Saturday is opening day in SC and my buddy was drawn for a tag. We’re going out at noon, when it opens, and staying into the night if necessary. Anybody with any real-life experience to share?

What area did your buddy draw?
GreggH

I don’t know, around here I assume. Charleston area.)

Did the Lottery thing for 5 years with some friends. We all got gators and had a great time. We would not put in until last light and hunt all night. The small ones come out earlier big ones later just like deer. Moving the boat quietly is huge. Preposition everything so there is no confusion when the time comes. How is he planning on hooking in to the gator?
GreggH

Go an hour before dark and look for a 10' + gator.

If he has Charleston area go as low as you can in that zone and hunt brackish water creeks and rivers. I have seen dolphins and gators within a few yards of each other.
GreggH

Every day. What do you want to know? I'll start off by letting you know that there isn't much "reality" in Swamp People.

Get a few big gator hooks. If you don't know where a big gator is get in a boat at night and go find one. Set the hook far enough above the water so a little one or a turtle can't get it. Use about 20 or 30 feet of line. One of the best baits is a road kill squirrel, push the line through the squirrel from butt to mouth with a steel rod. Tie a hook onto the line at the mouth end of the squirrel and pull it back tight against his mouth. Hang the bait using a clothes pin on a low limb to hold it just tight enough so the gator can pull it down. With enough line he should swallow the bait before the line gets tight. Next morning pull the gator to the boat and shoot him in the brain. This way he doesn't sink in the lake and you lose him as he might if you make a shot on a free swimming gator with a very small brain.

This man knows what he's talking about.

Hastings we are not allowed to do that in SC. The gator has to be hooked via rod, harpooned, or shot with bow/crossbow. Once he is secure along side of the boat he can be shot or a bang stick. I always hooked mine with a rod and once to the boat a 22 pistol was used to keep down bone splatter.
GreggH

Did a gator “hunt” while in NOLA for a conference. Just like Hasting said, only they used chicken. Wasn’t much thrill to it.

Got a 10 footer. Wanted to knife it instead of shoot it but the guide wouldn’t let me.

Smart guide. They don't kill easy, except for that tiny little brain.

The knife thing would not have gone well. It can take a minute for them to realize they are dead. After a cheap thrill moment on one trip we never boated another one without taping their mouths shut.

GreggH

A little late to start this year, but going put out lines tomorrow, have 62 tags.

I fish with lines and bait, mostly chicken.

I took a look at the SC alligator regulations on the SCDNR website. You are pretty limited. It says no bait, no shooting of free swimming or basking alligators. It didn't give an exception for archery on the web site. I'm not sure how you luck up and get one if you can't shoot or use bait. I have used a rope or catch pole and caught a good many out of people's yards or even parking areas. A big gator isn't much problem out of the water. But a hunter might have a hard time finding one jammed up on dry ground away from the water. Good luck.

Not allowed in SC. You have to harpoon, fish arrow, snare, or snag with heavy tackle and can’t shoot them until you’ve got them under control. No shooting free swimming gators, not even allowed to have a rifle in the boat…large caliber handgun or bang stick only. Should be exciting.

I’ve seen some pretty good sized ones out in the daytime here. A couple I’d consider monsters on the Ashley River and nearby ponds. I’m thinking we’re not going to be so focused on setting a record as just getting a legal gator. I hope.

Appalachian dude here.

That schidt is out of my element,
and them thing give me the creeps.

Mike, what did you use to put the big hole in their heads?

If you know where some nice ones are I would still try them at night as they are easier to get in range. Good luck with the hunt! After taking a few seasons off I have started putting in for tags again.
GreggH

22 magnum with hard nose bullets at almost point blank range. They flatten out on the skull. Hollow points come apart on impact.

Alligators are pretty dumb...until they get big. "Big" meaning 10' or better. A lot of the time, we can't even use a top water lure because of them. Honestly, if I wanted to arrow a big one, I'd look for the places where people have been feeding them.

On the college campus where I worked when we first moved down here, they’d have a summer program for kids that had a fishing component. In the pond, there was a 4 or 5 foot gator that would go running across the water after any fish a kid had on that broke the surface.

Saw plenty of them today, someone might have capped one with their pistol Monday.

