Georgia 'gator swarm

[GunnyGene]

Quite the fishin' hole!

https://gardenandgun.com/articles/a-rar ... the-video/

[BrokenolMarine]

Ah, nope....

[GunnyGene]

Ah, nope....

Ahh, you'd love it. Georgia has a gator season, btw, but it's too late to get a permit for the 2024 season.

https://georgiawildlife.com/Hunting/Alligator

[markiver54]

Un-believable! 🫨I can't understand why he kept going. I sure wouldn't.

[GunnyGene]

Un-believable! 🫨I can't understand why he kept going. I sure wouldn't.

They generally don't eat boats. Unless you piss them off.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOdJSN-TWjk

[BrokenolMarine]

Ah, nope....

Ahh, you'd love it. Georgia has a gator season, btw, but it's too late to get a permit for the 2024 season.

https://georgiawildlife.com/Hunting/Alligator

I grew up all over Florida, lived there until my Sophomore year of high school. Lived as far south as the keys, lived in the Everglades, on both coasts, and even in the panhandle... Back when I LIVED in the state, gators were still protected. I woke up a couple times when I lived in Land o' Lakes on a canal, to find a very large gator sunning herself in the back yard at our canal's edge, driving our collie mix nuts.

Later in life, when we'd visit family, or drive down for tourneys, they were no longer protected. Gators were more like speedbumps. (You'd see them sleeping in the ditches on the side of the road, or sunning themselves in the median strips.) Sometimes they actually became a speedbump. They were almost like squirrels at times, you'd see them everywhere.

[The Happy Kaboomer]

I used to bounce top water plugs off their heads trying to get them to bite it it..........Aim for that knot behind the eye.....Even a .22 LR will kill them dead.

[GunnyGene]

Ah, nope....

Ahh, you'd love it. Georgia has a gator season, btw, but it's too late to get a permit for the 2024 season.

https://georgiawildlife.com/Hunting/Alligator

I grew up all over Florida, lived there until my Sophomore year of high school. Lived as far south as the keys, lived in the Everglades, on both coasts, and even in the panhandle... Back when I LIVED in the state, gators were still protected. I woke up a couple times when I lived in Land o' Lakes on a canal, to find a very large gator sunning herself in the back yard at our canal's edge, driving our collie mix nuts.

Later in life, when we'd visit family, or drive down for tourneys, they were no longer protected. Gators were more like speedbumps. (You'd see them sleeping in the ditches on the side of the road, or sunning themselves in the median strips.) Sometimes they actually became a speedbump. They were almost like squirrels at times, you'd see them everywhere.

Their range has expanded quite a lot in the last 50 years or so - as far north as TN following the rivers from the Gulf. Got a fair bunch in Monroe and surrounding counties along the TennTom waterway. Some get pretty big. I think all of the Gulf States have hunting seasons for them now - quota's picked by lottery a month or 2 before the open.

[markiver54]

On a side note: I have eaten gator two or three times at a restaurant and IMO, it's not bad. Don't know for sure where the meat comes from on the gator but I'm assuming the tail? It appears there's plenty to be had.

[GunnyGene]

On a side note: I have eaten gator two or three times at a restaurant and IMO, it's not bad. Don't know for sure where the meat comes from on the gator but I'm assuming the tail? It appears there's plenty to be had.

Tail yes, a little from other parts. 90% of the restaurant gator meat is farm raised and is harvested from small ones (4 or 5 feet usually), so there is a slight difference in flavor and texture from some big old 10 or 12 ft bull caught in the wild due to difference in diet, etc. Both are good tho.

[RetiredSeabee]

Mmmmm mmmmm Gator the other other white meat. Had it occasionally on the gulf coast. It makes a pretty good Po Boy sandwich. A bit more dense than chicken breast.
There was a gator living in lake Wylie up here in North Carolina a number of years back. Just southwest of Charlotte. Every now and then someone would get a photo or video of it and it would be on the news. The news crews could never get anything though.

[The Happy Kaboomer]

I've found reptile meat such turtle or gator is bland.......Only real taste is whatever you season it with.

[markiver54]

Taste and texture as well, are both part of a dining experience. In addition, appropriate seasoning is key to the success of ANY dish.

[clovishound]

I'm not particularly afraid of gators, but if my buddy and I were out for a day diving the river, we might just find a different spot to dive.

[BrokenolMarine]

Had gator bites at the Richmond Bass Pro, Cajun Spicy. They provided sweet and sour dipping sauces to cool the burn.

[cooperhawk]

We were vacationing in Florida a couple of years ago and were just at the south end of Lake Okeechobee in a nice RV park. There was a Love's gas station just down the road and I stopped there to fuel the SUV when I saw a young man fueling up a four wheel drive pickup in the next aisle.
The truck had a sign on the door that Gator "Removal" and I couldn't help but notice the young man had only half of his right hand. I just had to ask.

He was very nice and said his dad owned the business and a gator had latched onto his had when he was sixteen and helping out with a problem gator. The gator latched onto his hand and then rolled tearing off the thumb and two fingers. I asked why the heck he was still doing this job and he laughed and sad, "Well, Dad owns the company, so...?".