The long awaited gator hunt
#194197
09/03/2018 3:47 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27
PinkTC
OP
newbie
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OP
newbie
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27 |
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.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: PinkTC]
#194198
09/03/2018 3:50 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27
PinkTC
OP
newbie
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OP
newbie
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27 |
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: PinkTC]
#194199
09/03/2018 4:07 PM
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 730
Mark Hampton
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 730 |
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: Mark Hampton]
#194200
09/03/2018 4:43 PM
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Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,821
45MAN
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,821 |
COOL AND CONGRATS, YOU EARNED THAT GATOR!
"ADAPT OR DIE". I USE ALL CAPS, NOT BECAUSE I AM YELLING, BUT BECAUSE IT IS AN OLD HABIT FROM MY ARMY DAYS, PLUS IT IS EASIER TO TYPE AND READ.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: 45MAN]
#194201
09/03/2018 5:15 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,556
junebug
Gun Slinger
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Gun Slinger
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,556 |
Nicely done! A well earned gator!
junebug
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: PinkTC]
#194203
09/03/2018 5:50 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,374
cmnash
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,374 |
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.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: cmnash]
#194204
09/03/2018 5:57 PM
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,332
Randy M
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,332 |
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?...
The meat won't fry if the lead don't fly.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: Randy M]
#194206
09/03/2018 6:55 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,861
Franchise
Distinguished Expert
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Distinguished Expert
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,861 |
Great Gator, Perfect Shooting, and Congratulations on an Awesome hunt!........😂😂🤣🤣 on Matthew's comment....at least he likes 10 Years and Chevelle 😉😜
The Eyes are Useless, When The Mind Is Blind
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: Franchise]
#194207
09/03/2018 7:00 PM
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,020
tradmark
Shooting Expert
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Shooting Expert
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,020 |
Great shooting and great hunt. What an animal!!!
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: PinkTC]
#194210
09/03/2018 8:04 PM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,374
cmnash
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,374 |
...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.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: cmnash]
#194211
09/03/2018 9:09 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,861
Franchise
Distinguished Expert
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Distinguished Expert
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 4,861 |
Congratulations to both of y'all! Great hunt and memories
The Eyes are Useless, When The Mind Is Blind
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: cmnash]
#194213
09/03/2018 10:50 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 1,596
racksmasher1
veteran
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veteran
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 1,596 |
Heather and Matt, a job well done!!!!
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: racksmasher1]
#194214
09/03/2018 10:52 PM
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 417
Seminole Wind
addict
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addict
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 417 |
Congratulations! Hot sweaty hunting. Chattahoochee or lake Seminole?
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: cmnash]
#194215
09/03/2018 11:46 PM
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Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 543
ruger4570
addict
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addict
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 543 |
Great pics and stories. Congrats to you both.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: Seminole Wind]
#194216
09/03/2018 11:48 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27
PinkTC
OP
newbie
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OP
newbie
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27 |
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.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: PinkTC]
#194218
09/04/2018 1:16 AM
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 417
Seminole Wind
addict
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addict
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 417 |
Well done. I grew up on that water.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: PinkTC]
#194221
09/04/2018 4:40 AM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,461
pab1
Distinguished Expert
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Distinguished Expert
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,461 |
Experience is the best teacher, hunger good sauce. Osborne Russell Journal of a Trapper
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: pab1]
#194225
09/04/2018 2:36 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,963
KRal
Shootist
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Shootist
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 6,963 |
It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but only 3 for proper trigger squeeze.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: KRal]
#194234
09/05/2018 5:45 AM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 9,715
jamesfromjersey
Shootist
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Shootist
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 9,715 |
Heather... Like I said on the phone.... My sincere congratulations
Life member-NRA-SCI Member-HHI #2900-HHASA #067 Colt-Ruger-Freedom Arms-and S&W Collector Assoc.s "I have more guns then I need but not as many as I want" "Handgun hunters HAVE to be good"
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: jamesfromjersey]
#194238
09/05/2018 2:35 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,359
SChunter
Shooting Expert
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Shooting Expert
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,359 |
Congrats Heather and Matthew!
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: SChunter]
#194244
09/06/2018 1:35 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 465
WiseGuy
addict
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addict
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 465 |
Congrats to the both of you!
Bigger ain't always better....according to who???
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: WiseGuy]
#194259
09/07/2018 12:59 PM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 526
sw282
addict
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addict
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 526 |
Wow Pink.. Those are nice lizards. Wonder how they taste??
Guess we'll find out soon enough. See ya then!
282
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: sw282]
#194294
09/10/2018 9:08 AM
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Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 10
jmoore429
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 10 |
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.
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Re: The long awaited gator hunt
[Re: cmnash]
#195205
10/28/2018 9:22 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 335
S.B.
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 335 |
This has always been one of my dreams, on the back burner, unfortunately. Steve
"The Original Point and Click Interface was a Smith & Wesson."
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