Creative outdoor opportunities help enthusiasts through the dog days of summer.
Submitted photo
The long, hot stretch of summer we’re in now is a good time to explore creative outdoor pursuits. With most hunting seasons still on the horizon and warm-water fishing opportunities not at their peak, use these dog days to try something outside the box.
Bowfishing for invasive Asian Carp, gigging bullfrogs from farm ponds or snorkeling with a speargun for rough fish. These are not the normal fishing or hunting activity, but they can be a lot of fun and rewarding. Night fishing is another option.
Don’t let the heat keep you out of the outdoors. There are plenty of ways to enjoy time fishing or hunting right now, you just might need to do it closer to dawn or dusk. Here are a few adventures to consider this time of year.
Bowfishing Asian Carp
The Illinois River bear Peoria put aerial bowfishing on the map. The vibration of a motor makes the invasive carp jump out of the water. While the fish are airborne, archers try to shoot them out of the sky. This is a fun and exciting way to shoot carp, but usually isn’t too effective at stacking up numbers. To really put a dent in the carp, bow fishers shoot cruising fish at night from boats with elevated platforms surrounded by spotlights aimed at the water. Bowfishing the Asian carp filled Illinois River and some of its tributaries, like the Fox River, should give bow fishers all the shots they desire. For a guided trip, check out peoriacarphunters.com
Spear Fishing
Labeled spear fishing in the regulations book, this sport is a combination of hunting under water and fishing with a gun. It’s legal all year long in Kentucky for rough fish on lakes with a minimum of 1,000 surface acres. All fish species not listed as a sport fish in the regulations are considered rough fish, like carp, gar and drum. The daily limit is 15 fish, of which only five can be catfish. To shoot fish in Kentucky, one must be completely submerged underwater. Divers are required to display a surface flag.
Gigging Bullfrogs
If you’ve never tried frog legs, don’t knock them until you do. A fresh set, fried or sauteed, is a wild game culinary treat. Nebraska’s statewide frog season opens Aug. 15. West of U.S. 81, frog season is open all year. Frogs are found in most lakes, ponds, reservoirs, rivers and marshes where you find aquatic vegetation. You can take frogs with your bare hands, a fishing pole, a net or a hand line. You need a fishing license to take frogs. The daily bag limit for game frogs is eight, with a possession limit 16.
If you can’t wait for fall to start hunting again, there are opportunities out there open right now. Predator hunting, especially for coyotes, is a popular option. These next two are little known opportunities.
Wisconsin – Milwaukee County Rabbits
City rabbits dipped in buttermilk and coated in seasoning fry just as well as country rabbits. In Milwaukee County, where the rabbit population is robust, the season is open all year. The hope is hunters will help reduce the rabbit numbers. The Milwaukee area may not be the first place you think of for rabbit hunting, but those in the know have filled more than one game bag with urban cottontails. Rabbit hunters need a small game license. With very little public land in Milwaukee County, hunters will need to obtain private property permission. There is more open land in the southern portion of the county.
Kansas – Squirrels
Kansas doesn’t give their squirrels much of a break. The season is open from June through February. Taking a few summertime bushytails is a great way to scratch the hunting itch that always seems to intensify in August. According to KDWP statistics, the Glaciated Plains Region of the state in the northeast corner is the primary squirrel hunting zone in Kansas. Benedictine Bottoms WA near Atchison is a 2,112 acre wildlife area in the flood plain of the Missouri River that’s best known for waterfowl, but does have a healthy population of squirrels. The daily bag limit is five, and the possession limit is 20.
See you down the trail…
Brandon Butler writes an outdoors column for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected]. For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.
