Closest I've ever come to thinking I might need to use my carry...

[tRidiot]

This. I would have been scared to death. I'm glad that other boat showed up when it did. And I'm glad you are all okay. Like the security guard at Sam's told me the other day "It's a Brave New World out there anymore." I did not have my gun on me that day. THAT will never happen again.

I agree. For those saying it was never even close to an option to use a weapon in that situation, I think having 4 people potentially dumped in a lake with various equipment in the middle of the night with partiers boating around is a life-threatening situation. From my perspective.

 

[AllOut]

I agree. For those saying it was never even close to an option to use a weapon in that situation, I think having 4 people potentially dumped in a lake with various equipment in the middle of the night with partiers boating around is a life-threatening situation. From my perspective.

I don't think some of them understand the severity of what could have happened.
I know they werent there and it probably doesn't sound like much. But this guy wasn't circling us way out. He was within 10 feet or less as he was circling and even closer when he was waking us.

As far as life vests, ya we had some in the boat. But no we don't wear them while we fish.

 

[Cedar Creek]

Glad it all worked out and everyone got home safe. If I'm where I'm supposed to be and doing what I'm supposed to be doing - the value of life for a bunch of drunks endangering me & mine goes way down.

Cedar Creek

 

[yukonjack]

I don't think some of them understand the severity of what could have happened.
I know they werent there and it probably doesn't sound like much. But this guy wasn't circling us way out. He was within 10 feet or less as he was circling and even closer when he was waking us.

As far as life vests, ya we had some in the boat. But no we don't wear them while we fish.

I think you want to rectify this quickly. If you're fishing at night in a flat bottom boat you need to be wearing the vest. As you've described I still don't see any time you would have been justified in using deadly force. Just cause another boat is circling you, that doesn't rise to the use of deadly force. I can imagine other options I would have tried before that.

 

[J.T.]

The ramp at Eufaula Cove is chock full of a-holes at all hours of the day.

 

[Lakenut]

Did you contact le?

I'm just not following. Your close to the point of fearing for your life due to being swamped and sank from a boat circling you and you didn't put your jackets on?Not justifying the wakeboat's actions. That really pisses me off. But if I'm in your shoes, jackets on is step #1. One person is driving getting to shore is second priority. Inboards running in shallow water=expensive damage. Someone else in the boat on the phone to 911 is a must. People that boat recklessly need to be dealt with and that is le's job and they cant do anything about it if they don't know about it.

 

[BadgeBunny]

Did you contact le?

I'm just not following. Your close to the point of fearing for your life due to being swamped and sank from a boat circling you and you didn't put your jackets on?Not justifying the wakeboat's actions. That really pisses me off. But if I'm in your shoes, jackets on is step #1. One person is driving getting to shore is second priority. Inboards running in shallow water=expensive damage. Someone else in the boat on the phone to 911 is a must. People that boat recklessly need to be dealt with and that is le's job and they cant do anything about it if they don't know about it.

I'm just gonna go out on a limb here, because I just recently had some folks act pretty hostile towards me for no apparent reason, and say that sometimes you are just so shocked that you're a bit bumfuzzled as to what to do. I'm not embarrassed to say that the couple who were bothering me the other day could have probably kicked my ass in short order ... Mostly because they caught me off-guard and I just kinda stood there ... bumfuzzled ... Thank goodness she wasn't the bad ass she kept telling me she was. Once I got my composure, I handled the situation but I can freely admit that had she wanted to, in those few seconds that it took me to gather my thoughts, she could have done some real damage, had she had a mind to.

 

[CHenry]

Did you contact le?

I'm just not following. Your close to the point of fearing for your life due to being swamped and sank from a boat circling you and you didn't put your jackets on?Not justifying the wakeboat's actions. That really pisses me off. But if I'm in your shoes, jackets on is step #1. One person is driving getting to shore is second priority. Inboards running in shallow water=expensive damage. Someone else in the boat on the phone to 911 is a must. People that boat recklessly need to be dealt with and that is le's job and they cant do anything about it if they don't know about it.

Spot on.

 

[tRidiot]

Lol... I just don't get it. This forum really blows my mind sometimes.

Oh well... AllOut, I'm with you 100%. You did nothing out of line from the story we've got, and certainly considering your options when you're being threatened is not unreasonable in the least. Not even a single iota. This is the very equivalent of being surrounded by large threatening strangers and harassed in a public place for being completely within your rights. In a situation like that, I'd be elbow-checking my piece as well. I think some folks shy away TOO much from the thought of using their firearm in a way overcompensating for the PC crowd. Yes, calling the law would have been good, but how many minutes away would they have been when you needed them in seconds? You already addressed the attempt to "walk away" on your part and the other boat wasn't allowing it. This wasn't a simple case of "another boat circling" yours, but one of a very real threat being exhibited, pushing the envelope of safety putting you and your passengers at significant risk of death or bodily injury if the other boater simply misjudged the distance (in the dark) or goosed his throttle a hair too much - it can be pretty easy to swamp a small flat-bottom with a large sporting boat. I think you handled it very well. I've seen first-hand plenty of time the damage that can be done on the water from fiddle-****ing around.

Yes, I'd learn some lessons from it - but being less likely to protect myself and my family/friends from life-threatening behavior certainly isn't one of them.

 

[Okie4570]

I think you want to rectify this quickly. If you're fishing at night in a flat bottom boat you need to be wearing the vest. As you've described I still don't see any time you would have been justified in using deadly force. Just cause another boat is circling you, that doesn't rise to the use of deadly force. I can imagine other options I would have tried before that.

Wearing life jackets when bow fishing day or night is not common. If it's windy, you don't go............there are no wakes, no wind..........and at night, close proximity underwater visibility is almost better than daylight hours due to the closeness and type of lighting used, so bumping into obstacles is not really an issue. Running across the lake to your destination to bow fish, sure, wearing one would make sense.........while bow fishing, no.