SC Alligator Hunting

[Dr. Cheese]

I guess I've been away too long. I didn't know South Caroline now holds an alligator hunt. I see the Wildlife Department estimates there are 100,000 gators in SC. I've seen a few over the years myself.

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/allig...gGuide2009.pdf

[Dr. Cheese]

Here's a girl from the county next to where I grew up who bagged a 353 lb. gator:http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat...r_N.htm?csp=34

[CrispyDelicious]

How much of a gator is useable meat? Is it like livestock, in that every section is a "cut", or are only certain parts traditionally used? Either way, I'm intrigued.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by CrispyDelicious

How much of a gator is useable meat? Is it like livestock, in that every section is a "cut", or are only certain parts traditionally used? Either way, I'm intrigued.

Mainly people eat the meat from the tail, but I'm sure other parts are edible too. Remember alligators are valuable for their skin too.

[Noonan768]

The story of the cheerleader bagging one has been all over the local news here.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Noonan768

The story of the cheerleader bagging one has been all over the local news here.

I can imagine. The interesting thing I noticed in the SC Department of Natural Resources Alligator Hunting Guide is the concern over mercury levels. They recommend no more than 1/2 lb. of gator meat per week per person, and that no pregnant women or others with certain potential health issues eat gator meat. Since alligators can live more than 50 years in the wild, and since the bigger ones are the older ones, mercury accumulation is a concern.

[CrispyDelicious]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

Mainly people eat the meat from the tail, but I'm sure other parts are edible too. Remember alligators are valuable for their skin too.

See, that just seems kind of wasteful. I have no issues with hunting, but I think if you do so, you shouldn't be tossing the majority of your kill. Though I could use matching gator-skin pants and bass strap

[Eublet]

There's an annual gator hunt here in Mobile every year. They have a lottery for licenses so only a few get to hunt, and you can only have one kill. It's all about population control which had gotten out of hand a few years back as a result from being protected for so long. Gator meat is quite good if prepared properly.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Eublet

There's an annual gator hunt here in Mobile every year. They have a lottery for licenses so only a few get to hunt, and you can only have one kill. It's all about population control which had gotten out of hand a few years back as a result from being protected for so long. Gator meat is quite good if prepared properly.

My father's family is from Monroe County, Alabama, and I remember my Grand Dad talking about those big gators in the swamps around the Alabama River when he was a logger. He said they wer so tough that when he hit their backs with his axe, sparks would fly!

[CrispyDelicious]

LOL. There's something wonderfully quaint about old grandfather stories.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

My father's family is from Monroe County, Alabama, and I remember my Grand Dad talking about those big gators in the swamps around the Alabama River when he was a logger. He said they wer so tough that when he hit their backs with his axe, sparks would fly!

One of the big pulpwood plants in Monroe County is a client of mine. I never really thought that gators were that far inland, but they told me that there was a 12 footer that had been run over by a logging truck recently. It crawled out on the road late in the afternoon and got plastered.

I've seen them along the bank of the delta down here in excess of 12 feet. Seeing them in the 5-10 foot range is common place. There's a spot about two miles from my house where you're guaranteed to see four or five of them any time you go by there. They love marshmallows for some reason. Just walking down toward the bank with a bag in your hand and they come zipping across the water with mouths gaping. One of them is about 9 feet long and is missing most of his front left leg. They're so used to humans being around that it's kind of scary. I'm surprised we haven't had more encounters reported around here. Along the causeway that crosses the bay are a series of seafood joints where you sometimes see gators on the bank around them. I swear you can walk straight up to the smaller ones, and rub their back if you want to. They won't even blink.

[Eric Perry]

Man, I'm from Pennsylvania, where there are no gators or crocs, etc. I'd be TERRIFIED to go up to one under any circumstances, however! Sheesh!

[MakiSupaStar]

I wouldn't mind gator skin bass strap.

[CrispyDelicious]

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

I wouldn't mind gator skin bass strap.

Copycat.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Eublet

One of the big pulpwood plants in Monroe County is a client of mine. I never really thought that gators were that far inland, but they told me that there was a 12 footer that had been run over by a logging truck recently. It crawled out on the road late in the afternoon and got plastered.

I've seen them along the bank of the delta down here in excess of 12 feet. Seeing them in the 5-10 foot range is common place. There's a spot about two miles from my house where you're guaranteed to see four or five of them any time you go by there. They love marshmallows for some reason. Just walking down toward the bank with a bag in your hand and they come zipping across the water with mouths gaping. One of them is about 9 feet long and is missing most of his front left leg. They're so used to humans being around that it's kind of scary. I'm surprised we haven't had more encounters reported around here. Along the causeway that crosses the bay are a series of seafood joints where you sometimes see gators on the bank around them. I swear you can walk straight up to the smaller ones, and rub their back if you want to. They won't even blink.

