...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.