Have You Shot Sharks?

[Old TexMex]

This shows the black marlin carcass tied off the stern of the boat, with two tigers on it. The lasso technique is being used. When the sharks head comes out over the carcass, the loop is thrown and slipped up tight and made off to a strong cleat. Often the 40' boat would be towed in circles for a few minutes while we pulled the shark into range. It was then dispatched, the jaws cut out for our client to have mounted.
It was a sort of side diversion from the Marlin fishing.

 

[Old TexMex]

I had some experience with shooting big estuarine crocs, too. 12ga birdshot on the nose would make them go away from the little boat when we were barramundi fishing up in Cape York, and a .303 between the ears would kill them, they sink quickly.

 

[kaaskop49]

Can someone please describe a 'bang stick?' Or have a photo of one? I'm guessing it's nothing like a J-frame... Thank you.

Kaaskop49
J-hound extraordinaire

 

[moe smith]

Can someone please describe a 'bang stick?' Or have a photo of one? I'm guessing it's nothing like a J-frame... Thank you.

Kaaskop49
J-hound extraordinaire

A pole with a 12 gauge shell loaded at the end that is discharged into the shark with a poke when brought alongside the boat.

 

[A10]

Have you ever shot a shark?

RUN CAJ, RUN!!!!

 

[mrrick]

Used a M1 Garand in the Florida keys to shoot sharks.

In the Red Sea off of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia used CO2 cartridge spears (Antishark Dart) on Black Tip Reef sharks which we lured in with chum. Feeding frenzy followed after 2 or 3 were inflated.

In the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Arabian Sea off of the United Arab Emirates and Oman saw lots of sharks, but due to local regulations had to go unarmed, other than a dive knife.

In the Arabian Sea off of Goa, Indian fisherman pulled sharks into outrigger homemade fishing boats and we clubbed them with wooden clubs.

 

[jlrhiner]

My bang stick was .357. Once off of Okinawa, a white-tipped reef shark (which was 75 feet long and weighed 10 tons) got too close. That was the one and only time I fired that thing underwater. I switched to .38spl after that, but something would have to have both my legs in it's mouth to get me to smack him with that thing.

 

[YogiBear]

Aloha,

Since you asked about BangSticks, here's a Really, Really Bad Assed one

http://www.beco-products.com/images/product/MVC-230X.JPG

Yep, that's a 50 cal.

Go to http://www.beco-products.com/beco_catalog.htm for All their products

Yes, I have banged a small 7' whitetip stealing fish from my line.

You do NOT want to be under water when one goes off.

Sort of like a mine grenade.

Without a doubt, the McNair PowerHead is/was the Most Effective

At least it was when it came out.

Patent US3747247 - Powerhead - Google Patents

When it comes to sharks, if you can See it, it's Not a problem.

It's the one you Don't see behind you.........

 

[Nick B]

Could you have taken guns? What are the laws on that?
Thanks for the informative response.

BTW. will a bang stick work on alligators where it's legal to kill them? Especially on an attacking gator?

Who makes bang sticks and about what do good ones cost?

Yes guns are legal in boats but when you bring a shark up to the side of the boat a lot of times they thrash around and throw salt water all over the inside of the boat and that includes you as your leaning over the side . So no ones wants to get their gun wet with salt water.
And the main thing is bang sticks just work better at taking the fight out of these prehistoric creatures . Since the stick is 5 to 6 feet long we would reel them in to about 3 feet under the surface and just lean over the side of the boat and "bang em" while they're still under water.
A lot less water flying around that way .
Please remember this was back in the 70's . No way today I would want to kill these creatures just to hopefully get a trophy .

 

[Captain Hornet]

As the statutes of limitations has run out, I can tell about this. In my very early flying days I would take people to Chub Key in the Bahamas where the sport fishing was super. One of our passengers owned a French Gazell helicopter and he and his pilot would go out to the shallows looking for sharks. They would get a couple of feet off the water and herd the sharks with the skids. Then he would shoot at them with a Ruger 44 mag while Windell, the helicopter pilot, would try to fly the helicopter without putting it in the water. Great fun, super sport, untell a round went through one of the skids. Then they got to thinking about what would happen if they went into the ocean with a bunch of bloody, pissed off sharks under them. So that sport stopped and they learned where the nude beach was. Back in those days it was harder to stay out of trouble. David

 

[redneckemt]

I remember reading about Hemingway's legendary yacht cruises. He was known to keep a BAR onboard for sharks. I don't recall any mention of a Thompson gun, although they were relatively common back in the day.

Where did you read about them? Sounds like a great read.

 

[S&W357]

Sharks. As i got older i shootem ,no more gaff. I use my S.S.410. I get dam close to the side of the boat. You can see the hole in his sharks head as soon as you hear BANG !!! 150 lb. Mako turns his body.. [rollsover]. DOA.................
I have use my Dad's browning 9 mm but it takes 2 shots in the head or 3. I have use 38 rev. again -takes 2 shot.
I had a bang stick and that worked great -Slug---- I like the gun better. That 410 is only one shot and i think it's a lot safer.

 

[bamacisa]

When I lived in Key West fishermen would catch a shark, haul it up to the side if the boat and shoot it in the head several times with a 22 rifle.

 

[Oldiron]

All this reminds me of an article in the Navy publication "Rotortips". Seems an ex-Lt. was shooting at sharks out of the window of their chopper when a round of brass went up and was sucked into one of the engines. Yep shot himself down with a round of brass.
Larry

 

[UncaGrunny]

Never... I don't have anything chambered for 'shark'.

 

[Mac!Gettothechoppa'!]

Anybody tried a SEAL knife? It will supposedly perform an 'instant kill' on any critter including a male African lion to a 1300 pound Kodiak Bear to a 30 foot Great White Shark. Of course it is your last ditch weapon of choice when face to face with death. It works by instantly blasting a vial of basically liquid oxygen deep into the wound cavity of whatever you are fighting; for whatever creature you're engaged with it is quite an attention grabber that instantly freezes all the arteries, blood vessels and internal organs within a basketball size radius & at the same time creates a big gas bubble (the bends) that floats any sea creature to the surface where the air escapes by exploding out of the shark or whatever. Of course even if you are a SEAL, I would guess you are pretty shook up whatever the result.

 

[walkin jack]

I used to go off shore in the late 60s and early 70s with an uncle in his 28 foot Cobia. He carried an old Colt 1911 that stayed on the boat all the time. He hated sharks with a blue passion because they sometimes got his fish before he could get it to the boat. If he caught a shark he'd real it all the way in to the boat and then shoot it a few times and cut the line. The whole time he was re riggin' he'd be mutterin' about how he'd never put a shark in his boat. He always shot them in the head and I don't remember seeing any of them swim away. The species I can remember are Black tip, Atlantic sharp nose, hammer head and bull sharks. I expect there were others too but I don't remember what they might have been.

 

[carpriver]

Never shot a shark, but I have done shots.

 

[2hawk]

^^^^^^^^
I was gonna say, never shot a shark, but I've sharked a shot or two.



ETA: An observation; judging by some of the posts here, when it comes to relating fish stories, it seems the bounds of incredulity no longer apply.
That is all. Carry on.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I can't remember exactly. It was a long time ago.