Watching an old episode - someone said "That's a tagger!" What if it wasn't a tagger?

It's big enough to tag. They have to tag each gator they kill, just like a deer.

"Choot it, Lisbeth!"

And if it's not big enough to tag, do they pull the hook out and release it like you would a trout?

And what if it isn't big enough - what becomes of it?

They cut the string and leave the hook to rust. The gator most of the time swallows the hook and its hooked in it's belly. Pulling it out would kill it.

Having the hook in its stomach is no big deal?

No. Their stomach acids dissolve it quickly.

The bigger the bait, the bigger the gator.

They don't catch "small" gators
I've seen them boat gators that couldn't have been more than 3 foot long....on the show.
Gators smaller that +/- 3 foot don't wander out into open water. They'd be gobbled up by the big'uns! Just like fish small fry, they stay hidden in cover until they get enough size to stand a chance.
Mama gators are extremely protective of their nests and hatchlings, but big daddy gators love to eat little baby gators.

I cut fishhooks.

Are the Gaters good to eat, and what do they tast like?

They taste like gators. Geesh.....

How would I know Dan?

Walmart here don't sell them.

The tail is pretty good fried . Not really sure what to compare it too. Not chicken or frog legs . Just different

Thank you!

Lots of Gator Meat Purveyors sell Alligator Ribs and Sausage. It’s all quite good if you just don’t overcook it.

textured like pork with a slight fishy taste

And i really thought this was a question about the current repubs voting for chitbag kevin

Hahaha. Winner winner. TFF.

Patriots are in control.

Connect the dotz!

Chicken...

Gator hunting is more like fishing. Swamp people makes it overly dramatic. I used to work with a guy that had tags south of Houma, LA. Bigger gators have more inches of skin and more meat to sell. The meat does taste like chicken some of it is fishy tasting. They do cut the cable on undersized gators and let the hook rust out. The guy I knew made close to 20,000 in 2 weeks. But you have to own land or lease it to get tags where he did it.
He used blackbirds for bait and the bait is put above the water. To target bigger gators you hang the bait higher out of reach of small gators.

I guess that my thought was that after being dragged in, thrashing and twisting, a hook in the gut might pretty much kill the gator. I always wonder this when I cut the line on a fish and leave the hook and there is much more violence involved with bringing the gator to boat.

I never understood the producers of the show showing the guys shooting high powered rifles across the water at gators 50-60-100 yds away. Wasn’t that like one of the top 5 things not to do back in Hunter safety courses? And obviously not illegal in Louisiana.

I wondered about that shooting in open water at a small target like a gator's head. I wonder how many they wound and lose. Just another faked BS "Reality" show.

Thats about the way I remember it. I got in trouble for shooting at turtle heads in a pond a couple of times. Looks really dangerous to me.

The real question about Swamp People is how big are Ashley’s tits? On the show they’re huge!

Big enuff, I guesstimate....

Taste bout like owl!

I remember reading about a woman who was driving in, I think, New York. Her car coasted to a stop and she was found dead. Autopsy revealed a small wound in the hair at the back of her head. Turned out to be a bullet. Her rear, driver's side window was down. Some genius shot at a shark with a .303 Brit. The bullet had glanced off the water, went through the open window, and entered her head.

I'd like to know how 1 or 2 people can roll a 400 pounder in the boat, the host of the show needs to be canned.

‘Cause I’ve eaten them bastids before. Lightly dusted with cornmeal. Texture is about like chicken, flavor is very mild.

I prefer deer, pork, bunnies, or quail.

That’s life in the swamps.

If you moved down this way you would know.

I would hit that. Just saying............

Ditto, she's Fine. (had to go back and make the S in "she's" small and the F in "Fine" large)

Met that big dude at a sportmans show.

Just in passin by their booth. seems like a nice guy.

Bruce also…

A hard working, down home girl? Heck yes!

California. Beer can. Readers Digest.

Dude, it’s an alligator. That’s not gonna end well.

Once you get the head in the rest will follow. That was a big gator in the video. The picture is of the same gator. I wear a size 15 boot.










I put all of these in the boat with my 120 pound wife helping.

OK next question, if they don't mind shooting the gators on TV, why the hell don't they shoot the snakes??

My guess is they keep the snakes alive until they are ready to process them, no chance of spoiling the meat or skin.

It would be a little difficult to do that with alligators.

Ever notice those snake wranglers never tackle a 15 footer? The snakes they hand catch are all little ones.

Definitely fine, the Pickle girl too.

It didn't take long for that show to turn into a T&A showcase. Middle aged gals like "Choot 'em Lizbet!" just don't make the cut anymore.

I have ZERO problems with watching T&A.

Setting the baited hook high enough above the water surface pretty well eliminates the too small to tag problem. As far as the meat, the tail is the sorriest part far as I'm concerned. By far the meat up around the front legs and jaws is the best. You don't get the fat and gristle. I quit eat gator and hogs quite a few years ago after deciding Moses was right about not eating scavengers. It doesn't get too rotten or nasty for a gator to eat.

As to getting a huge gator into the boat, it ain't that hard. Just get him over the side and start in with him. I've seen it done lots of times. The gators I've caught were taken live out on dry ground. We would get them roped and get up in back of the truck until he fought to exhaustion. After that it's get his mouth taped or tied and load him up.

Gators got to be such a nuisance and numerous that I started tying them off to a tree and calling the state hunter to come get them and convert them into hides.

Wait until you get hold of some. Watching it will take distant back seat.

True but history has taught me that touching them typically comes with a payment book or at least drama.

my favorite part of the show is when the gator comes up out of the water looking at the guy in the boat with a gun about to shoot it

like they strapped a go pro to the gators head and he is just out there getting video

Caught a 13 foot, 600 pound gator in a 16 foot jon boat and me and a buddy were able to get him in it. As we worked it into the boat, the rim of the boat was pulled down to within a couple of inches from taking on water. The water created a little bit of buoyancy that made it feel not so heavy.

In the earlier episodes or in the intro to each episode, it stated that in the state of Florida, either HSUS, PETA or some other animal cruelty group stated that the snakes must be killed in a humane way. As far as I'm concerned, shoot 'em and let 'em lay!
The people I want to see punished are the ones that turned them loose!! 🤬👎

Also note that you NEVER see the gator being shot. They ALWAYS cut away and run a "set up" shot.
I've seen Troy Landry shoot a gator in one shirt and boat it in a different shirt! LOL!

And a 1oz load of 6's from about 2feet isn't humane? Boom , snake head in about a jillion pieces ,snake don't know what hit him!

Absolutely, positively agree with you! Without a doubt!
Last time in S. Texas, I caught about a 3 foot diamondback crossing the driveway. That S&W M1000 20 gauge and a load of #8's obliterated his (her?) head at a range of a foot or so!

.....but guess whut? NOBODY ast you er me! 😜 LOL!