Well another Bama gator season came and went. I did have an awesome time. I was drawn for a tag in the SE Alabama region along with a couple of my friends who were drawn too. I didn't apply for the West Central Alabama because there was only 50 tags drawn. I told everyone I knew that the new State record would comeout of that area and it did. a 14'4" monster.
I hunted the SE zone last year and killed an 8 foot gator with my bow. This year I wanted something bigger, lol. Four of us pitched in and rented my friends hunting lodge in Eufaula for the entire gator season. Place to leave the boat, ice machine, beds, and a kitchen. It was a no brianer.
Alabama hunts from 8pm-6am and SE region is the only area that runs every day for two weeks. You can only snag, snare, harpoon, or hunt with a bow.crossbow. All lines must be attached to the boat (except fishing line). No set hooks or bait
August 12, opening night and my wife's Birthday. She told me to go, but I knew better. I left after dinner and her birthday party. I made it to hunt by midnight and climbed on my friends boat. With 120 tags in that area, I think everyone was out that night. In the next 4 hours we snag hooked and landed 3 6 foot gators and an 8 foot gator. All legal to tag, but we were looking for bigger.
Saturday night we went north and got on a big gator. With big gators, they are like hunting big deer, quiet and wait. It took 6 hours and we finally got a hook in the gator. That fight lasted about a minute before he came off.
Sunday afternoon we went looking for some other areas and we ran across the friend of mine who is the nuisance gator trapper for the state. We were in business. Sunday night we got on 2 large gators, but they were in the grass and we could not get a hook or harpoon in them. I got off the boat at 5am and drove back to work in Montgomery.
I was not able to go again until Thursday night and we were on gators, we caught another couple of 6 and 7 footers and let them go. We had waited for the week days because less people, in fact we were the only boat out. Friday night was crazy with boats everywhere again. gators started getting smart and were harder to find.
I went Sunday night and it was a little too windy to hunt where we wanted to so we went to another spot. Saw several gators, but did not fill the tags. I made it to work by 9am. Monday night, the conditions got perfect, my friend and I made a plan thet we would hunt till 1:30, go to the house and sleep and then be back in Montgomery before 9am. He had never killed a gator so I knew the first tag to be filled would be his. Sure enough, at 9:30 we had a 9'2" gator stretched out on the back deck of the bass boat working on his moon tan. A .44 mag bang stick does not play. Well we headed to the spot we have been waiting to get to for a week. With the water glassed over it was prime time. The big ones did come, we hooked one and had to cut him off because he drug us into Georgia waters. It was fun, but we had to be at work. We were running back to the boat ramp when I found another big gator swimming. He refused to dive and would tuen and look at us like what are you doing following me. Mickie got a hook in him and handed me the rod. Man he peeled line and had the drag humming. It was on. He tangled us in stumps, and made runs in shallow water and deep water. About 30 minutes in to the fight the reel was toast, it was clicking every time I would reel. It was a new reel, but not my Penn that was setting on the boat seat. Finally we got directly over him and began lifting him off of the bottom. he came to the side of the boat and he was huge, the bottom side of his jaw was wider than my chest. as Mickie tried to get another hook in him he had one more burst of energy and broke the line. I was bummed. But Mickie yelled get another rod, he's as tired as you are. he will be back up. Sure enough in about 5 minutes he came up and stayed up. We got another hook in him, but he drug us into Georgia and we had to cut off another one.
We got back to the house around 4am. Here is a copy of the text I sent my wife:"Hooked a 12 footer or bigger. Fought him for an hour and he broke off at the boat. I am bummed. Good Lord just didn't want it to be, but dog gone was it fun. Love ya, good night"
I hunted again Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and only hooked some small ones.
Mississippi's gator. I'm sweating from the one that broke off
5 footer pulling the hook
one on the hook
13'2" Killed in Alabama River by Thomasville (NOT the State Record)
