This year’s alligator season is now over for me. All 66 of my tags are filled. My nephew fished 12 alligators for me this year, he will carry on the the family tradition the dates back at least five generations. The rest of the tags, I filled.

very cool, if you get bored more details and stories would be fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim629:
very cool, if you get bored more details and stories would be fun.

This was my 40th plus season to hunt alligators. The first one was in 1979 with my Dad and brother. I went to work fulltime in 1981 and missed a couple of seasons. Dad died in 1985 I have hunted very year since then.

Even after all these years I still get excited to go. This year I received 66 tags and gave 12 to my nephew to fill. It is time for the next generation to start taking over.

We fish with hook and line similar to "Swamp People". We in general do not have the drama when fishing, although it can get interesting at times.




My Dad Circa 1981





This is from last year, it was one of the best years ever size wise for me.





One of the biggest alligators I ever caught, not the longest at 11-6 but massive. For comparison I wear size 15 boot.

Thanks for posting - 66 alligators - amazing!

Good job!

That's a lot of dinosaurs brother! And I initially thought the picture of your dad was an earlier picture of you... like father, like son.

Mike,

Good for you. I remember way back when I was growing up in the '60's they thought the American alligator might go extinct.

Mark

That is a lot of water lizards. Well done .

I am seeing reports on national news recently of 13-14 foot gators being taken in Mississippi and Louisiana.

My kid brother lives in Biloxi.

If this keeps up, we are going to have to book a brothers hunt!

Congrats, Mike, on a great season!

Russel,

Plenty of my Dad’s friends and relatives still tell me I look very much like him, I always take it as a compliment.

Mark,
Populations bottomed out in the 60s. Within 10 to 15 years we were overrun with them. There are more alligators now than when the season opened in 1979.

Larry,

Are you still hunting alligators on your property in Florida?



Through all the years the biggest alligator we have caught was a little over 12 feet long. I saw a 14 foot long gator at the dock a couple of years back. Its sheer size was unbelievable.

Mike:

They gave me 21 tags this year. I mostly let kids take them.

I hunted alligators a lot back in the 70's, 80's and 90's with my uncle and cousin. We had about 50 tags. We normally filled the tags fairly quickly. Back then SW Louisiana had lots of alligators.

In the first 5 years after alligator season reopened, we took some massive alligators. Later in the mid-90's, there was still lots of gators around, but our average gator was a good bit smaller than the mid to late 70's. It takes a long time to grow a 12 alligator.

I'd sure like to do this once. Seeing the ice, I assume you save some of the meat in addition to the hide?

We sell the alligators whole. They are buying them mainly for the meat. Not much of a market for the hide.

Thanks for cluing me in, Mike. I guess I am surprised the hides have little value, but maybe it is a result of all the sobbing by the no-leather, no-fur pantywaists out there.

We killed 14 at the beginning of the season this year in 3 days
Couple 11 plus
Done it for few years as Louisiana safari and I’d say lots of fun and hell of a lot cheaper than African crocs

but Gustav ...

Lake Placid

66, wow

I have to ask: What are you doing with them? Is it for leather? Have it any other use (meat, whatever)?

Jiri

Alligator tail fritters are delish

Thank you for sharing this part of Deep South hunting culture w us.

Do you use a bang stick or the Swamp People, 22 method?

I always thought a bang stick made more sense, but I can understand using using cheaper 22 when you are going to be killing a whole bunch of these things.

Good to see your nephew going all in. I am the last in my family that hunts.

Everyone older than me has “retried” and everyone younger than me stopped in college.

quote:

Originally posted by Jiri:
66, wow

I have to ask: What are you doing with them? Is it for leather? Have it any other use (meat, whatever)?

Jiri

Years ago we hunted them for the skins and sold a little meat on the side. Over the years the meat has become more valuable. With the anti-hunting/fur/leather sentiment in the world, alligator hides have lost most of their value.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
Thank you for sharing this part of Deep South hunting culture w us.

Do you use a bang stick or the Swamp People, 22 method?

I always thought a bang stick made more sense, but I can understand using using cheaper 22 when you are going to be killing a whole bunch of these things.

Good to see your nephew going all in. I am the last in my family that hunts.

Everyone older than me has “retried” and everyone younger than me stopped in college.

We shoot them with a 22 magnum. One shot while the gator is in the water and one on the edge of the boat to make sure.

I am excited my nephew is helping along with his cousin, both good kids that love the outdoors.

"Swamp People" is probably my favorite show!

It's so foreign to me, being in Utah my whole life, that it's exciting to see how other people live their lives outside of my little bubble.

It's on my bucket list to do something like that but, at 70 years old, I'd better hurry up while my health is excellent.

Zeke

Mike,
Thanks for sharing!! Great fun, lots of work, great tradition!!

I did a hunt in east Texas years ago with an outfit with 300 tags. Spent 4 opening days with them, blowing around in airboat, setting baits, then coming back around and dragging them up... n POP!!

They were harvesting for Italian and French shoe and purse makers!!

I killed 9, took one head and hide home, cowboy boots, wallets, check book cover... I still have some of them!!... and the head in a shoulder mount. My largest was 10ft, 310lbs!!

Brings back lots of memories!!

CheerZ,

It seems from reports the the alligator population has fully recovered.

That in certain areas they show up in where they are are not wanted.

For those in alligator country.

Do you think that the restrictions protecting them are to much?

Thanks for sharing, what a cool tradition and hope your nephew takes it as seriously as you and your father have.