1st Gen. Lunch Table - General Discussion

So is there like a gator hunting season or.......?

 

Looks like Sept 10-30 2025 for the core counties in TX. In GA it opened at sunset on Aug 15 and closes at sunrise on Oct 6.
Each state regulates the season and hunting methods differently.

 

That's nuts. I never knew that was a thing. How do you hunt em? I image you don't kill em in the water and go in to retrieve them.

 

Dont be a coward. Fist fight em.

 

My friends Jake and Jesse would go out in their jon boat, roll up next to one and give it a couple love taps to the dome if they had the chance. But usually just tossed out some bait on a rope an active area, wait for them to swallow it, then go rope them in. Same for moccasins, to get the skins, bream carcass on a nylon fish stringer tied off to the dock.

 

Ain't you ever watched Swamp People?

 

Our season starts third weekend of September. Always a great time

 

Got notified that my new actuators and lock assemblies are shipped so I will finally be able to put the doors back together! These panels have been sitting and mocking me for 8 days now

 

State laws are different. We can't use baited hooks nor rifles. GA requires that the gator be restrained before it is dispatched. We used binos to locate the gator. We used a large spinning rod loaded with 100 lb. braid and a weighted treble hook to make contact and provide location. A second rod was then used to help triangulate the gators location. A large hand grapple with heavy flat cord was then applied a used to lift the gator to the surface. Then a harpoon was used to secure a second heavy line to the gator. Pulled it up to the surface and a bang stick finished the dance.

 

In Arkansas, no snagging, no baiting, no treble hooks allowed. You must also have control of the alligator before dispatching. We spotlight them on the water, then like when frog gigging, we keep the light on them while approaching. Once close enough to do so, a long stabber stick with a detachable barbed point is used to stab the gator in a meaty part of its back. The barbed point has a steel braided leader, and about 20’ or so of rope attached with a buoy on the end of it. Being stabbed really pisses the gator off and it begins trying to shake the attached barb and rope. It basically wears itself out, becomes rather docile and is then pulled back towards the boat by the buoy and rope. Once close the boat and under control (wore out) you dispatch with #6 shot from a shotgun to the back of the skull.

 

One of our harvested gators


Dressed up and grilled gator meat

 

Gators have to be 5’ in length to be legal. This little guy was 5’2”. The little ones are tastier than the big ones.

 

Yup, the big ones always have waaaay more fat in them. It's nice that it gets marbled, but eats less like a steak.

I guess my friends are a little more lawless. I don't think they ever took a gator legally, but there were so many in the grove ponds and private lakes nearby, nobody would've known any better.

 

I just noticed the beer can in that 6-7ft'ers mouth

 

That one was 7’4”

 

I had a 2’ baby in pasadena for a couple weeks. got worried he’d dig under the fence. Caught it when it was 18” or so. Had a kiddie pool and fed it scraps. I want another, but i dont have enough water… unless i get 10 of em & the ‘escape’ into the guadalupe. End up in canyon lake.maybe help fix the cat problem they’ve got. One could easily fix the cat problem i’ve got.

 

Or you just end up with a whole new problem...

​

 

Never had the pleasure of being able to hunt gator, but I would for sure.

 

I am suddenly starving to death...

 

Does it ever get better than this? Asking for a friend.

 

How much would they charge for a cleaned out skull?

 

Oh, I have no idea. I haven't talked to either of those guys in over 25 years. We all drifted away in our mid-late 20s.

 

https://howtobbqright.com/2020/08/21/whole-smoked-gator-recipe/

 

I have been quoted $200 for a european mount.

 

If your willing to own a cat, you should be willing to own an alligator. You’re of no use until your dead, either way.

 

It's very doable. PM if you need help with it. It took me 9 years to draw the tag, but I wanted to hunt Lake Eufuala because of the 96" minimum. My son is burning to beat the 111" I got.

 

Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it. I've only gone duck/geese hunting so far.

 

I fell in love with Eufala when I was at Ft Benning almost 50 yrs ago.

 

Tundra is going on a rescue mission. Stay tuned.