After 25 years, Wisconsin anglers won back the right to carry guns while fishing, but some Wyoming anglers said it would be stupid to ever give that right up in the first place.
Particularly where grizzlies are lumbering about, a .44 magnum could be part of the well-equipped Wyoming angler’s kit.
Even so, don’t entertain any thoughts of leveling your hand-cannon at a trout in a “make my day” moment with a menacing snarl like Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” character.
It remains patently illegal to shoot fish with a firearm in Wyoming or Wisconsin.
Indeed, people who try to blast fish with guns might very well be why Wisconsin banned anglers from carrying firearms in 1999.
It is legal to shoot some species of fish with a bow in Wyoming, although it used to be illegal for bowhunters to carry firearms here, but now it’s allowed.
Questions about what is and isn’t allowed are good reasons to double-check hunting and fishing regulations before heading out with your fly rod, pistol, bow — or all three at once.
Wisconsin Ban Overturned
Wisconsin’s ban on anglers carrying firearms had long irritated gun rights advocates there.
The conservative activist group Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty finally made a successful push against it, suing on the grounds that it violated the Second Amendment.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday agreed to overturn the ban, and the lawsuit was dropped, the Washington Times reported.
DRN spokeswoman Molly Meister told the Times that the ban hadn’t really been enforced since 2011, when Wisconsin legalized carrying concealed weapons.
A Matter Of Safety
Wisconsin banning anglers from carrying didn’t make sense in the first place, and in Wyoming such a ban would be stupid, Vince Vanata of Cody told Cowboy State Daily.
That’s because some of Wyoming’s best fishing is in the middle of prime grizzly habitat, said he retired Marine and law enforcement officer.
“If you’re fishing on the ground on the North Fork west of Buffalo Bill Reservoir, you’d better carrying a pistol and/or bear spray,” he said.
“You can see grizzlies from the gate at Yellowstone all the way down to Buffalo Bill. And they all like to head right down to the river,” he said. “If you’re fishing from a boat, it’s not that big of a deal. But if you’re on the ground, you need to be prepared.
“One day, we had to retreat into out camper because a bear came right into the campground” at Newton Creek on the Shoshone National Forest.
Nic George of Sheridan said grizzlies aren’t a concern in most of the places he goes fishing, but he carries a pistol nonetheless because mountain lions might be around.
Anglers tend to be quiet and intensely focused on what they’re doing, he told Cowboy State Daily.
“That makes you a prime target for mountain lions, which is a good reason to carry a firearm while fishing,” he said.
It’s legal to bowfish in Wyoming, but only for species that Game and Fish lists as non-game species, such as suckers and carp. Game fish, such as trout, may be caught with traditional fishing tackle only.
Bowhunters Can Carry Sidearms
Vanata also said he was happy when Wyoming lifted a ban on bowhunters carrying firearms several years ago.
“Do you lose your Second Amendment rights when you’re bowhunting?” Vanata said.
He said he understands game wardens’ misgivings about some unethical bowhunters trying to cheat and use their pistols to kill elk.
But gun rights and the need for archers to protect themselves from grizzlies and other large predators outweighs that, he said.
Wyoming Game and Fish regulations allow bowhunters to carry sidearms for personal protection. But firearms may not be used to kill, or even to finish off, big game animals during archery-only hunting seasons.
George said he has an ultra-light Smith & Wesson .44 magnum that he carries when he goes archery hunting in northwest Wyoming.
Its featherweight frame makes the revolver great for carrying on long hikes in the backcountry. But a magnum cartridge in such a light handgun makes for wicked recoil, George said.
“If I ever ran into a grizzly, I’d almost be tempted to just try bludgeoning the bear with it, because it kicks so hard,” he said with a laugh.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
