BAA HALL OF FAME

Alan Yedor

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Alan Yedor

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Born and raised in Crown Point Louisiana

How long have you been bowfishing?  I’ve been Bowfishing since I was 13 yrs old

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  I enjoy that Bowfishing is hunting & fishing combined into one sport!!!

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  My favorite fish to shoot is Gar fish lol!!!

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  My favorite memory from Bowfishing is just breaking both the Bowfishing records, numbers and big “20”

 

Alan Yedor Sr

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Alan Yedor Sr

Date of birth:

 

 

Alex Grable

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Alex Grable

Date of birth:

Where are you from?   Sullivan, IN

How long have you been bowfishing?   In 2003 I was introduced to Bowfishing in the Backwaters of the Wabash River by a good friend of mine Luke Whitkanack, from there it escalated into a crazy addiction that led us all over the place from the coast off Maryland for Stingrays to Shelbyville ,IL for longnose gar. We were very fortunate to have shot some awesome places in their prime back then . Along those travels I met and shot with some great folks that left a huge impression on me for the future and not to mention some of the best

What do you enjoy most about the sport?   Bowfisherman in the World whom I still have contact with today . Guys like Tommy Woods , Joe Nichols, Josh Dunkle, Joe Ewing, Robin Parks, Sam Wood , Chuck Belmore, Jason Cathy , Scott Hensley are just a few that come to mind right now but there are so many great folks that I was lucky to meet . That’s what I enjoyed most about Bowfishing was all the fun we had at the shoots , on the old BowfishUSA forums and such . I still shoot a little with my 10yr old son and others here close to home , but I think he’s is getting the Bowfishing bug pretty bad too , so we may see some of you once again someday on the tournament trail .

 What is your favorite fish to shoot? Big Grass carp in the backwaters

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Enjoyed meeting all the people over the years

 

Andy Cardwell

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Andy Cardwell

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Madisonville ky

How long have you been bowfishing?  20 years

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  The creativeness of bowfisherman. Ordinary Joes building amazing things

What is your favorite fish to shoot? Buffalo

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  The first U.S open. Seeing so many bowfisherman from across the country gathered in one place.

 

Big John Jacobson

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Big John Jacobson

Date of birth:

 

 

 

Bill & Pennie Montgomery

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Bill & Pennie Montgomery

Date of birth:

 

 

Bubba “Hoopty” Suggs

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Bubba “Hoopty” Suggs

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  From Longview ,TEXAS

How long have you been bowfishing?  I been Bowfishing 20 years

What do you enjoy most about the sport?   I enjoy meeting new people , seeing kids shoot their first fish, being part of the Youth World Championship, Hosting the Texas Youth Championships and beating all the teams that show up to a shoot , don’t always happen but I ain’t there to loose .

What is your favorite fish to shoot? My Favorite fish to shoot is the Alligator Gar , but I love shooting Tilapia

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Its a toss up on memory, 2014 BAA World the Ga boys had 340 fish and was in top spot, we was the last team to count and I was laying out our Big 20 on the deck to weigh when Shawn came walking up and said we ain’t gonna weight Big 20 we will get creamed , So me and Gibby start throwing fish, looks like it’s gonna be close and we hit 340 fish and as I looked on the deck for our BIG fish they are all gone(lol) we had no big fish for tie breaker, then Shawn seen a tail under fuel tank and the dig was on , it was a shad and we Won by one fish. The other was Jacey killing her first fish it was a buffalo during the Youth Worlds and winning her age group. Them 2 memories will stick with me forever.

Butch Samson

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Butch Samson

Date of birth:

Where are you from? Bowfished most of my career from Montgomery AL but now live in North Georgia

How long have you been bowfishing? Bowfished as a teenager but got serious about it around 1990 and have been a BAA member since 1992

What do you enjoy most about the sport? I love the friendly competition and camaraderie of the participants from all around the United States

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  My favorite fish to shoot is a toss up between dink gar or gator gar.

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  My favorite memories are from the 2011 World Championship when The Breeze Team found a pocket full of #50 plus catfish and the exciting moments of the hunt was on!!! Nothing like it that feeling!!!

Chuck Belmore

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Chuck Belmore

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Draketown, Georgia.

