Pittsburgh is a bullseye for some of the continent's most ardent archers. They'll hit their mark this week when 500 too 700 bowhunters, bow builders and other archery enthusiasts from across North America converge at the Radisson Green Tree Hotel for a national meeting of the Professional Bowhunters Society (PBS).

Members don't call their biannual meeeting a convention -- to them it's "The Pittsburgh Gathering," which sounds about right for a group founded in 1962 with about 2,000 members that embraces artisanship, family, friends and the outdoor experience.

Member Paul Shore of Wausau, Wis., has never been to Pittsburgh, but while he's here he'll keep an eye open for still, shallow water where carp might live. Shore will present a seminar on bowfishing for carp at 9 a.m. Friday.

"You can approach bowfishing from so many directions. You can wade, shoot from a boat or stalk along the bank," he said. "I enjoy it because it combines elements of hunting and fishing. You're stalking and shooting close. It's split-second shooting, which is easier to do well with simple equipment. All you need is some kind of bow, a barbed arrow connected to a line and some kind of reel. I still have the first bowfishing reel I ever owned. It's a No. 9 pea can and it's all the reel you need."

Shore said a closed-face spinning reel can work well, but monofilament is not desirable for bowfishing. Most archers use a braided cord line hand wound on a simple reel, and fiberglass arrows are superior to wood shafts because fiberglass holds up better after a carp is struck.

In Pennsylvania, it is legal to use bows and arrows, including compound bows, to take only carp, gar, suckers and eels, day or night. No bowfishing may be done in approved trout waters during the closed season, or in special-regulation waters. A fishing license is required.

"Non-native carp have literally taken over some waters, so duck hunters and bass fishermen are good sources for finding places to hunt because they want you to get rid of them," Shore said.

Carp aren't known for their looks, but Shore said they have other attributes.

"Carp are delicious smoked," he said. "My neighbors and I smoked some carp and some salmon and took both to a party. The carp disappeared first."

In addition to Shore's carp hunting tips, the bowfishing seminar will feature brothers Bob and Merl Brilhart, of Hanover, Pa., sharing their stingray bowfishing adventures along Virginia's barrier islands.

"You only take short shots at ray," said Bob Brilhart. "And you don't shoot at the really big ones. You can't hold a sizeable ray. We use a fiberglass arrow and no more than 10 yards of line, tied to a flotation bottle, like a milk jug or something similar, painted orange for visibility. We hunt from a boat. If you get two arrows in, you can pull the ray in."

PBS ethics demand that bowhunters use their kill as food. Brilhart adheres to the ethic with enthusiasm.

"When we get one, we fillet out the wings and take the slab of meat off down to the cartilage. We marinate and grill it. It's very good," he said.

Other seminars at the PBS gathering will cover bowhunting for turkeys, exotic bowhunting destinations, wildlife photography, camp cookery and instinctive shooting. Seminars begin at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday, continue throughout both days and are open to the public.

Craftsmen and dealers of traditional archery equipment will set up exhibits to display their work. Allegheny Archery, of Butler, will be one of the few local vendors with tackle on display.

"The Professional Bowhunters Society coming to Pittsburgh is great for the city," said Allegheny Archery co-owner, Claude Stewart. "It will highlight our region to really good outdoor folks from all over the country,"