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.

[88Racing]

Looks kewl!

[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.

[Jackpine]

Don't gators (and crocs) eat pretty much anything they can get in their mouth that was once alive and moving about? My understanding is they aren't too "picky" and will happily eat carrion.

Funny, isn't it how "bottom feeders" like lobster and crab taste so delicious. I guess gators might fall into that category too.

- Jack

[jwmaier1215]

About like a catfish. I have never used live bait, only stink bait. I mean what on earth would find stink bait "tasty?" that stuff smells to high heavan.

From my understanding (I love the show "Swamp People" on the History channel, they bait limb lines with rotten chicken, rotten carp, rotten anything to catch gators. Gators are kind of amazing/weird. IIRC turning a gator on it's back like paralyzes it for a few minutes and like 3 wraps of electrical tape and keep it's mouth shut. I heard somewhere that a 5-year old can keep a gators mouth clamped shut, but not even the worlds strongest man can open the gators jaws. They have so much strength and power too. I don't see how they don't pull more fishermen overboard when they have ahold of the other end of the line. It's like playing tug-of-war with a 800 pound monster.

[Longshot270]

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

Don't gators (and crocs) eat pretty much anything they can get in their mouth that was once alive and moving about? My understanding is they aren't too "picky" and will happily eat carrion.

Funny, isn't it how "bottom feeders" like lobster and crab taste so delicious. I guess gators might fall into that category too.

- Jack

Originally Posted by jwmaier1215

About like a catfish. I have never used live bait, only stink bait. I mean what on earth would find stink bait "tasty?" that stuff smells to high heavan.

From my understanding (I love the show "Swamp People" on the History channel, they bait limb lines with rotten chicken, rotten carp, rotten anything to catch gators. Gators are kind of amazing/weird. IIRC turning a gator on it's back like paralyzes it for a few minutes and like 3 wraps of electrical tape and keep it's mouth shut. I heard somewhere that a 5-year old can keep a gators mouth clamped shut, but not even the worlds strongest man can open the gators jaws. They have so much strength and power too. I don't see how they don't pull more fishermen overboard when they have ahold of the other end of the line. It's like playing tug-of-war with a 800 pound monster.

Well the main thing when you look at animal behavior is energy conservation. Which takes more energy, catching a turtle or catching a deer? Naturally they will seek out the turtle before they wait for a deer to walk up to ambush simply because they can get food without spending much energy. The rotting bait works well because they can locate it by smell faster than they would a fresh chicken. You can catch them on fresh meat but your chances are much more slim just because they have a harder time finding it. Kinda like you know you have passed a good steak house if you can smell the food inside the cab of your truck while driving at 70 mph.
Also, when they catch something large many will drown it then stuff it under trees to let it start rotting. This makes it easier to break up into bites since they can't chew. This reinforces, in their mind, rotting smell=food. Their muscles for opening their jaws are relatively weak just because all it has to do is open. The closing power is more important because it is their primary tool for catching and holding prey and IIRC is over 2000 PSI.
Not sure about flipping them over though. I think all it would do is disrupt their equilibrium (they are used to staying right side up so being flipped will be a confusing experience). Also what I've seen with zoos is that when their eyes are covered they'll lay still for a little while just because they can't react if they can't see.

Also, your not playing tug of war with them. When you are about 50 yards from your set (term for the hook/line/etc.) you'll be able to see if something has taken the bait. If the bait has been taken you act like you have a big one one the line and take your time. You come up to a safe distance and get the line and slowly pull it in. By the time you get to the set they have already swallowed the bait and hook. You bring them in not by the strength of the hook and line but by the discomfort of the hook's pressure on their gut. They dont fight like a fish does because it doesn't feel good. This also means that you have to be careful. If you feel it tug back harder than you can hold with a few fingers then you let it go. Let it sit a bit then start bringing it in again. When you pull them up to the boat what will usually happen is they bolt when they hit the surface. You let them go off and pull them back in. Eventually they'll come up and stay long enough for you to put them down with a .410. You dont use large single bullets like rifles because they are too high powered and can ricochet. You don't use slugs either because that is only a single projectile. They recommended bird shot just because you greatly increase your chances of a bb causing instant death by entering the brain cavity. This takes a very careful shot because their skulls are denser than just about any other animal. You aim for a soft spot in the back of their skull where the only thing separating part of their brain from the world is muscle and their heavy hide. If it seems strange look up "diapsids," we are "synapsids" with a single opening on each side of our skull along with birds and turtles are a strange group called anapsids, or "no opening." The rest is just taking your time, being safe and keeping the carcass cool so the hide doesn't slip, making it useless for tanning.