Compound or recurve? What's the best bow for bowfishing?

With turkey seasons in the rearview, I've began dusting off bowfishing rigs. We own four setups dedicated specifically to bowfishing: a 40-pound shorty which wifey uses while wading (she's short and the bottom limb of longer bows sometimes contacts water while up to her armpits in mud); a longer 45-pound bow she shoots from our boat; and two 50-pound outfits, one each in right- and left-hand. I'm completely ambidextrous, but prefer bowfishing right-handed because I've shot that way since age 8 (although I bowhunt big game with recurves left handed . . . and right-handed with compounds). About 40 to 50 pounds really is all I find necessary for Idaho carp, though I shot scads of them as a kid with a 30-pound longbow.

Every one of our bowfishing rigs is a recurve. The last time I used a compound seriously for carp -- 2001 -- was the summer prior to my Florida alligator hunt with Lewis Clanton, shooting an 85-pound finger bow with tritium pin and slotted (for break-away buoy) AMS Retriever Reel. I wanted to make sure I arrived completely prepared for that much-anticipated hunt. By summer's end I was calling and hitting carp in the eye(s) 50 percent of the time. That September I made a very long shot on a 12-foot, 6 and 1/2-inch, 600-pound gator -- a trophy of a lifetime.

I have to admit, a modern compound-based bowfishing rig can be hellishly deadly.

That said, garden-variety bowfishing is typically a close-range deal (your arrow is attached to a limited supply of line, after all) with visibility often limited by water turbidity and featuring targets that, more often than not, are moving or outright fleeing (making shoot-from-the-hip shots common). On any given day on the water you'll draw and let down 256 times (exactly) without actually shooting. You detect a glint or swirl of mud or fanning fin, but by the time your brain receives the order and you tug to anchor, that apparition has dissolved or skedaddled. Dealing with the lumpy-bumpy let-off of a modern compound bow becomes exhausting. And it's not very conducive to moving shots.  But that's just me.

Many archers remain steadfastly dedicated to compounds for bowfishing. Many of them even use sights and release aids -- which I just can't imagine. There would be a definite advantage in clear, deep water, sneaking up on stationary targets sunning on the surface and requiring longer-than-average shots, but in reality these are relatively rare instances, and an accomplished instinctive shooter will still pull these shots off most of the time.  

Back in the late 1970s, when I started bowfishing, we used compounds all the time. Those, however, were the days of smooth-drawing, squishy-walled round wheels and 30 to 50 percent let-off. There are now several modern compounds designed specifically for bowfishing owning smooth-drawing, no-draw-stop cam systems, like models from Alpine, AMS and InnerLoc, as examples. Now if they would just make them long enough for comfortable finger shooting. . .

If you are a serious bowhunter and are lucky enough to live in the Northwest portion of the country you're in for a real treat. The Full Draw Film Tour is coming to a historic theater near you this summer. You'll have the opportunity to watch exciting, never-before-seen bowhunting films in a classic big-screen setting. Full Draw Film Tour gatherings also include presentations by bowhunting experts and sponsors, drawings for free archery gear and general bowhunter camaraderie provided by a room full of like-minded enthusiasts. In a nutshell, you're treated to eight 8- to 12-minute, uninterrupted bowhunting films, interspersed with intermissions for raffles and sponsor presentations. Brand-new bows are also given away at every show! Adult tickets are only $12, children $9.

The Full Draw Film Tour is now in its forth year. This year's tour starts in Reno, Nev., May 4, and concludes in Salt Lake City, Utah, July 19 - totaling 12 shows in seven states. The stated goal of this year's tour is to unite bowhunters, fuel the outdoorsman and create excitment for all those passionate about archery.

All these films are provided by talented independent filmmakers who submit their bowhunting films for consideration. The pool of perspective films has grown each year; 14 filmmakers vying for eight spots this year. South Cox, owner of Stalker Recurves and a particapating filmmaker, says the quality of these films has improved annually. 

"They have become more about expressing the total bowhunting experiance than fixating on the final kill," says Cox.

The Full Draw Film Tour uses proceeds to support a variety of hunting-related charities in the archery community. Filmmakers receive no compensation for their work. Other proceeds are garnered through hunting-industry sponsors and donations. This will also be the Full Draw Film Tour's third year providing support and encouragement for challenged kids with unfortunate health circumstances via Hunt Of A Lifetime. Proceeds from event raffles help in this and other worthy causes. Learn more at www.fulldrawfilmtour.com/2013-charity.

Those wishing to get involved (whether through film submissions, sponsorship or donations) can find more information at www.fulldrawfilmtour.com. Advertising and sponsorship details are handled by Walt Ramage; walt [at] fulldrawfilmtour [dot] com. If you're interested in attending a show, look for schedule dates and towns visited at http://fulldrawfilmtour.com/the-tour/purchasetickets.

Major Full Draw Film Tour sponsors and gear-give-away providers, include Hoyt, Tenzing, Winner's Choice Custom Bowstrings, HECs, Vortex Optics, Spot-Hogg, Extreme Elk Magazine and Gote Gear, among others.