How long have you been bowfishing?  Been bowfishing for 26 years. Shot a few fish as a kid but never really bow fished with “real” equipment until my freshman year in college. That is when I became addicted to it and put the rod and reel down.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?   The most enjoyment I get from the sport is the brotherhood of bow fishers. I truly feel that we are the closest group of outdoorsman in the outdoors. All of the close friends I have made in the last 25 years have been involved in the sport. It is a common bond we all share. It takes a special breed of person to bowfish hardcore and compete at the upper level. Those guys know what hard work is and never shy away from doing their part. They will try their best to beat you on Saturday night but also help you fix your boat on Sunday morning. The fierce competition you can find in other sports but you will not find the camaraderie.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?   My favorite fish to shoot has to be bighead carp. These fish can be super elusive and grow to huge weights. That coupled with the different styles of hunting them make them a true challenge to pursue.   

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  My favorite memory will always be my children’s first fish. The look on their face as the fish came into view then the excitement they had when reeling them in. I will never forget it and I hope they don’t either. Those memories will make them fight for bowfishers rights long after I have laid my bow down.

Clint Horn

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Clint Horn

Date of birth:

David Frazier

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David Frazier

Date of birth:

Dell Owens

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Dell Owens

Date of birth:

Where are you from?   Payson, Arizona

 How long have you been bowfishing?  50 years

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  Tournaments

What is your favorite fish to shoot? Buffalo’s

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing? winning the international bowfishing tournament, 1979 Lake Mead, Nevada. PLACED FIRST 3 TIME AT BIG BEAR LAKE SHOOT, PLUS 8 SECOND PLACES, PLACE 10TH AT THE OPEN 2 YEARS AGO, 24th the 1st year, place in the top 15 at clear lake 4 times and won 2 new QUADS there as well, shot over 60 shoots here in Arizona, placing in the top 3 in at least 50 of them, winning a lot of them forgot. I by myself got shooting catfish here in AZ LEGAL,took me ten years and 5 meetings with the fish and game commission, but we got it done.

Dennis Redden

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Dennis Redden

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Benton Ky.

How long have you been bowfishing?  Since 1968

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  Chasing big fish!

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  Big Bigheads

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Winning the BAA World Championship


Doug Hunter

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Doug Hunter

Date of birth:

Where are you from?   Porter, Oklahoma

How long have you been bowfishing?   30 years

What do you enjoy most about the sport?   The friendships that are made

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  Weed Gar

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Watching my kids stick their first fish

Fred Christen

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Fred Christen

Date of birth:

Jason “Gibby” Gibson

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Jason “Gibby” Gibson

Date of birth:

How long have you been bowfishing? Since 1980

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  I’d say it would have to be the friendships this sport has made. This group of gentleman and ladies is one of a kind! I really enjoy getting to see and talk to the guys at our tournaments.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  I’m gonna give this one a tie, tiny gar or big bill gar.

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Has to be winning the Bass Pro Open in 2016. Winning that shoot with 1001.4 lbs, made me the first person in BAA history to have been part of a team that had shot over 1000 fish in a numbers shoot and over 1000 lbs in a big 20 shoot. Also with that shoot me and my team mates were the first team ever to break 1000 lbs in a big shoot!

 

Jason Cathey

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Jason Cathey

Date of birth:

Where are you from? Cleveland Ga.

How long have you been bowfishing?  Since 1996

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  The friendships I have made.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  Gar and spawning carp.

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing? Winning the 2012 BAA World Championship Numbers Division and my brother winning Big 20 Division at same tournament, only brothers to win both divisions of the BAA World Championship at the same tournament.

 

Jason Greer

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Jason Greer

Date of birth:

Where are you from?   Hail from Boonville, IN

How long have you been bowfishing?  Shooting fish since 1989

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  Started shooting over lights in 2002

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  Favorite fish to hunt is the Buffalo

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Favorite memories that always pop in my head are all the kids that i took out that i got to witness their 1st fish.

Jeff “Gargod” Beall

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Jeff “Gargod” Beall

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Henderson, Texas

How long have you been bowfishing?   started bowfishing in 1986

What do you enjoy most about the sport?   I think the things I enjoy most about the sport is the camaraderie and getting new folks involved in the sport. I worked at or owned an archery shop the last 27 years so I’ve gotten to see a lot of my customers prevail in the sport.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?   I would have to say my favorite fish to target is definitely the alligator gar. I would rank tilapia at #2 followed by buffalo at #3.

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?   I have so many great memories thru the years. I would have to say fishing and traveling the country shooting tournaments with my old partner and boss Ronnie Wall ranks up there at the top. Ronnie has since passed, but we were able to meet so many great people who are still my very close friends today.

 

Jeff Jester

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Jeff Jester

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Warren, AR

How long have you been bowfishing?   Around 20 years

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  I enjoy the competition and fellowship with other bowfishermen across the Country. I love watching this sport grow and I hope it continues after we are gone.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  I love to shoot all fish!

