This weekend's alligator hunt

[Longshot270]

Every year Texas Parks and Wildlife holds a large number of youth and adult hunts that are drawn for like a raffle. This is used as a research and management tool as every animal that is harvested goes through a series of measurements before you are allowed to clean it. It is a way to get the active public involved in the research behind the state regulations. The hunts include just about every game animal in the state in a range of hunting methods like rifle, shotgun, muzzle loader and archery hunts depending on the targeted species. Unfortunately I didn't get drawn for this alligator hunt but my brother did so I tagged along to take pictures. We went to Martin Dies Jr. State Park. I think I took at least 40 pictures of the lake and bike trails but here are a few I uploaded. Unfortunately the uploads aren't the best compared to the originals so it may help to take a few steps away from the computer to see the clearer image.

A few from day one

To me the pictures like these are some of my favorites. In the hill country trees do not grow in the middle of the lake so I find them interestingly different...if it weren't for the gators I would have stayed all night in the kayak going for catfish.


Saw this 10ish footer in the cove my brother was assigned. They put us there because there had been reports of an alligator frightening campers in the campground that surrounded the cove.


The rig we had to use consisted of a bamboo stick, rope and a hook...I dont consider it hunting because it is no different than setting a throw line. But it does virtually eliminate the chance of killing a gator and losing it from other methods. Since we lost a huge gator last year in the same drawn hunt we used two lines, one tied to the tree and the other tied to a float. Both tied to the hook so if one broke we wouldn't lose it.


Oh the way back we had to make our way through tons of lotus pads...this is why if you buy something for your garden or aquarium you make dang sure it stays there. Invasive species are found in every body of water in Texas.


I like the colors and contrasts in this one so I posted it.

Day 2

On our way to check the bait the next morning. I like this one because of the background trees being greyed out by fog and the nearest trees showing up.


Same one, he was too smart. Turned out something had kicked the bait into the water and a large turtle or smaller gator removed the bait from the hook. We reset it in the morning and watched some buzzards do mid air barrel rolls trying to grab the bait. No pics but it was really cool to watch them do that just above the water's surface.


When we got back we went to the check in/out boat ramp. This was the biggest gator of the weekend. She measured 11' 8" from tip to tail but should have been in the 12 foot range. A few inches had been bitten off the end of her tail at some point. There were two 8 footers and another mid 11' male that weighed a bit over 300#s.

If anyone is passing through the Livingston area and is looking for a nice park to stay at, Martin Dies Jr. State park is probably one of the nicest parks I have ever been too (and I've been to many in this state). They have very nice bike trails, a kayak trail, an education center and overall a very well maintained park.

[cj45lc]

Those are some great pics, thanks for sharing them

[jwmaier1215]

Sweet pictures! Not much of a hunter, but love being out on the rivers up here in Indiana catfishin'. I think it'd be awesome to ride along for a day out in the Bayou doing some gator hunting. BTW, gator tastes soooo yummy!

[Longshot270]

Originally Posted by jwmaier1215

Sweet pictures! Not much of a hunter, but love being out on the rivers up here in Indiana catfishin'. I think it'd be awesome to ride along for a day out in the Bayou doing some gator hunting. BTW, gator tastes soooo yummy!

I've never had it but that's what I've heard.

[jwmaier1215]

Originally Posted by Longshot270

I've never had it but that's what I've heard.

I know people apply the analogy to everything, but it tastes like chicken. It's a chewy meat, kind of tough. But yeah, tastes like a rubbery chicken. However, I enjoyed it. I had some when I was down in Florida this past summer (Clearwater). It's kind of expensive though and I've thought about ordering some gator meat online, but like I said it's kind of expensive.

[Longshot270]

Meat usually gets its flavor from the fats it contains, even then the majority of that is coming from your sense of smell. If you plug your nose, even the most delicious steak tastes pretty plain. Most things taste like chicken just because the fats in white meat are usually pretty similar. It does get over applied but there is still some truth behind it.

I didn't really want to catch a gator for food anyway. All of the fish in the lake have warning signs that you can't eat them because of toxin levels. The toxins they list, like mercury, build up in the fatty tissues of the fish. Turtles eat dead fish and alligators eat turtles. The toxins are only going to get more concentrated the further up you go in the food chain but somehow the gators are magically safe to eat.

[88Racing]

Looks kewl!