Author Topic: Alligators?? (Read 2473 times)

Celtic Archer · « **on:** January 03, 2006, 04:47:00 PM »

Has anyone here taken a gator? How exactly would you go about it with a bow. Particularly trad gear. I saw that archery was a legal method of taking them. Now I'm curious how you go about it.

Fishing arrow?
Detachable harpoon tipped arrows?
Poke them in the eye with a longbow?

bayoulongbowman · « **Reply #1 on:** January 03, 2006, 06:56:00 PM »

Caught several by hand...down here we use large pole and line and big hook...then shootem with 22....marco#78

Aaron Proffitt 2 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 03, 2006, 11:06:00 PM »

Basically you use a standard bow fishing arrow and set-up,except of being on a reel you use floats and a stouter head (believe Muzzy makes a "gator" head). Once the gator isn't swimming anymore,you use pressure to bring it back to the surface at which time you shoot it in the vitals with a broadhead . Even so,most people still go ahead and finish it with a bang stick.

Aaron Proffitt 2 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 03, 2006, 11:22:00 PM »

P.S. Ask Denny Sturgis who's a member on here. He went on a hunt awhile back. Believe the article was in TBM.

themonkey · « **Reply #4 on:** January 13, 2006, 10:12:00 PM »

yeah muzzy makes a gator point, which supposedly works pretty good, they also make a carbon fiber arrow which supposedly flies faster and penetrates more to make it all happen pretty quick, other than that, 3rivers has a tournament bowfishing kit witha zebco reel and a special reel seat thats made of aluminum, muzzys specialist mark somehting(he was on realtree roadtrips in the first season) uses that setup for everything, other than that, i guess just give it all a shot

holadude · « **Reply #5 on:** January 27, 2006, 11:02:00 AM »

I put a big how-to on here this morning, but it seems to have been deleted for some reason.
I'm not re-typing it, so anyone who wants to hear about my hands-on experience, PM me, and I'll get you the info.

The Great White Bowhunter · « **Reply #6 on:** January 27, 2006, 03:38:00 PM »

i've taken 4 gators in the last 2 years with a bow....and no bang stick! biggest one 12ft 460lbs. i love gator hunting, and now i have a big nice new boat for hunting them in. the muzzy kit is the best way, with the alum/fiberglass arrow....which you can make for less than half the cost(cause they don't usaully don't get used twice after a big gator). by the way i'm alway looking to trade a gator hunt for another hunt.

Celtic Archer · « **Reply #7 on:** January 27, 2006, 04:20:00 PM »

Wish I had an interesting hunt to offer...lol (Of course I may have a line on some very underhunted hog territory in S Ga. a little later on.)

However if you could use an extra set of hands when you go out this year that'd be great. Get some hands on first hand experience before I go at it myself.

How did you finish them without a stick? Just keep putting broadheads in the vitals until they expired or bring them up and spear them behind the kneck?

Celtic Archer · « **Reply #8 on:** January 27, 2006, 04:30:00 PM »

Also, how are you setting up your boat for this fight?

I was thinking wide jonboat, w/ some carpeting to quiet it down a bit and make the front 1/3 a p[altform, like a casting platform, with maybe some kind of simple come along to get the critter into the boat.

ToddinBR · « **Reply #9 on:** January 27, 2006, 09:13:00 PM »

Celtic,
you don't need a come along what you do is bring the DEAD gator along side the boat reach across the gator and grab the opposite leg then roll him into the boat. As you pull on that leg he will generally roll over the gunnal. It might take a few times and you might need a little help. This is only for the really big ones. Anything under 9 to 10 feet you can generally grab by the leg or snout and just pull in.A word of warning here do not leave anything loose in the boat including yourself. Even though they are dead their nerves still jump. I have been nocked off my feet by even 8 footers.

holadude · « **Reply #10 on:** January 27, 2006, 11:00:00 PM »

Amen to them still moving and stuff! They just keep on keepin on!

holadude · « **Reply #11 on:** January 27, 2006, 11:03:00 PM »

GWBH, I'm coming down to hunt with you! The biggest we got was 205# in GA.

Celtic Archer · « **Reply #12 on:** January 28, 2006, 08:09:00 AM »

Hey, GWBH. You have a pic of the 12 footer? Be real interested to see the trophy/hero pic of that.

