Hunt Date: May 5, 2015
The Wide Open Outdoor Adventures television crew
made an awesome bow fishing show on the San Miguel River. Choke Canyon reservoir flooded, and water came
up the tributaries and brought in big alligator gar, buffalo carp and
traditional carp.
My good friend Buck Medley – – "Texas Tarzan" – – and I set
our sights on some alligator gar. We put in his specially equipped riverboat
with platforms on it to target these amazing creatures.
We waded across the creek and hunted from the shore. We did fairly well getting smaller gar and carp.
There were also alligators in the water with us.
We wanted some serious Monster Gars so we put in the
lightweight boat powered by Trolling Motors and began to ease up the creek.
We could hear water boiling as these Gar came up and
gulped for air. We could see 8 foot
alligators in the water, too.
The gar were monsters – –
they were big – –
They're amazing creatures! They have both lungs and
gills, and radioactive fossil-dating
suggests that these animals existed over 100 million years ago.
Their scales are essentially armor, and it required
special bow-hunting equipment and special broadhead arrow tips to pierce their
heavy, heavy scales. Special thanks to
Fred at The Bow Shop in San Antonio for getting us equipped for this hunt.
My main camera-man, Tony D, was to my side, and we videoed
the entire experience of targeting alligator gar and carp in the San Miguel
river.
I got a shot off in chocolate milk water after a big Gar
had rolled; it was a blind shot, but I knew the direction he was
swimming.
Didn't take long for him to try to take the bow out of my
hand!
He was pulling the boat down the river and up under the
trees. Buck got ready and drew his recurve bow, and he got a second arrow in
him. We tag-teamed this monster. We landed an amazing 6-foot alligator gar –
– he's now in the cooler at Double Nickel Taxidermy. He will be an amazing
trophy.
The show is being edited by Elyon Media and will air later
this year on KSAT Channel 12, 5:30 AM on the Early-Morning Outdoor Segment.
Doing something new with somebody who is an expert at it--that is my passion.
Just get out there!
– – Dave with Wide Open Outdoor Adventures
