This year SC will have its first public season for alligators. About 1500 people applied for and 1000 received permits to take one gator each in 1 of 4 zones in the state. Only handguns, bang sticks or knives can be used to dispatch the animal but bows and harpoons can be used in the catch phase. The animal has to have at least 1 line attached before killing.:eek:

It should be a real blast to watch all these novices going out in the dark to catch an alligator.:confused: Must be something to it though, 9 out-of -staters drew permits and one from Utah!:rolleyes:

I'll keep you posted!:D

I'll leave the 'gator resslin' to others! :D

I am going to participate. A friend of mine who is not a novice has a tag. I bought a lisence to tag along. I will just control the boat and take pics and help where I am needed. I am a novice. I am quite excited just to be there. I am no stranger to gators though as I am in NC and there are quite a few gators to be found here too. We are about the furthest North you will find one. Usually gators here average smaller sizes although I have seen a few 10 foot ones but this is rare. I am not sure but I think my friend's intention is to use a bow for catch and a bangstick for dispatch. I read it is a good idea to cut through the spine behind the head before pulling him into the boat as well. He has a brother living there that has been scouting a lot for us and he is reporting very large ones at times. I hope we get one at least 10 feet or more. I watched this fellow catch a 10 footer here on a highway, tie him and remove him and I am confident he will have success on this hunt. I can't wait!!!!

Not sure I understand, are you supposed to hunt them with a bow or harpoon, then finish them off with a handgun, bang stick, or knife? Can you not just kill them outright with your harpoon, and not have to finish them off? Can you hunt them with a handgun? I do understand that they are hard to kill, just wondering what the rules say.
Haven't hunted gators, but have a healthy dislike of crocodiles, and have to say, gators with a harpoon sounds very sporting. Should be enough to get your heart pumping, I imagine! :eek:

Wow. I never realized gators went that far north. I had the opportunity to hunt gators in Southeast Texas near the coast. I was fortunate and got a 12'2" monster. It's a blast.

You have to use the harpoon, bow or whatever so that you are anchored to the animal. That way you don't lose them after you kill them. This is really easy to happen as sometimes their tails will keep going and they will swim off to die somewhere you can't find them.

I doubt you will find many past the Albemarle Sound if you even find them there in NC. I live on the East coast and frequent Onslow to Brunswick counties and Horry county in South Carolina. Any further North and I am sure they can't take the winters. They seem to do fine here as I have seen them a few times when the weather is 40 degrees while hunting or trapping. This is rare but it has happened to me. Once it was in January, drizzle rain and about 50 degrees. One about 8 feet was laying in the woods near a very small branch or creek. I was sure it was dead but when I threw a big stick at it it was able to move its eye so I am sure he was Very cold. I avoided it but was amazed he would be where he was. I did not tell anyone he was around there and rarely did anyone go where I was so he would be fine. I never saw him again but years later a larger one was hit on a highway that this branch flowed under. I always wondered if it was him. Can you imagine driving on a foggy morning going 60 miles per hour and slamming one with your car?? This happened and the gator was certainly killed by the car. It measured 12 feet ( well the news said so). I wonder how many times over the years he hid from me as I went past as I am in those woods a lot. I often use that creek to stalk deer with waders on as it is only waist deep. It is not typical gator habitat but he traveled there anyway. Downstream is a good marsh that beavers have dammed good and ideal nesting grounds have formed. I am sure it is home to a few gators.

Ranch Dog has quite a story about going on a gator hunt. Suffice to say that it's exciting from a boat, and they sink when they die. Usually pop back up after several hours.

He says the look on the water skiers' faces was priceless, when the gator was towing the boat down the same river that people were skiing in. :eek:

I forget if it was the Brazos or Trinity, but think it was one of the two. I'll have to ask him.

We have had a gator season in Louisiana for lot of years now. We got more of the danged reptiles than we can ever use. When I was a Trooper, I used to have to deal with run over gators all the time. There is nothing nastier than a ten foot gator with a smashed tail.

Ho Ho! Now the fun begins! It going to be worse than all the posts about Grizz bears! Down here in Florida we have some very big River Pests (LeZard Grandee)....Each year we have tourists that have a run-in with one they have been feeding.....or let Cissey tell about her Gator Gun!
I think I had better stay out of this indeed!
Regards, James

HUH?...Whatever

So I have been to a couple of wild game feeds, where gator was on the menu. What part of the gator gets eaten?

Tail, mostly.

Tail, mostly.

This is true. But if it's your gator, go for the jowels. They are absolutely the best. Unfortunately, when you get a really big one (read that "old") the taste can be pretty interesting. Six foot is about the best size for eating.