Sewer Rat · « **Reply #13 on:** January 28, 2006, 11:02:00 AM »

I only know of 2 ways to kill a gator and that is
1. scramble his brains
2. sever his spinal cord

would like to know how you did it without a bang stick

Celtic - if you are going to go with a jon boat idea, get the insides sprayed with bed lining... does a great job of quieting it down and gives you a nonslip finish. Most of the AL boat makers have a model with the front platform already in...

The Great White Bowhunter · « **Reply #14 on:** January 30, 2006, 12:18:00 PM »

well guys you don't have to kill them to get them in the boat, just wear him down....although if it a public waters hunt you have to sever the spinal cord before bring him in the boat. nusiene* gator hunt you can't kill them on perpose, my big one was brought in the boat alive. i don't like a bang stick because thats shooting him with a gun and i feel makes it not a bow kill (JMO). the boat i have is a 19ft 66inch wide G3 center concole metal jon boat with a 90hp 4 stoke yamaha*, a handed opreated trolling motor. the gear you need other than your bow is leather gloves, a catch pole made wiht heavy rope and thick wall 3/4 or 1 inch pvc, wide electrical tape, a Q-beam, and a coon hunting head light. its really not hard getting them in the boat like toddinBR said, once you get the head or the side the rest flops over in. before you bring him in the boat you tape the mouth shut, pull it's front legs behind its back and tape them together, pull it in the boat and tape the back legs the same way. you don't need a platform thats just more to get your line hung on and it would be harder to work the gator. It is a very exciting hunting and very DANGEROUS if not done right. Its at night in the middle of nowhere on big rivers with current and logs to deal, with not to mention your attaching your self to a big animal that can pull a boat around no problem. if the lline gets caught on your hand your in trouble and getting ate by the gator is the last thing to worry about, theres all kind of scary things that can happen to you. getting a gator in the boat is very dangerous, when you bring them up they bite whatever gets close to their mouth and then they roll. i'm not a small guy by no means but i couldn't stop a 7 footer from rolling. so if ones bites your arm he'll either tare a chunk of meat off or brake and twist your arm a few times. so if you don't bleed to death the very bad inflection you'll get from a gator bite still might kill you. one like my 12 footer if he was to swing his head and bite you, he could fit my head and chest in his mouth, i don't think you would live to tell about it. if you want to see my gator go to www.tntgator.com i'm on there, my gators the one that put them on the map. tiger is a very good gator hunter and can find the big ones. everything i know about gator hunting i learn from him. this is not a very hard hunt but it is fun, you ride around all night looking for red eyes and sneak up on them and see how big they are. sometimes you have to chase them and play cat an mouse for an hour or so. the hunters i was taking this year may not can go now. so anyone who can put me on a good hunt anything but hogs and whitetail i'm all ears. i sure would like to go on a spot and stalk hunt with my longbow, maybe even backpacking.

The Great White Bowhunter · « **Reply #15 on:** January 31, 2006, 05:13:00 PM »

sorry.....its www.tntgators.com

IndianaBowman · « **Reply #16 on:** February 01, 2006, 08:41:00 AM »

Jay, I don't have much to offer locally, but I can help you out with moose, POW black bear, caribou, or local Indiana Whitetails. Tell me more about the gator hunt. Ie. license, season, etc.

The Great White Bowhunter · « **Reply #17 on:** February 01, 2006, 09:55:00 AM »

what you would be is my agent, by law you can help hunt the gators....even shoot them, and theres no extra cost for people out of state to be agents. i think its like $50, but my tag, that you would either pay or split with a buddy is $280. So i think it comes out to like almost $180 a person. the only other expense is gas, food, and camping or hotel....i plan on getting a tag this year for a prime lake in florida, Lake Seminole. its maybe 2 to 3 hours from my home. season is one week in sept. which one is my choice, i'll choose the week of the dark of the moon.

IndianaBowman · « **Reply #18 on:** February 01, 2006, 09:17:00 PM »

Jay, drop me an E-mail at [email protected].

What are the exact dates in Sept. I have an Alaska blacktail hunt planned for mid Sept.

GameMaster · « **Reply #19 on:** April 12, 2006, 09:15:00 AM »

Shot 2 gators with my recurve a while back. One 9.5 ft. and one 11.5 ft., both shot at night with a muzzey head and a stainless steel arrow with 400 lb. test line on my old Bear fish reel.We used 50 yards of line and then tied the end to bleach bottles, took 3 lines on the 11.5 footer.

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