After reading the bowfishing thread it seems it boils down to this. You have two groups of "sportsmen" and one resource. Both want to keep their pastime as it has been and they are clashing.
I don't think any of the two have a sole right to the resource but question how they will co- exist.
Would bow fisherman agree with keeping an area for angling only and vice versa. Sort of the way they do with fly fishing and catch and release on many bodies of water?
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Charlie, there are already lots of areas that for many reason do not allow bowfishing. Usually they are in urban areas where discharging a 'weapon' is illegal. (for instance most everywhere in the Chicago Metro area)
We don't have a problem with that. We don't care that those guys catch and release carp. The more power to them
But when they try to close down Town Lake in Austin Tx to bowfishing, we are going to fight it. (and we did) Town Lake can support both, as it has in the past.
The really funny thing is that bowfishing usually amounts to no more that 'quality carp management'. When we take out a certain percentage of the carp population it results in less competition between the carp and that leads to bigger, heavier carp for the anglers to catch.
Even a popular UK carp magazine declared that most carp waters in the USA were overpopulated and the carp stunted.
But when they try to close down Town Lake in Austin Tx to bowfishing, we are going to fight it.
I would to.
One of the things EJD posted from the CAG site mentioned having a section of the St. Lawrence as angling only has any thing like this been tried on the bodies of water that you use?
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Here in Illinois, there are 2 pole only lakes, and a high percentage of them. 2 poles, no bowfishing. Im fine with that, its highly regulated there. In texas by town lake where the anti bowfishing regs were proposed, there are more no-bowfishing lakes in the same area than bowfishing lakes, its highly regulated, like any sport, all over the country, regulated by the states DNR, and I am fine with that.
If for whatever reason, the dnr made limits on carp, or a law saying they have to be used, Im fine with that.
Im not fine with a group taking it upon themselves to ban a sport, badmouth it in magazines, ect.........
I dont like the way the carp groups chum the waters with hundreds of pounds of organic material to attract fish before a tournament, its not ethical to me, and bad for the waters. But I wont campaign to stop their sport....its not right to do so.
The 2 groups have been coexisting fine for years.....until now, one wants to try and ban the other.
EJD, I didn't read all the links you posted but the ones I did read stated CAG was not apolitical froup and was not pushing for Bowfishing to be banned. Some memebers did state that they would like to see that, but I've sen the same thing said by fly fisherman when they talk about people who use live bait for trout.
Like I said before I see some thing like this in my local papers I'll be on the phone with my State Reps.
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Charlie.....I checked you last 100 post, looks like your into deer and turkey hunting?
If so, you have certain public lands that are open to deer/turkey hunting. Certain areas are closed to hunting.
Now.....say a group of anti hunters only wants to take away 20% of the lands you hunt, say they tell the people in charge they want to photograph the deer and turkey, and want the same area to photograph them year after year....20%......to start with maybe?
You cool with that? Just 2 groups wanting to use the same resourse......right?
Just trying to explain our views a bit better.
I seriously appreciate it that you will act to save our sport!
Not all the cag members are anti bowfishing, unfortunately, their leaders are the ones pushing for the bans. The expres, now pres of the acs is the one pushing the austin tex. thing.
Their VP is the one who wrote the in-fisherman story.
Too bad..I love to carp angle as well, and would probably join their groups if not for the leaders extreme views.
Why do you say anti hunters? Do you feel all of the people in these carp orgs are anti hunters,from what I've read most aren't.
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You cool with that? Just 2 groups wanting to use the same resourse......right?
Well in your example the people doing the photography would have more access to this land then I do seeing as my hunting season is short. If they already have area's that are set aside for there use no I wouldn't be cool with it. This is something I didn't realize happened with bowfishing(bodies of water already closed to it). Maybe instead of telling me that I shouldn't call myself an outdoorsmen,you folks should have presented these facts in the previous thread.
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Two groups one resource.
