I was thinking this year I would like to try hunting grouse and quail with my bow. The only issue that I could find would be loosing my arrows. So I started thinking, could I use the bow fishing setup to hunt birds? That way you would not loose your arrows and how fun would reeling in a bird be Now my questions are these, is it legal? and is this a realistic idea? I know I can hit them but would it work.

I would check with the game dept in your state.

I heard that years ago in CT that there was a guy duck hunting in a local park with a fishing rod. He would put bait out, hook'em & finish them off.

Caused quite a problem, but he had a hunting/fishing license & duck stamps.

I don't think that would fly now but if the story is true, ya got to give the guy credit!

I have never done this but know of others who have just not with fishing equipment.
Most of them hunt with compounds and use Judo points on their arrows.
Those that shoot using traditional bows use flu flu feathers and judo points from what I have been told. Hope this helps. Joe

My cousin was snagging spoonbill in Oklahoma one year, he hook one and was pulling it in and a herrin swooped down and got the fish, a game warden made him let the bird go, some kinda rule against it. I know that's a different thing than shooting with a bow but the string may be a problem, especially if some PETA nitwit saw this poor defencless bird being reeled in lol. Would be a funny sight though'

I have used tradional equipment for bird hunting, as Joe said we use Flu Flus and blunts or judos. I also use them in my compound for grouse up north.

I know of a few people who have hunted geese with archery equipment but duck would be a dead end. Migratory birds (ducks and Geese) migrate so if they get an arrow and fly away it is a black eye to archery. Better to get out Cold Ethal (Shotgun). I hate steel shot like the next guy but the kill ratio is still 1000% better than a bow.

That is why I wanted to use fishing gear. I figured it would almost be like harpooning just with a arrow, then I could real it in so that the bird would not escape.

There used to be some tracking devices on the market that involved light-weight string or thread in a spool to help find a deer after the kill. I never tried it but they might be available somewhere. Probably work for about one shot. Then a day rewinding the string.

Well folks it is not legal to hunt birds with fishing gear . bow or traditional fishing tackle.

Even if it was you wouldn't get much range out of the arrows. One, the line can only spool so far, and Two, the line coming out of the reel has so much drag, you don't get alot of distance. Plus retrieving an arrow through all that brush would be a major pain it the rear.
Judo points and flu-flus get my vote after the good old over/under.