Thread: Fish hunting?

Rambo needs no introduction, part of the Rambo & Muzz F&H Forum team that hunted their way north to South on quad-bikes shooting all manner of game animals from red deer to tahr.

I met Rambo about a couple years ago when I purchased a rifle off him, he was keen to get out and try his hand at hunting with me, but due to the restrictions on quad bike use on public land I didn't have much to offer him, but then an idea popped into my head – The Koi Carp Classic. In my excitement I emailed Rambo running the idea of shooting some Koi Carp with a bow and without hesitation an answer came straight back (YES!). Okay, lets get our thinking hats on then (or something similar) was my reply and in no time flat between the two of us we had hatched a plan.

Some issues we needed to figure out first:

1. Travelling around would best be done by quadbike or preferable in a boat to free up both hands.
3. A bow may not work when sitting inside a boat, further investigation would be required?
4. Rambo is right handed by left eye dominate, so the sites would have to accommodate this.


So with that list we both came up with these solutions:

1. Go with plan A as the boat, plan B would be quadbike as back up.
2. Use a crossbow, as the bow part sits in the horizontal plane and can be used from a sitting position from within the boat.
3. Modify an AMS retriever reel and attach it somehow to the crossbow?
4. Mount a red-dot site on a raised rail so that he can lean his head over to one side in order to get his left eye centred on the scope.


Parts ready for the build

A minor amount head scratching on how to make it all work followed, but within no time at all I had a prototype to work with (see pics & video below).


Video of crossbow - first trial at ''cardboard fish'' on front lawn (one shot-one kill hahaha)

I took it up to Rambo who was pretty happy with the fit and function, so it was now just a matter of counting down the days until the Koi Carp Classic in November. I had resisted the urge to shoot a fish with the crossbow, as to the best of my knowledge it was going to be a New Zealand first (?) and I wanted Rambo to have that honour.

November came and it was time to see if we could make it all work.

Truck loaded up & ready to head off on our mission


To be honest it was a bit of a challenge for all of us, I had to learn how to use a boat with tiller steering, plus learn how to get it into a controlled drift pointing in the right direction on a swift flowing river. Rambo who had never shot a crossbow before, let alone shooting into water at a fish from a seated position had some learning to do as well…but when it came together it was magic!


First Koi shot with a crossbow (may the first time in NZ?)

Out of the last six shots fired, he arrowed a total of five fish in a row – this man is deadly accurate with a crossbow once he figured out the angle of refraction for the water the Koi never stood a chance!


The days bounty

Sometimes we take the smallest things for granted, we invent excuses why we can’t do things or don’t bother trying in the first place. I’m sure we’re all guilty of doing this, but those who truly inspire are the ones who never offer excesses for ‘’why not’’, these are the ones that think outside the square and find ways of making things happen, just like Rambo does.


Kj