There are a couple of big ones that hang around the boat ramp I use most days. I'm the only guide that works out of there, so it's doubtful that they're just waiting for me to clean fish. They love to eat the the chicken legs that people crabbing leave.

The moral to this story is that alligator "hunting" (as opposed to commercial fishing) is kinda like hunting black bear. You're more likely to find them eating out of a garbage can than in the outback.

Don’t know these guys, but this is a big gator.

Txt conversation with my buddy last night, talking about what guns to take. I figured my Smith 29 MG or scandium (357) .41 magnum. We mentioned they recommend equipment redundancy in case anything, especially a kill gun, goes overboard when things get exciting. Hmmmm…Tokd him I changed my mind… Gen 1 Glock 20 gets the nod. Got it tuned up so I really like it, but it would be way easier to replace (with an upgrade) than either Smith. He got back to me , told me that’s why the other guy going with us is taking a Taurus.

Had along response and browser refreshed.

Clifnotes version -


Little Ashley right against Bear WMA without crossing the bank into WMA. You’ll hear them slide over in the dark. Go at night it’s upriver from the launch. Use a Xbow or Hand Harpoon and bring a few extras. Bring a snatch rope on a float as well for the first time you have him at the boat. It’s a bit of a heavier line. Looks like a dog catchers noose but the noise pops off the pole and leaves with the gator on a float. Probably take 2-3 floats to land a big gator.


Using a knife is fine. I took an 11’er that way after he tried jumping in my lap in the dark. Watch the tail, wear him out, pull his head in your lap, watch the tail, bend his neck over boat edge, don’t slice at it, point the knife between verts then hammer the back with all you’ve got = dead gator. Did I mention the tail? Also, more likely to get infections, etc than anything. Watch open cuts and scrub that hide with a boat brush and bleach before cutting it up.

I drew midlands my second trip and passed an 11’ the first morning. Day trip only for my guide on Marion. Two days of chasing and all we saw were 9’ers. 9’ is closer to normal anyways but I wasn’t after a smaller gator than my last trip. I missed the draw date a few years but next year I’m at 3 points and know which region I’m applying for.


I’d post up pics but still struggle on this site for some reason. Looking at the 11’ head with neck mount right now and the little rapala knife I used to kill him is in his mouth at the moment.


Good luck and safe trip. If you try pinning them waiting for them to surface be mindful they like to get up in that tall alligator grass and will charge/bump the boat sometimes. It’s a little surreal in the dark.


Also, only one person use the light. Too many lights scare them. The bugs, oh yeah, if you’ve never been inland from the coast in the Low Country you’ll not know about them. They will be in your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Sprays and thermacell aren’t going to help. They don’t bite really but really aggravating having an eye full of them or inhaling them. I spent 2.5 years there and they drove me nuts. Head net in the swamp might work but hard to see through at night I bet.

You will likely pop lines on a big one as well. You can also use heavy casting rods with hooks. If going that route I’d suggest having a few rods and let a buddy hook it too. The downside is legally you can’t release them afterward even though the hook doesn’t hurt them. From far away you might end up with a big headed 8’er. I almost did upclose even until we saw the body under the water. Head was huge oddly.

Distance from eye to nostril in inches is rough body length. They sit in the water with their body under their head so to speak not stretched out like you’d think. Harpoon/dart you have to hit in the cheek or side of neck mostly, he’s not going to show you his belly no matter how polite you are. Hooks you’ll need to get through the hide on his side. Swamp People is ridiculous but when you see the one kind use the snatch hook he puts his weight into the jerk when digging the hook in.

I lost a one eyed monster when we couldn’t judge him before we drifted over him. A oversized XBow with harpoon tip bounced off his back at 0’ shooting straight down. So much force the bolt bounced 50+ yards. Never penetrated and SS turned dart tip bent like a banana. There is really little chance of putting anything through a Scute. I had one tanned and it’s like 1” of solid bone armor plating with very little room between them. Maybe closer to the tail but by the head and neck the
scutes are much larger.

