# Alabama alligator hunt



## camcinto (Feb 25, 2008)

Just found I got a tag for the Gator hunt this year. I have never done it before but I cant wait to figure it out. Any body that has done this before have any pointers as far as method and equipment needed?
Camcinto


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Stay out of his mouth. That's about all I got.
I live a couple miles from the Tensaw and have been on the river several times when this was going on but I don't really know how they do it. Seems like a snatch hook are bow is involved. Maybe not. I'll keep checking this thread. I'd like to know also.


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## MikeH (Jul 14, 2009)

My dad does guided bowfishing trips on the causway for alligator gar,but has yet to draw a gator tag. he uses recurve bows with special reels and nylon braided line with a fiberglass arrow.im sure he would be more than happy to take you and put you on a big gator. he had a blast during last years gator hunts.


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## new wave archery (May 2, 2008)

MikeH= who is your dad and wheres he out of?

also camcinto= give me a call some time and I can give you some pointers to help you land a nice one for this year. Mike 316-0869


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## CH-47 DR. (Aug 11, 2009)

I used a bait casting reel w/ a size 10 treble hook,cast over it's back,reel up to it,set hook,hold on for awhile.Make sure drag is set so it will have some running room till it tires out.I made a harpoon like they sell at the class you go to,but I did buy a tip for it at the class.We recorded the hunt & had a good time.I did not get a tag or alternate this year.Good Luck


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## Corky (Feb 18, 2010)

You might get ahold of Tiger (TNT Gators' Home Page). He was the nuisance gator trapper for the western panhandle in Florida until he gave it up this year. He has guided for the Alabama public hunt a few times now & always gets his folks into the top 2 or 3 gators state-wide. He can show you how it is done & has all the gear. Muzzy has a gator getter kit for bows with a reel setup & nylon line, but for the ultimate adrenalin rush, he grunts them in with a **** light & a harpoon pole & you stick them when they are 8-10 feet from the boat & then play them like a fish. You want to talk about excitement, I've been in the boat with him when he was guiding professional big game hunters who were shaking like a kid seeing their first big buck in the crosshairs when he put them on a really big gator. You guys have some MASSIVE bull gators over in the Tensaw & Yellow river area that I would love to get a shot at.

Corky


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## Fairwaterfishing (Mar 17, 2009)

I can vouch for Tiger Godwin. I have known him for years from when I was in high school up in Jay, hes good people. 2 years ago we used him to guide for us when we got a tag, he really makes it look easy, in less than 5 hours we had a gator over 12 feet dead in his boat 486 pounds i think. Last year we did it on our own to say the least it didnt go near as smooth as the year before, on night 3 after several miss shots with a cross bow and numerous screw ups we finally hooked into a very good gator and fought him on rod and reel for 5 hours, put a harpoon in him, shot him in the head and the harpoon tip came out and the gator sank to the bottom. We screwed up when the gator was near the boat and put way too much pressure on him. I guess we didnt learn all of Tigers tips from the year before. Oh yea 3 days later the gator floated up 13 feet long, and we got the head. The smell of a 3 day old gator well you could smell it before you seen it. Still it was a damn nice one. This year my wife got a tag and we are not trophy hunting this year, we are going for a 8 to 10 footer, good eating size and taking it to the house.


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## mullet slayer (Aug 5, 2009)

A lil' late to the thread..










Here's my crossbow w/ an AMS retriever(strong enough to retrieve arrows not big prey). These retrievers are pricey but make life much easier for the average bow angler, especially when it's on a traditional bow or compound and you're on lots of fish. 

Fiberglass arrows/bolts are for water depth penetration, and most guys use a gator specific breakaway harpoon tip so the death roll doesn't destroy the gear.

Advantages to using a crossbow are long distance and nice penetration.


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## Bone Yard (Feb 2, 2009)

I have six 10 foot and better under my belt. You need 200ft of 1/4 inch braided nylon, a 4 1/2 circunfrance dowl rod cut 2 inches long, and a deer shoulder, and cow lung. Gets um every time. here's a couple we took this past season.


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## gatorkiller (Apr 16, 2011)

wow you use a big dowel i only use 1 inch. i say the best way to get the big ones are to snatch hook them. Thats seems to get the biggest ones. I do a lot baiting and you end up losing a lot of them. You can spend hours going thru trres and weeds only to find nothing.


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