Hi Josh!
Alrighty.
Wednesday night was to be my turn at the 'gators.
We launched the boat & immediately started seeing eyes. Mostly smallish lizards around the 4-5 foot mark & I passed them all.
I aso passed on a number of 6-7 footers, convinced that we'd run up on something bigger as the night progressed.
Well, we did run into a lovely 9, but he dissappeared beneath the lilies as soon as we were withing range & I couldn't see well enough to get a sure shot. Alligators really need to be hit in the side or belly for the arrow to take hold. The skin along their backs & tails is pretty well arrow-proof!
Cursing my luck, we motored back out into open water only to spot a big, big gator off in the murk. Big enough that at our 200yd distance, we could determine the gap between it's eyes. Not something you can do with the tiddlers.
Well, they don't get big by accident & this 'un were no exception. 30yds off of the bow, down he dropped, lost forever more to the murky depths.
Getting frustrated now.
Round about 2am, we were all tired, battered (a 60mph airboat ride ain't exactly the QE II) & bleary eyed under the intense glare of headlights & reflections off the water. Seeing a 6 foot gator, not too far off to our starboard side, I motioned for Chris to gun it over.
A good, solid shot to the flank brought the gator to it's final conclusion & it was soon tagged & gently cooling in the bottom of the boat.
I was so happy to have finally got a gator (It's been an ongoing affair of me not getting a gator, for four years!) I could barely contain myself! Hands were shaken, backs were patted, fists were bumped & we headed back to dry(ish) land for a looooong night's rest.
Forgot to mention..... Hotel maids are a different breed in Central Florida. Charles' 7 foot gator spent all night on ice in the hotel bathtub. Maids didn't bat a damned eyelid. This is not an uncommon ocurrence for them, but we tipped them well for their forbearance!
Thursday was all about sunburn & reptile anatomy.
Unlike deer or hogs, Alligators really do not want to come out of their skins & it took me the better part of 2 hours to get the thing shucked, butchered & iced down! 97º weather, cloudless skies & lack of sleep helped put a lovely rosy glow on the top of my head, nose & ears, however I didn't feel a bit of it. Butchering & meat-prep are the highlight of any hunt for me. I love the processing process as much as the hunt & getting inside something as different as a 6 foot lizard really had me exited. Call me weird, everyone does.
The evening saw Charles & Chris on a sightseeing trip up & down the Kissimmee river & floodplains.
It is one of the most beautiful places on earth, in my opinion & the biodiversity of the area rivals anything that Africa or the Amazon could possibly offer. Wild flowers abound & the birdlife is just awesome.
Shane had lit out earlier in the day, leaving Pete (Chris' Father) Josh & myself to go mooch around & try to scare up a pig or three.
Pete & I were dropped by a pond (MY pond!) on Starvation Slough. Josh would be dropped a couple of miles upwind & would work his way through the palms to us, as night descended.
Well, to cut a long story a wee bit shorter, I had a sounder of eating size pigs break through the palmettos about 50 yds from my setup & started working away from me. I managed to side-step around them & get a shot in, but in the failing dusk-light I misjudged the distance & dropped a Zwickey-tipped arrow right below the heart & lungs of a pretty hundred pounder. Nothing but dirt, dammit.
Pete'd had no luck & Josh saw nothing but a couple of snakes (A Pygmy Rattler & a Cottonmouth)
The next night produced similar results for we three & more flora & fauna spotted, cataloged & photographed by Charlie.
Saturday morning signaled an end to our trip & Pete very kindly volunteered to run Charles back to the airport in Orlando. We said our goodbyes & parted as even better friends than we met. A finer gent I have never shared a camp with yet & I fervently hope that we can repeat our frolics next year!
For Josh, Chris & I, well, we had one last chance at a grand hoorah.
My Gator....
The pond on Starvation.....
Hog path, where I expected to see action.....
Hog Pirate! (yaaaarrrr).....
Topic: St Judes Gator Hunt 2013 (Read 748 times)
