Chootem! Chootem!

[DRAFTSTUD]

Today we get to set our Hook and Lines out for the Gators! Travo and I went way back into the swamp and let darkness fall on us. Real pretty. As the darkness enveloped us we switched on our Q-Beams and instantly Travo saw a small gator, then we started working our way out. At first we saw trails that in daylight were hard to define, but the duck hunters had put Reflectors on trees which made for easier cruising for gators. We saw 8 or 9 this trip, some small, some large. We think we have a couple of good spots picked out with one being a Gator with pretty wide spaced eyes, hoping for a "Tree Shaka". We have yet to see another boat out scouting at night like we have been doing(????). I think our efforts will pay off, if not I have spent some good time with my best friend, my son.

 

[MT_elk]

Sound fun. Can't wait for the rest of the story and pics.

 

[mtlion]

Good luck on the gator, sounds like a heck of a good time. Gonna have to put it on the bucket list.

What are you going to do with the skin?

Mount it?

New boots?

New handbag for the wife?

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

They are so difficult to skin and one slip degrades the price by 50%. So, I have decided to just carry the whole thing to the buyer/skinner for the meat and head (He does a great mount) and just sell the hide. John

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Alrighty then! Wow did we have a blast today, we were tagged out by 8:30. Now this was my first time at this and I really have to say there is nothing like when you have a line down and your partner pulls that head to the surface! We left out of the landing around 6:30 and went to our first line, still up. Went to the next one...down! We approached the tree and Travo came around me and slowly pulled the line until OMG, there is a gator on this line! I must say there must be an art to hitting that sweet spot, but I bought plenty of 22s to shoot that thing! LOL Our first gator was a 7'2" female, real nice gator for Cross Lake. On to our furthest line we had the GoPro on the first one and it died just as we got to the second one. Dang! Anyway we pulled up to the tree and the gator was really dug in the roots of the Cypress tree. Travo gave a good tug and up came a beautiful 7'3" male who I dispatched fairly quickly. We were tagged out first morning! Wow and I had a super great time with my son Travis, as fine a man as I know, young or old.
We carried them over to Sarepta, LA to the buyer and he bought the both of them and took pictures as he said the male was so pretty. I am having both heads mounted and they are processing the meat for me...and I got a check for $115 to boot after paying for the mounting. Chootem! Chootem!

 

[Oak]

Congrats on the gators, John and Travo. No boots?

 

[idnative1948]

Very cool John and Travo! Way to go!

 

[kansasdad]

A very different experience. Great that you were able to do that with your son.

 

[1_pointer]

Super! You are probably now more of a hero to my son than I am... He loves watching the gator shows.

Now that you got some of the particulars figured out, when's the OYA group hunt?

 

[noharleyyet]

Way to go John & Travis.

 

[gwhunter]

Nice work. Those are some cool looking animals.

 

[JLS]

Very cool!

 

[noharleyyet]

Travis, as fine a man as I know, young or old.

Amen John....

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

I appreciate that Ken. You can never pass up a chance to let someone, anyone know what they mean in your life. John

 

[AZ402]

Really cool!

 

[Dinkshooter]

big time adventure in the swamps!

 

[Dinkshooter]

No Gator wrestling pics?

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Well, I thought there was gonna be some wrestling pictures. Dang thing act like a snake and don't like to just be shot and be still. The part where you have to cut a slit in the tail to put the tag in was like giving a kid his first haircut! They would swirm and thrash, but I figured that a Rivet and a 22 were about the same size so just let them have it from the back of the head pointing into the head and forward even if they are in the boat! Johneaux

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

I love my adventures! Reminds me of the time one of the River Boats was coming up the Red River to Shreveport and it ran aground. No one knew how to get it to float again, so they hired me to fix it. I went and cut 500 willow switches and got 250 Boy Scouts on each side of the river starting at the Arkansas line. I told each one to take that switch and whip the piss out of those Bullfrogs sitting on the bank, by the time we got back to Shreveport that boat had floated on Bull Frogg piss! True story! Johneaux

 

[pointingdogsrule]

Sounds like a ton of fun!!!! Congrats!!!!!

good luck to all
the dog