Arizona bow fishing questions

[kingbeer]

hey everyone. I am new to bow hunting and bow fishing looking to set up a trip but don't know where to go? any tips of where I can go and what is better shore fishing or from a conoe?

 

 

thanks for the ideas

[alexjh1]

Hi there, congratulations on joining the bow hunting club and wow on bow fishing. My buddy is an avid bow fisherman and there is a small following here in Az. I know that he has a pretty extensive rig on his boat with a platform and lights for night bow fishing for carp in the summer months. I went with him to lake pleasant, there is a carp spawn time that I am sure AZGFD can help you with as far as figuring out when that is. Bow fishing is challenging, or at least it was for me. I am sure any of the desert lakes contain tons of carp in the shallows, I know I have seen them swim by from the shore from time to time. I am going to stick to Javelina and Elk with my bow =).

 

as far as whats better, you can get lucky from shore or you can visit the shallows in your canoe during the spawn you will here/see them splashing around but again, not easy and even harder to see them with a sun glare.

 

Good luck,
Alex

[kingbeer]

thanks for the info. my father-in-law is into bow fishing and hunting he got me into wanting to do it. so going to be a first for me. he want to go for javelina. so I am not sure of a good place to go. not looking to take someone's honey hole but maybe a general area!

 

question - what does it taste like? good ways to cook it? I hear in a roast or sausage is the way to go?

 

thanks again for the info

[alexjh1]

Well now that's kind of funny, you skipped right over bow fishing haha. The where is not so easy to answer. This year I filled both my tags...the draw tag and over the counter tag up on the Yarnell / peoples valley area....and if you have been on planet earth recently, that part of the state has been all over the news for the fire and the tragedy of our fire fighters up there. I have no idea what is left after all of that. What I can tell you is this, and this took me a long time to learn, most of the guys on this forum helped me. Where to hunt - Step one - Find an area of the state you want to hunt...any desert will do. Step two, take some weekends and hike around the desert, look for sign...rooting's and shredded prickly pair cactus. Once you find that, step three - Get up on a mountain or good hill side and glass, glass, glass. For pigs, look high and then low. They are weird, for the same herd, some years they will be on the mountain side, others in the flats under the same mountains.

 

I took my pigs to the Thrush's processing just outside of Wickenburg Az. They were awesome, cheap and fast. They made me chorizo and some sausage of which both are pretty tasty. Great on nacho's or with Eggs. =) I got a male and female, the male had a strong scent which came through the meat a little. The female, not so much on both accounts. Either way, I ate both and was fine, as were my boys =). The wife supports it, just wont eat it..and that's all I need.

 

Alex

[hoghntr]

/>thanks for the info. my father-in-law is into bow fishing and hunting he got me into wanting to do it. so going to be a first for me. he want to go for javelina. so I am not sure of a good place to go. not looking to take someone's honey hole but maybe a general area! question - what does it taste like? good ways to cook it? I hear in a roast or sausage is the way to go? thanks again for the info

PIGS ARE EVERYWHERE! especially where you think they would not be. i can step out of my house and do a 360 and think of pigs past and present on every single mountain in north phx.. even some of the "hills" now the squashed archery hunting in most of this but it sure could give you some close to home practice with scenting them, tracking, finding food and beds.. pluck some hairs from culverts etc.. calling them is a blast.. no baiting and no killing and your good to go! little higher number of critters local since we have basically put them on islands surrounded by houses and shopping centers.. if your near no hills visit your local washes.. these lil dudes have access to walk right through middle of town in drainage areas and many have flowing water.. people walk right past them bedded every single day, many urbanized pigs are nocturnal. Practice up finding these guys and you will go out with some experience. shoot me a p.m. with where you are located IF in phx and i will see if i can give you any tips. as for puting in.. pretty much anywhere they are everywhere.. hunting them in snow is a blast