Are there really Gators in the big lakes of North Texas?.
I mud motor into many of the back areas scouting and looking, but never see any?
I spoke to a GW once who said yes, but I have never come across any on my trips out.
Are we talking big ones or the little guys who shy away?
Or are they just not that active and I don't see them.?

Thoughts?

The only place I've seen or heard gators is at lake worth. I'm sure they are around but I haven't heard of any dog losses due to them. When i was young I used to hunt the swamps in Florida. Gators would usually clear out when we started setting up. Unless they've grown used to humans they didn't like being around us. But back then it was strickly shoot on site so...I can't say for certain you wouldn't have a problem but you would most likely see them far off. I don't know how far they can swim under water but my experience is they at least get within 50-75 yards or so before diving.

Maybe a territorial momma around...but probably more scared of you then you are of them. Is it worth risking a two thousand dollar hunt trial dog in warm weather? Up to you...

Some in Lake Fork

Seen them in the Red river.

They're just about everywhere. They usually find one or two a year here in bastrop in the Colorado river. They had a 12 footer poached a couple years ago.

Yes, at any given time a lake up here can have gators. Saw one eat a beaver once while duck hunting a lake near Dallas.

I have seen two in my life on Lake Ray Hubbard. They are around but not in large enough numbers to worry about in my opinion. I would be more worried about Cottonmouths.

I have seen a few while bow fishing at night on lake lavon.

They are in the rivers, lakes, ponds sometimes of which are pretty far from lakes/rivers. Just like most things use common sense, just like our own fears it is pretty irrational. Your dog is at a much higher risk to get diseases, soft tissue tears, broken bones, snake bit, bacterial infections, lost/stolen while hunting than eaten by an alligator.

If it is part of the Sabine or Trinity river system, they have gators in them.

Just use some common sense...they are there...I've seen them on Fork, Hubbard, Lavon, Lewisville and Cedar Creek.

I'm far more scared of ice/hypothermia up here than gators....
I've hunted down in south Louisiana where they peppered the gators to keep them from getting the teal before the dog could get to them.

Its duck hunting get after it

shine everything good before daylight, and don't send him until you can see good. could there still be one there? yes, but with the weather that we have had the last 3 or 4 years, you wouldn't ever get to hunt your dog if you were that worried about it. I know guys down south and in LA that hunt their dogs during early teal and don't even think about not hunting them during big duck. there are years that alligators eith come back out in dec and jan or never really den up, not sure which one.

I have one in the pond behind my house.

I grew up hunting ducks in Lake Okeechobee in FL. That lake is covered in gators....big ones too. So the good ole boys I hunted with would pull into our hunting spot and fire a few shots into the water and then watch...it either ran em off or called em in. Then they were run off more aggressively after that. Seemed to work well. We never had any problems.

Saw one south of Dallas on a Trinity slough a few years back. It was NOT one of these smaller ones...it was quite large. 7-8ftish...