Each fall, the state of Georgia has an alligator hunt. Permits are issued by a quota system that requires points to be accumulated. The state is divided into hunt zones, and the better zones require at least 4 pts. to be drawn. That means at least 5 years of applications. I have been waiting since 2011 for my shot at a monster gator. This year my husband and I both drew tags.
Hunting gators in GA is different than what you may have seen on TV. Baited hooks are not allowed. The alligator must be caught, secured, and then dispatched by handgun or bangstick. Popular methods are casting snatch hooks, bowfishing, or harpoon. We used heavy fishing poles and treble hooks.
We booked a guide and a boat for two days and nights, but weather complicated our hunt. Heavy rain, lightning, and a cold front shut the alligators down. Alligators were seen, but stayed in heavy cover and couldn't be snagged.
We got six hours of sleep over the 48 hours, and spent 21 hours in the boat. Not until the last hour of the hunt, did we hook a worthy alligator. We had chased him for three hours. Sometimes he out ran the trolling motor. After one treble hook, and then another he fought the good fight for 30 minutes,taking our lines to the bottom of the river till he got tired. After we both were exhausted, the gator was raised to the surface and a crossbow bolt with a heavier line was placed in his tail. Now he was one step closer to being mine. All that remained was a bullet to the head.

Two shots from a .357 ended the fight.

The alligator measured 10' and 3/4 " and weighed approximately 275 to 300 lbs. We brought home his hide, skull, and a cooler with about 100 lbs of white meat.

Talk about one happy tired girl.

Congrats on your gator!

COOL AND CONGRATS, YOU EARNED THAT GATOR!

Nicely done! A well earned gator!

Congratulations on your gator.


What a kind, considerate, and generous husband you must have, to take you hunting and let you take the big one. I bet he is good looking too.

Way too cool, PinkTC. Congratulations on such a hard-earned trophy.

I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing cmnash might be your husband?...

Great Gator, Perfect Shooting, and Congratulations on an Awesome hunt!........😂😂🤣🤣 on Matthew's comment....at least he likes 10 Years and Chevelle 😉😜

Great shooting and great hunt. What an animal!!!

...and now for the rest of the story...

I didn't share Heather's deep desire for a trophy gator, and for at least a couple of seasons I put off the gator hunt because I had other hunting plans. This year I put her gator hunt first. The plan all along was for her to get the big one, and if necessary I would sacrifice my tag if we caught and couldn't release a small one.
Things didn't quite go to plan. The hunt was harder than expected, but we stayed focused on the first goal; get Heather a good gator.
The hunt basically means riding in the boat searching for gators in the water beyond the cover of the bank. In the daylight, we glassed with binos. At night, we used a spotlight to light their eyes. Then a stalk using the trolling motor was attempted. When we were as close as we dared get, a weighted treble hook was cast over the gator, then retrieved, trying to sink the hook in the gators side.

There is a gator in this pic. They only reveal their nose and eyes.

Like any adventure, the sights need to be captured and enjoyed.




I did fill my tag. Literally at the boat ramp to conclude our hunt, we spotted a gator at the NO WAKE bouy. Rather than eat tag soup, we snagged him. He was 6'8" and small compared to Heather's

Because of our proximity to civilization and sleeping people, a bangstick was used. This allows the gator to be dispatched beneath the waters surface. The bangstick was chambered for 454, but a Hornady 45 Colt FTX was used.

Here is the recovered .45 bullet. Note the absence of rifling marks, as the bangstick has no barrel.

In summary, Heather got a trophy gator...with a handgun...and I...did not.

Congratulations to both of y'all! Great hunt and memories

Heather and Matt, a job well done!!!!

Congratulations! Hot sweaty hunting. Chattahoochee or lake Seminole?

Great pics and stories. Congrats to you both.

It was actually really cool at night and made the gators not as active. We hunted both the lake and river but took the gator from river.

Well done. I grew up on that water.

Congratulations!

Congrats to both!

Heather... Like I said on the phone.... My sincere congratulations

Congrats Heather and Matthew!

Congrats to the both of you!

Wow Pink.. Those are nice lizards. Wonder how they taste??

Guess we'll find out soon enough. See ya then!

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A most excellent feast was had at PinkTC's and cmnash's, with the star attraction being the recently harvested alligator! Fine hospitality, thank y'all very much! We had a great time, sorry we couldn't linger after the great elk shoot.

This has always been one of my dreams, on the back burner, unfortunately.
Steve