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?   I’ve been fortunate to win several state championships and multiple World Championships since I’ve been in the game, but the memory that stands out the most to me was the first World Championship I won. At that time I had just started tournament fishing and didn’t have a lot of money to put forth, but Torry Cook and I came to Guntersville, Alabama in 2003 anyway. We slept in the boat and ate Vienna’s all week because we couldn’t afford a motel. All our critics told us we were wasting our time and we didn’t have a chance against the big dogs that would be there. We worked our butts off and it paid off. We shot 408 fish from our fan boat. The top airboat brought in over 100 fish less than us! So never think you can’t compete just because you don’t have the equipment, or experience. You’ve just got to work hard and go a little further than the next man.

Jimmy Hendrix

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Jimmy Hendrix

Date of birth:

FROM:  Pensacola, Fl. Living just East in Pace, Fl. now

HOW LONG:  I’ve been bowfishing for 40 years

MOST ENJOYMENT:  The comradery at tournaments and taking a new shooter out to see what bowfishing is all about.

FAVORITE FISH: I enjoy shooting alligator gar but longnose gar are probably my favorite.

MY FAVORITE MEMORY: Being a BAA founding father and becoming the first BAA President for 6 years.

Joe Nichols

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Joe Nichols

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Slidell, Louisiana

How long have you been bowfishing?  19 years (as of 2018)

What do you enjoy most about the sport? I enjoy the friendships and family I have made over the years.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  My favorite fish….All legal Species!

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Both of my children’s first fish. 2017 Worlds which I broke the 850 fish mark.  Many top 5 finishes in BAA Sanctioned shoots. 2nd place finish in Great Lakes Bowfishing Championship. Kentucky State Champions, multiple state and BAA records. Hosting 3-5 tournaments a year.

Josh Dunkle

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Josh Dunkle

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Hector, Arkansas

How long have you been bowfishing?  2001-2018

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  Getting out and meeting people and introducing others to the sport we all love.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  Gar…… tiny weed Gar!

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?   Had a lot of good memories over the years from shooting many tournaments to taking cub scouts out and introducing them to the sport, taking kids out and seeing the excitement on their faces. Winning the world championship in 2008 and also breaking the 1000 fish mark in one night the same year. All of these are memories I will never forget and is why I will never leave the sport of bowfishing!

Mark Land

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Mark Land

Date of birth:

 Where are you from?  Have lived in Cartersville, GA for the last 20 years, originally from Columbus, GA.

How long have you been bowfishing?   I started shooting bowfishing tournaments around 1989 but bowfished long before that, taking my 1st fish with a bow when I was about 11-12 and just got more into it from there.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  I always enjoyed meeting new people and sharing the love and addiction of the sport. Later I really got into introducing new people to the sport and really enjoyed taking out special interest people, such as military or disabled. My whole professional life in this industry has been spent promoting and building the sport. For me personally now, I enjoy shooting new places and going after different species and really enjoy targeting bigger fish now.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  That is tough as I have a few but I would say in the last few years for freshwater has been Bigheads, just love shooting and pursuing those fish, but my big love is saltwater, nothing compares to it and the option for targeting so many different species of fish.

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing? I would like to say my favorite memory is a particularly big fish, new species or large animal, but really my favorite memories are of the old days of bowfishing when things were much simpler and we scrounged and scraped to get stuff together just to go and the feeling and drive I had back then just to get on the water, anywhere and go after anything. Also enjoyed running the Muzzy Classic in the early days when we all gathered in 1 place, had our dinners and took off and returned from the same spot, when everybody was sociable and it was just a huge gathering of friends and associates and we just all had a good time. Those were the things I am most fond of.

Mark Lee

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Mark Lee

Date of birth:

Where are you from? Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, but have been in Conway, Ar. Since 1995. Born 9/25/1964

How Long have you been bowfishing?  Started in 1990 on Toledo Bend with Gator Gar, and Big Buffalo fish. Didn’t get into shooting numbers until I started shooting with Jim Bebee in the early 2000.

What do you enjoy most about this sport?  I enjoy a lot of things, Tournaments so I can spend time visiting with guys from different places instead of online., I like seeing how many fish or weight it can take to win, not ours, but the team who does the time and who are usually good at finding fish, and beating their personal best! I enjoy seeing new guys getting into the sport and getting them to where they do not need to feel pressured to be as good as some of the ones who have been doing it for sometime. I enjoy helping new guys get set up on a budget to see if they’re interested.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  Don’t really know if there is a favorite per say, I have shot gator gar, buffs, commons, Israeli’s (mirror) common’s, and even a butterfly one. , whitey’s, dink gar, Asians, bigheads, etc… I like shooting dink gar, but I like shooting big fish also….I know the one I hate the most is shad!

