You read it right, FEBRUARY IS DEFINITLY ONE OF THE BEST MONTHS IN WISCONSIN.

Although bowfishing in minus zero degree weather is not for everybody, a few "diehards" gather in key locations throughout Wisconsin where small patches of water remain unfrozen all winter. They are not warm water discharges at power plants, but rather natural feeder creeks running into major river systems. When everything is right, thousands of carp will stack up in these creeks making it nearly impossible not to shoot large quantities. In fact, there are so many fish that it isn't about how many we can shoot, but how fast can we shoot 300.

I remember times that I would shoot fish with my boys when it was 18 degrees below zero. The fish would freeze almost instantly when we took them out of the water. Another time, it was almost dark and we found some fish, so we cut the end off of a 100 foot extension card, hooked it to the battery, plugged two more cords together, cut the end off the last extension cord, attached it to our twelve volt light, and took turns holding and shooting carp. Some people think we are crazy, but doing stuff like this is what creates a strong bond between a father and his sons.

Winter bowfishing has given me one of the greatest bowfishing days of my life, and a picture that is a far greater trophy than the mounted deer and fish it hangs by. It all started one evening in the local sport shop when a couple local kids saw the bed of my pickup truck loaded down with frozen carp from the day's bowfishing trip. After asking a bunch of questions about bowfishing, they asked if they could tag along on my next trip. I told them I was going the next day, and if they wanted to come with, we would meet at the sport shop at 8:00 A.M.. That night a major storm hit Central Wisconsin, and I figured the kids would all be no shows, but to my surprise they were all there. Lucky for us, we were off to shoot carp while everyone else was plowing and shoveling.

We arrived at the spot and were greeted with an amazing sight, the landscape was covered with fresh fallen snow and the water was boiling with carp. It was going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. After only three hours of shooting, I had the boys round up all the fish we had shot for a tally and a picture. The official count was 298, which was unsatisfactory since I always try for 300. So, I told the boys to get back out there and get two more. They ended up shooting four more for a grand total of 302 fish.

We laid out all the fish, took some pictures, then loaded our hundreds of fish into my truck. We rolled into town and stopped at the sporting goods shop, and let me tell you these kids were equivalent to bowfishing gods. They told their stories to anyone who would listen. To this day, the picture of us and the 302 carp still hangs in that shop. Those kids, most of whom are in college and have moved away, still stop in that same sport shop when they come home and tell the story of the day they shot 302 carp in the middle of February. Times like these are the reason I don't despise the month of February, but instead embrace it as one of the greatest months of the Wisconsin winter.

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