Alligator Hunting

[aristico]

Drew a tag to hunt alligator here in Florida. Wondering if anyone here has done it and what it is like?

[Vaultman]

Drew a tag to hunt alligator here in Florida. Wondering if anyone here has done it and what it is like?

What would one use to hunt an alligator?

[alkazoo]

What would one use to hunt an alligator?
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not sure what type of firearm or trap or whatever you would use, But I know what i would use for bait.....my neighbors barking poodle.......LOL...

[citori]

My very limited personal experience with gators is limited to tales of how the guides I know in Texas bagged them. Down there they fished for gators much like one does for catfish by using limb lines. They just took a whoe chicken and suspended it above the water. The distance from the water the chicken was hung was indicative of the size of gator expected.
I have seen archery videos in which gators were taken in Florida but have no idea if one can use a firearm other than to subdue the gator before bringing it into the boat as was done in the videos. In Africa it is common to shoot crocodiles with rifles and it seems anything from 25/06 on up is used as they are brain shooting them which requires very precise bullet placement.

[DinkKiller]

What would one use to hunt an alligator?
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not sure what type of firearm or trap or whatever you would use, But I know what i would use for bait.....my neighbors barking poodle.......LOL...

I had a buddy of mine do that gator thingy about 10 years or so ago. He used a bow with a retreival line on it, kinda like bowfishing. Granted, the gator wasn't real big, but as he said, it was a kick in the pants.

[owenv]

Try noodling like you would do for catfish. Just kidding.

[Vaultman]

Try noodling like you would do for catfish. Just kidding.

That would be an interesting way... LOL

[lanman89]

Mostly they are harpooned with a tip that comes off when the handle is withdrawn. A bouy it attached to the line and thrown over after the gator is stuck. This gives them time to tire out without loosing them. They can then be hauled to the boat and dispatched with a bang stick. I have seen it done with a bow and a rig like you use to fish with. reel him in and bangstick him. No one I know uses an actual firearm for safety reasons. Normally it is done in the dark and the tussle can get intense.

[ladeerhunter12]

I have hunted alligator several times living in louisiana. You can hunt them with a bow from a boat at night. You can sit on a bank of a river,lake,or pond and blast baby gator noises. Then when the gator comes up to investigate you shoot it with a rifle. Or you can spear them. Spearing them is much more difficult then the other two. It requires a very quiet boat and being very still. I personaly like hunting them with a bow rigged with bowfishing gear and a buyoy. What ever way you chose to hunt them it will be one of the most exicting hunts you have ever been on.

[aristico]

I'll be going up next month so lets see what happens. I hear it can be pretty intense since it is at night. I sure don't want to be gator bait :-) Hopefully I'll have some nice pics to put up.

[jpfishmaster]

We've been for the last 3 years in Mobile. Our greatest success comes from using a surf rod with 200lb power pro and a 12/0 treble hook; throw it across their back, hook em, and hang on; when at boatside we use harpoons with cables attached to ropes for the fight there; lots of fun; haven't had alot of success with the bowfishing equipment related to the large open water down there; but in FL with the vegetation, bow fishing stuff works great. Good luck