Finally got a chance to bowfish from my backyard

J.McDonald Knives

J.McDonald Knives

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Jan 28, 2007
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Yesterday I had to install an electrical outlet outside on the front porch of moms house and then mounted 3 500watt halogen lights to the deck. The deck hangs over the Nueces river and is about 12 feet above the waters edge. I ran some extension cords out to the deck to power the lights and grabbed my bow and stood around waiting. After about an hour of missing 2-3 foot gar a 47" gator gar rolled up about 10 feet from shore and I sank my arrow into him. I had shot a turtle before that one and while I was working on getting my arrow out a 6-7 foot gator gar rolled. I just about crapped my pants wishing I didn't shoot that turtle. Now all I need to do is set up a place to tan the skins so that yall can finally start using them on sheaths.

47inchgatorgar.jpg
 
VERY COOL!

I just got a bowhunting rig for Christmas, it's for my recurve tho. Hafta wait for the salmon to start running around here to try it out. That looks like alot of fun! Do you guys eat those things?
 
Damn JR!!!! I don't know who is uglier you or the fish. HEHEHEHEHE!!!!
Must be cool to fish in your own backyard.:thumbup::thumbup:;):D
 
The archery shop I used to shoot for would have bowfishing tournaments with $20 buyins, lot of fun... never ate one of those gars though. How do you prepare them?
 
Stake the gar on a plank and smoke slowly. Every 1/2 hour sprinkle with spices and pour 1/4cup of burbon over the whole thing. Do this for four to six hours. Remove the gar and eat the board.
Stacy
 
bladsmth said:
Stake the gar on a plank and smoke slowly. Every 1/2 hour sprinkle with spices and pour 1/4cup of burbon over the whole thing. Do this for four to six hours. Remove the gar and eat the board.
Stacy
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Actually gar are good eating and aren't boney like people think they are. They are basically nothing but backstrap.
 
bladsmth said:
Stake the gar on a plank and smoke slowly. Every 1/2 hour sprinkle with spices and pour 1/4cup of burbon over the whole thing. Do this for four to six hours. Remove the gar and eat the board.
Stacy
Click to expand...

Reminds me of instructions that I read once about alligator gar cooking. Someting like...nail it to the side of the shed and then cut down the backbone with a hatchet because a knife won't work on the skin...or something like that. I think that I'd opt for the bourbon internally every half hour and leave off eating either the board or the fish. Nice shot on the dino-fish BTW. Just funnin you a little...;)
 
Cut across on top of the tail and last fin...bleeds out very well.
Slice the skin up from the tail to the back of the head without touching the backbone...roll the meat out,slice and prepare and fry like catfish.
Delicious:thumbup:
Nice shooting and great gar.
 
That gator gar is 51.5" long. I cleaned it and the meat is in the freezer. Wish I had a place to tan the hides for yall to use on sheaths.
 
Take the head and nail it to a board and as it dries and rots/mummifies, the jaws will open up nice and it'll make a nice outdoor wall hanger!!! :D
 
indian george said:
Looking forward in trying some, when you visit me in AZ.:thumbup::cool:;)
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We ate part of that gar yesterday. It was GOOOOOOOOOOOOD. Them bigger gar seem to taste better. We also cooked it on the electric grill. After mom cooked up the rest of the one side I grabbed the plate and sat down and started munching on it and couldn't finish it. That was a lot of meat.
 
Jacob,
tell me you don't swim in a river with fish that big living in it....heck, they might turn the tables on ya'.
By the way, I'm one of those mid-westerner flatlanders, what is backstrap?
I think it is kinda like bacon but I could be way off.
Can you fish for those monsters? Fly fish for them?
 
No I don't swim in that river. Backstrap is the meat along the backbone. Basically its the back muscles. You can fish for them but I doubt you can fly fish for them. They have nasty teeth on them.
 
Dinosaur backstrap?? LOL, I have heard of people eating them, but this was born of necessity ONLY. :D I don't know it all ...of course.
 
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