Alligator Hunting
компютри втора употребадиваниonline casinoHere in Florida, alligator hunting season is a blast. The season goes by harvest periods in August to November. Florida has been holding public hunts for about 18 years. When Florida began the hunts, permits were acquired through a random draw system. Permits are now issued on a first-come-first-serve basis via the Internet, telephone or at the county tax collector’s office.
Let’s be more specific about permits and requirements. Once you get into the system on the day the permits become available, you will choose from many different areas of the state that are open to hunt. If the area you request has permits available, then are are in. You can select another area if your first choice is unavailable. This permit allows you to take two alligators from the specified area. For Florida residents, the permit costs about $280, and the fee for a non-resident is $1,000.
The state offers training for first-timers, a list of qualified hunters for hire, what type of equipment is needed, as well as what is legal to hunt. No firearms are allowed, other than a bangstick.
If you have never hunted alligators, it is an experience like no other. Imagine, it is pitch black out and there you are with a spotlight strapped to your head. All you can see is 2,000 bugs and two orange eyes. You are standing on the deck of the airboat cruising about 25 mph, with nothing to hold on to. You have to make sure the gator is big enough to suit you, and keep perfect aim to get the harpoon in it. Whew, we’re talking fun now.
Okay, is that a little too much for you? We don’t always run that fast to get a gator. Sometimes the gators are so quick to disappear in to the dark water, the fast approach works. Other times, we will creep up on them slowly, but as quickly as possible. As they sink below the surface, we get the harpoon in them.
Another way to get the gator is to use a large spinning rod and reel outfit with a weighted treble hook. You cast the hook and try to snag them. This way is like fighting a very big fish. Once you tire the gator and get him close to the boat, then the fun begins. If the gator is still fighting, it is a good idea to get a harpoon in it. The harpoon is attached to a heavy line with a float attached. Should your fishing line break, you know that the gator on heavy line and you can pull it in and prepare to harvest it.
The best way to harvest a gator is with a bangstick. A bangstick is also called a “powerhead”, similar to what scuba divers used to use to protect themselves from sharks. It is attached to the end of a wooden or metal pole, and the business end is loaded with a handgun-type bullet, usually .44 magnum.
Once you have the gator at boat side, you let it sink about a foot under water, then use a quick, sharp blow between the eyes with the bangstick. These critters have survived for millions of years, so sometimes it may take more than one attempt to kill it. Now, you are ready to bring it on board. By the way, don’t forget to tape those jaws shut!
At the beginning of the article, I talked about hunting in the airboat. Some of the places we hunt are very shallow or actual swamp, and the airboat is the best way to access these areas. Some lakes and rivers have good open water so any small skiff-type boat will work. You can use an electric trolling motor to sneak up on them, then use the spinning rig and treble hook or the harpoon.
I hope this article gets you all fired up about hunting alligators. The population of alligators in Florida is estimated at over 1 million, and the state only allows about 4,500 permits. Some gators are killed if they become a nuisance and that accounts for about 6,000 gators a year. At that rate, there should be plenty of gators to go around!
I have included pictures of a couple of gators I harvested.The first alligator was harvested in Lake Hatchineha, near Kissimmiee, FL. My hunting partner and I had taken a smaller gator earlier in the evening and were about to call it a night when this big one presented us with a shot.
When I stuck the first harpoon in him, I thought he was about 8 ft. long. When we got him to the boat-side, we both were shocked by it’s size. We got a second harpoon in him and the fight got wild. The gator eventually tired and allowed us to hit him with the bangstick.
I put the noose around his jaws, taped them shut, then we wrestled him into the boat. What a challenge that was too. Once we got him laid out in the bottom of the boat, he measured one inch short of 11 feet. It was great fun.
(Click on picture to enlarge)
The smaller gator was also taken from Lake Hatchineha. My buddy and I were celebrating my birthday and gator hunting on the same evening. The gators were very spooky that night, but with much persistence, we were able to get to this one. It measured 7′ 7″, and brought a nice price from the processor. I you don’t want the meat, you can sell the whole gator to the processor.
We had a much larger gator on the line earlier, but, “like the big one that got away”, he got away. I know where he is hiding, so I will get that gator next time!