9’ - 9’6” is a good gator. I was spoiled the first time and now won’t settle for smaller than my first. It takes 50-75 years or something crazy like that to get a truly large gator and like deer not all grow to be monsters. You could also get a 10’ that weighs hundreds more than a skinny 11-11’6” gator. I prefer heavy bulls to skinny longer gators.

Pernells is the place for a mount if you go that route. Mary is awesome and my mount is fantastic. One of the cheeks collapsed, likely pre-move a kid knocked it over onto a hard floor. She repaired good as new and shipped back to me no questions asked.

I've yet to draw but the most popular method in Florida (by far) is an inexpensive surf pole, some heavy braided line, and a treble hook the size of your fist.

Get one on him, then a second. Pull to the boat. Bang stick to the head.

If they're not spooked it's surprisingly easy to snag one.

If you go with a guide they’ll point it out but just to say it anyway. DO NOT wrap the float line around your hands. Unless you end it quick with the glock you’ll likely have him boat side a few times. When he decides he doesn’t like the game he’ll dive straight under the boat and dig into the mud. He won’t budge until he’s ready. If you wrap the line around any body part before then nothing good will come of it.

Fold the line up inside your hand and when he runs again throw it and the float back into the water. Big ones are powerful but they build up lactic acid much faster than the little ones you see on tv shows that dance all over the water. When they are tired they don’t have much fight but they will still bite the boat, death roll a bit, and use that menacing tail to knock you stupid if they can.

There aren’t a ton of guides now that the tv show isn’t so popular. If your going with one, especially in Southern Coastal I bet I know who. Great guy and you’ll have a good time. If you’ve not setup a guide I’d encourage it. The gear is a little pricey for a trip you’ll make every 3rd-4th year at most. Cleaning one and all that fun after an all nighter is tough as well in the heat. The guide in that area is a very cheap near guarantee of success.

The gator shows I've seen have been for five minute clips before I can't tolerate them any more. Over the top bad acting worse than Mothra vs. Choot 'em.


This is the first one with.a little realism. Not a 10 out of ten, but not Louisiana swamp creatures from the Spitoon Lagoon.

Gator Boys

No comment on the video other than the "281.2" sticker on the tailgate of the truck. That usually signifies a "Double Ironman":

4.8 mile swim
224 mile bike ride
52.4 run (double marathon)

The event must be complete under 36 hours.

That explains why he dives, ( in another episode), to capture these beasts while his big buddy on shore said he can hold his breath for three minutes under water.
That's a serious athlete.

I noticed your handle. Are you a runner?

Yep, but my handle is just a coincidence - my initials.

Lol! That's a pretty cool coincidence!

Have you ever run a marathon?

Regardless, you runners are amazing athletes.
I never did race in anything beyond mountain bikes since school. .. More of a cross fit trainer than long range cardio.

Thanks for all the advice guys. We’re going out tomorrow to give it our best shot.

I can't stress enough to remind your fishing buddies to follow the predetermined safety rules. If you don't have them, don't go until you do. I don't want to sound like your grandpa, but I've handled live gators and know that even a "small" one can latch on and won't let go until HE wants to. Every man in the boat can be armed with any weapon and it won't matter. The body part can be removed before you know it. The bite pressure is like a hydrolic press with teeth. The poor guy in the water might even get shot in the blur.
Here's a "domestic "Big boy in a very controlled environment....


👍Be safe and check out my links.
V V V

some dummies came out today and got this 7fter.

I doubt you've ever seen a gator.

Why is it that I should concern myself with what you think?

LOL not asking you to, just making an observation.

Happy Camper can always rush out and find a YouTube video to post in place of any personal subject knowledge.
Kinda pathetic.

back in the day, I killed a number of alligators with a single shot 20 gauge Stevens shotgun. I have also killed a number of alligators by strangling them. Those were small one though, killed just for the tail meat.

cra1948 good luck with your gator hunt. Night time is the best time to hunt cruising the rivers and waterways with a spot light. You will be amazed how many gators you will see. My son and I caught a big gator (12'7") in 2011 at 3:00 in the afternoon at Santee. We saw him several times on previous hunts before we were able to get close enough to catch him on a heavy ocean rod with a large treble hook. It took 2 hours to get him up alongside the boat to dispatch him with my Glock 45acp. Be patient, be careful and have fun.