I have been on about 20 drawn gator hunts going back to the early 80s if you include youth hunts where I was the adult. Mostly Murphree, but we have taken trophy gators at Sea Rim State Park and Gus Engeling. Pole Line, Snares, and by Bow and never been skunked. My screen name should probably be Gator John, but I hunt Snipe more often than I hunt gators these days. Here are old posts of mine going way back. That first one includes some answered questions. Unfortunately the pictures in the posts are gone due to the hosting company being destroyed in a fire in france. The hosting company went bankrupt. I do have the pictures backed up, just not in the posts anymore. Any questions on the Murphree hunts or gator hunting, just ask. Glad to help.
The "rifle" in the picture is an Indian SMLE .410 aka .410 Enfield Musket. It is a rifle converted to a 410 shotgun. We have used 10Ga, 12GA, and 410s. The one time we used a 10GA it shot all the way through the gator's head on a big gator and damaged the hide on the underside causing the buyer to take $50 off the price he paid us for it. Never did that again. I prefer a 410, or a knife at the base of the skull.
At Murphee it says you can only use shotgun to dispatch the gators. What size shot did you use?
I have participated in the killing of 8 alligators. All were killed with bird shot (7.5 or 8 shot) that from a 410, 20 or 12 gauge. If you shot them in the spine right behind the skull they are dead!!!!! I would not use slugs or buckshot (I don't think they allow it anyway) if you want to keep the hide.
*** I don't think you can use a shotgun bigger than 20 gauge. ?
I hunted JD Murphee a few years back and got a 9 footer. I am told the area averages 1+ gator per surface acre.
My advice;
1) Use chicken thighs. MANY! Soak in a sealed bucket for at lease 5 days. Current Texas heat will ripen them. Wear nitrile gloves when handling the spoiled chicken. Your hands will stink for weeks if not.
2) Bait the Area - Get some florist foam sheets, 2" thick minimum. Cut into 4" x 4" squares, minimum. You are going to use Dacron line and sew the chicken thighs to the foam "blocks". Why? You want your chicken thighs to float when you throw them into the water near your gator pole. If they sink, turtles, crabs, fish will eat them.
3) Get there a day early and meet with the wildlife biologist if you can. Ask lots of questions. They will give you a good spot.
4) Get a BIG boat fender and paint it ORANGE or RED. Attach 100 feet minimum of YELLOW nylon rope. Attach that to your "hook line" on the Gator pole. I used 200 pound stainless steel line, leader, and attached that to my BIG Hook. Hang a good size chunk of chicken on the hook. Suspend baited hook at least 2 feet above the water. *Mean high tide. Set your gator pole deep and tight.
5) Bait too high above water - you get nothing. Bait too low above water - you get a 3 foot gator.
6) When you go back in the morning, be slow and cautious. *** You should see shredded foam everywhere floating in the water. FIRST indication you got a gator.
7) Check your pole. If bait and hook / line is gone, start looking for your buoy. Once located, find your nylon rope. SLOWLY retrieve the rope. If you feel a hard tug, let go. Work the gator back to your boat, slowly. NEVER pull the gator out of the water until you have shot it. Bring the gator up next to your boat - let gator stay submerged. If the gator pulls hard and fights, let go of the rope. Gators feel safe in the water. Get the gator close enough to be able to put the barrel of your shotgun on top of his head, even if it's in the water.
GOOD LUCK!
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*** I don't think you can use a shotgun bigger than 20 gauge. ?
I hunted JD Murphee a few years back and got a 9 footer. I am told the area averages 1+ gator per surface acre.
My advice;
1) Use chicken thighs. MANY! Soak in a sealed bucket for at lease 5 days. Current Texas heat will ripen them. Wear nitrile gloves when handling the spoiled chicken. Your hands will stink for weeks if not.
2) Bait the Area - Get some florist foam sheets, 2" thick minimum. Cut into 4" x 4" squares, minimum. You are going to use Dacron line and sew the chicken thighs to the foam "blocks". Why? You want your chicken thighs to float when you throw them into the water near your gator pole. If they sink, turtles, crabs, fish will eat them.
3) Get there a day early and meet with the wildlife biologist if you can. Ask lots of questions. They will give you a good spot.
4) Get a BIG boat fender and paint it ORANGE or RED. Attach 100 feet minimum of YELLOW nylon rope. Attach that to your "hook line" on the Gator pole. I used 200 pound stainless steel line, leader, and attached that to my BIG Hook. Hang a good size chunk of chicken on the hook. Suspend baited hook at least 2 feet above the water. *Mean high tide. Set your gator pole deep and tight.
5) Bait too high above water - you get nothing. Bait too low above water - you get a 3 foot gator.
6) When you go back in the morning, be slow and cautious. *** You should see shredded foam everywhere floating in the water. FIRST indication you got a gator.
7) Check your pole. If bait and hook / line is gone, start looking for your buoy. Once located, find your nylon rope. SLOWLY retrieve the rope. If you feel a hard tug, let go. Work the gator back to your boat, slowly. NEVER pull the gator out of the water until you have shot it. Bring the gator up next to your boat - let gator stay submerged. If the gator pulls hard and fights, let go of the rope. Gators feel safe in the water. Get the gator close enough to be able to put the barrel of your shotgun on top of his head, even if it's in the water.
GOOD LUCK!
Excellent advice. Protip on #1: put the hook in the chicken thighs you are going to tie on and leave the leader line hanging outside the bucket. No need to handle those nasty things more than necessary.
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