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Quite a few actually….A. The night Jim and I caught the boat on fire in 1 foot of water, acting like he was gonna jump out …..(only ½) would’ve burnt! Sprayed the tank down on the genny with the fire extinguisher and refilled her and carried on the rest of the night! B. Gator gar fishing on Toledo bend in the 90’s, we had about a 100 pounder on, followed her up to the bank-line and she went back out deep under the boat….now this was like 4 a.m., I jumped down off the deck into ankle deep water on the floor of the boat.. by the time we figured the line had wrapped around the plug in the back of the boat and the fish had pulled it out, cranked the outboard and started trying to get back to the boat ramp, the water was coming over the bench seats…..I floored the outboard and the nose stood straight up for about a quarter of a mile….If you know buzzards roost(float road Pass, gov’t ditch) on Toledo bend, you know the row of tall cypress trees down the creek …..I had to navigate by the tops of those trees praying we did not hit a stump…boat leveled out about the time we got to the mouth of float road pass and I had to run on plane until we got to Williams….(around the corner of float road pass)….got the boat loaded, drove 30 miles to find another 2” plug and went back to see if we could find the gar…..never did….way many more stories, tornado’s, storms, etc….best memories are with the people I have fished with and made lifelong friends with….most have been with Jim Bebee as my longest standing Bowfishing Partner.

Mathew Schillinger

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Mathew Schillinger

Date of birth:

Where are you from? Stratford, WI

How long have you been bowfishing? Started bowfishing for fun in 1988. Mainly when the carp spawned on local flowage. The addiction hit hard in 2006 and that’s when I threw my fishing poles away and decided to chase Fish with a bow instead of waite for them to bite my hook.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?   I love the bowfishing community. Bowfishers are always willing to give a helping hand. Also enjoy traveling and learning a new body of water.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  Favorite Fish to target would be Buffalo with Bigheads a close 2nd.

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing? Have so many great memories but I would have to say winning the 2016 BAA Worlds Big 20 with 804 lbs. of Buffs. Amazing night, big fish, and great teammates.

Paula Boudra

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Paula Boudra

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Arkansas

How long have you been bowfishing?   First time experiencing Bowfishing was 26 years ago and have been a dedicated bowfisher for 12 years.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  What I enjoy most about the sport is the fellowship with family and friends. No matter how many years you’ve been shooting or how many fish you’ve shot, no two nights are ever the same…it never gets old. Even after all these years, I am still like a kid at Christmas every single time when that first fish of the night lands in the boat.

What is your favorite fish to shoot? My favorite fish to shoot would have to be gar. From floaters in the hot summer, rolling longnose to the ever elusive trophy gator gar they each present their own challenges and rewards.

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  My favorite memory can’t be narrowed down to just one. Being there to coach and watch my son shoot his first fish is at the top. Being the first woman to ever shoot several world class tournaments, the opportunity to be featured in The Wall Street Journal article on alligator gar and becoming a state champion are just few of my favorite memories and accomplishments that I take pride in. I can’t imagine my life without the experiences, friends and loved ones that  being a part of this sport has blessed me with…I wouldn’t change a thing.

Ramon McDonald

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Ramon McDonald

Date of birth:

Randy Parker

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Randy Parker

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  From Mt. Vernon, Indiana.

How long have you been bowfishing?  I’ve been bowfishing since the Bowfishing Country Days. Back then I was known as FXTrucker. Shot Willett was my mentor as well as the original members of the Down River Bowfishing Association. It was in the DRBA days that I was introduced to the bowfishing kids seminars and kids tournaments like the Jarred Ashmore and taking kids out at Archery Camps USA. I enjoy these kids events as much today as I did at my very first one. I’m not much of a tournament fisherman but have made some pretty cool driftwood trophies over the years. I make the trophies for the Jarred Ashmore Kids Shoot every year and the big and small fish trophies for the AMS Bowfishing Big 30. My best finish at a tournament took place a few years ago at the Cajun 8. My team weighed in the lightest 8 fish average and won $50 gift cards!

What do you enjoy most about the sport?   The best part of bowfishing are the people who do it! They will drop what they are doing at a moments notice and help anyone in need without a second thought! Drive hundreds of miles to take kids out fishing, loan out their boats, equipment and knowledge to introduce the younger generation to this addiction that we all have.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?   

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?

 

Randy Woodward

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Randy Woodward

Date of birth:

Where are you from? Coweta, Oklahoma

How long have you been bowfishing?  Since I could pull a bow back 3 or 4 years old I am 59 now.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  The people I have met the best people in the world bowfishing tournament they become like family.

