Outdoors360’s Courtland Hunt caught more than just the attention of viewers when he posted an epic video of himself using a modified Glock to shoot the invasive lion fish which has neared 800,00 views. FWC and the federal government investigated the legality of his hunt – that combine two of his favorite things, guns and spear fishing – after seeing the video online.
If you’re wondering just what the whole Glock hunting for lionfish looked like, check it out:
This wasn’t a last minute decision; Hunt spent six months with his friends working on their Glock to get it just right.
“We needed to put a suppressor on it to make it quieter, make it safer,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to go shoot their gun at fish underwater? Especially a species that detrimental to the environment.”
Despite using non-toxic rounds in his Glock 9mm and only targeting lion fish, which have almost no restrictions on how they’re killed, it’s illegal to shoot a gun at fish underwater isn’t allowed in state or federal waters.
Since the hunt took place 30 miles off Anna Maria Island, FWC handed the investigation over to the feds, who determined nothing illegal occurred.
“It’s definitely illegal inside Florida waters,” Hunt said. “Luckily, we weren’t within nine miles, so they deferred it to the feds; the feds came back and said we weren’t breaking any laws.”
What’s next for Hunt? Besides wearing awesome hats, he has plans to modify an automatic rifle to take out even more of the nuisance that is the lionfish.