What is your favorite fish to shoot? Gar we use to say ( you live by the gar and you die by the gar )

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  The face of the kids at the youth worlds when they get prizes and win a plaques. I love wading I have been lucky and had great partners in tournaments but I am a different bowfisherman when I get to wade. That’s my favorite type of bowfishing being close with the fish and understanding what they are doing the sounds they make and the way the act around other fish. For example weed gar get in big pods while spawning 15 or more you can put your hand in the water and shake it and call them to you if you make the same noise the others are making. A buffalo makes a different noise than a carp when sucking so when you are wading and its a carp only tournament you know not to go after the buffalo when they are making the sucking noises. When needle nose spawn they get in big balls so you have to be careful when you shoot not to hit the males in a big fish tournament. Big mouth buffalo school on huge numbers most people when they shoot them they usually shoot the smaller males on top of the school the big females stay deeper in open waters. Drum make the drumming noises when they mate chasing each other if you patient enough to wait the big is always in the back of the spawning pack. I thought I was already in the B.A.A. Hall of Fame? is this a update. Oh I always try to show respect to other while bowfishing or discussing bowfishing, try to leave a positive for bowfishing to everyone out there. Thanks buddy For better outdoors take a kid hunting & fishing. It’s our future! Randy

Rich Porter

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Rich Porter

Date of birth:

In 1989 I was working in my first archery shop and during that time is
when I was introduced to bowfishing. By 1991 bowfishing had become
a passion, so when I heard of a fledgling nation organization called the
BAA, I sent my membership in ASAP.

Over the next few years, I soaked up as much bowfishing information as
possible and continued to be a BAA member and started shooting local
events. I contributed articles to the BAA Journal as well and started
doing seminars at various events.

In 2000 I became the Nebraska state rep, a position I still hold to this
day. I started hosting a local tournament as well and began traveling to
other events in the Midwest.

My new career as a hunting sales rep put me in a unique position in
helping spread the word about the BAA. It wasn’t long and every
archery shop and sporting goods store I would call in in four states had
information pamphlets I printed off regarding BAA membership.
About 2008 a Nebraska bowfishing club was formed where I served as
it’s first president and then the tourney director for 13 years. When the
BAA announced free membership, I took it upon myself to sign up every
competitor that shot our five tournaments each year. This meant
between 300-500 new members joined the BAA.

Over the past 30 years I have continued to write articles for multiple
magazines and newspapers, always trying to plug the BAA in each
article. I’ve managed to do a few radio shows, and a couple guest
appearances on some outdoor shows where the BAA and it’s mission is
often mentioned.

I continue to be a part of the Nebraska bowfishing mentor program
which teaches several hundred kids each year about bowfishing. I
always mention the local club and the BAA.
After many years of wanting to be a part of the BAA Worlds I received
my chance in 2021 with the South Dakota BAA Worlds. Co-Hosting the
event with Lance Wheeler and making it one to remember.
To me the BAA is the most important organization in bowfishing. With
several thousand members nationally, we are the voice of the
bowfishing community. It’s our sole responsibility to uphold a positive,
moral, and professional national face as well as a united front against
any person or entity that could disrupt our sport.
Being a member and state rep is an honor and I look forward to seeing
the organization grow and prosper in the future.

Shawn Hoelzeman

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Shawn Hoelzeman

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Conway AR

How long have you been bowfishing?  22 years

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  The part of bowfishing that i enjoy the most is the bowfishing family. Everybody is willing to help another out of needed.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?  Gar

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  Winning the 2014 world championship by one fish.

Shot Willett

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Shot Willett

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Evansville Indiana.

How long have you been bowfishing? Been bowfishing since 1979.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  BS sessions before and after the tournaments.

What is your favorite fish to shoot? Big long nose gar.

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?   When so many of my bowfishing brothers and sisters decided to pitch in and send me to South Africa. I’ve never felt more like “somebody” before or since. Pretty sure no one this bad at their hobby has been treated better by his peers.

 

Tommy Woods

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Tommy Woods

Date of birth:

Where are you from?  Born in Villa Rica, spent all my childhood in New Georgia, Ga

How long have you been bowfishing?  First time I ever went was as a junior in high school so 1986..32 yrs ago.

What do you enjoy most about the sport?  Comradery and the competition in the sport side.

What is your favorite fish to shoot?   Gator gar or buffalo

What is your favorite memory from bowfishing?  When we won the 2014 World Championship in KY with my son. Hunter Woods.

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