I have personally seen them in Lowndes County back in the 1970s. Gators get around more than folks realize.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I have personally seen them in Lowndes County back in the 1970s. Gators get around more than folks realize.

Wow...never really knew that. I lived in Central Florida for 4 years, in the Lakland and Orlando area. Gators were common there of course, but not as many, and they usually where under 6 feet. I think they were just easier to control in those smaller lakes as opposed to the expanse of the river system in Alabama.

[Gard]

MMMMM gator tail steaks MMMMM!!!



I've got a few gator stories from growing up in Louisiana and Florida...

...like wandering along a lake shore one spring day outside of Orlando when I was 12 and accidentally stumbling onto a nest. Yeah, those stories about how quick a gator can be on dry land in a straight line? True. Thankfully, turning isn't a strong point for 'em.

Or driving home on an old back road between Tavares and Clermont, FL after doing some recording, it was about 2-2:30 am, I was out of it, little twisting turning 2 lane road in the middle of nowhere. Came around a corner going about 50, and right in front of me crossing the road is a 10-12' gator....that was exciting...poor critter didn't have a chance. I went to the next little town, picked up a pay phone and called the sheriff's office to let 'em know where it was, but I wasn't going ANYWHERE near that critter, although when I stopped and turned around, it appeared to be good and fully dead.

The Louisiana stories are pretty tame, mostly just the unbelieveable common place sight of 5-6 footers EVERYWHERE there was water. Made water skiing exciting sometimes! Also, used to go fishing in Lake Pontchatrain a lot, and you'd see bigger ones (8-10') just swimming out in the middle of the lake sometimes...weird...

[ubado]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I guess I've been away too long. I didn't know South Caroline now holds an alligator hunt. I see the Wildlife Department estimates there are 100,000 gators in SC. I've seen a few over the years myself.

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/allig...gGuide2009.pdf

In the 70's, when I was a little pup in SC low country (south of Charleston) ... gators were pretty common.

Now they can be found in NC. My in-laws live in a gated golf community near the coast ... it seems that gators are going up the Cape Fear river, and living in the golf coarse ponds (these are quite large "ponds" which are all interconnected).
Last I heard ... there were between 3-6 living there. The local Fish and Game officers leave them alone, until they get too large.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by Gard

MMMMM gator tail steaks MMMMM!!!



I've got a few gator stories from growing up in Louisiana and Florida...

...like wandering along a lake shore one spring day outside of Orlando when I was 12 and accidentally stumbling onto a nest. Yeah, those stories about how quick a gator can be on dry land in a straight line? True. Thankfully, turning isn't a strong point for 'em.

Or driving home on an old back road between Tavares and Clermont, FL after doing some recording, it was about 2-2:30 am, I was out of it, little twisting turning 2 lane road in the middle of nowhere. Came around a corner going about 50, and right in front of me crossing the road is a 10-12' gator....that was exciting...poor critter didn't have a chance. I went to the next little town, picked up a pay phone and called the sheriff's office to let 'em know where it was, but I wasn't going ANYWHERE near that critter, although when I stopped and turned around, it appeared to be good and fully dead.

The Louisiana stories are pretty tame, mostly just the unbelieveable common place sight of 5-6 footers EVERYWHERE there was water. Made water skiing exciting sometimes! Also, used to go fishing in Lake Pontchatrain a lot, and you'd see bigger ones (8-10') just swimming out in the middle of the lake sometimes...weird...

Haha! I've done a lot of skiing, knee boarding, wake boarding, tubing, etc on the lakes of Florida and the river delta of Mobile. I guess growing up doing that it just never crosses my mind to think about the gators. Of course, I'd rather be out in the middle of the river or lake than swimming around the shore. It does get spookier when you're close to that tall grass and trees that have fallen over into the water. But I can remember many times skiing in tandem, and if you fell off, you just had to float there in the water until the other person ditched. That might be 2 minutes, or it might be 10 minutes. You just lay back, put your legs over the skiis, and hope for the best!

[acubass]

Like all things in SC this story was controversial. Many people said some nasty things about this young lady. Here are some comments by locals.

"She'll be the pride of her trailer park."

"If it takes this whole crew to kill one defenseless alligator, as long as I don't see all of them in one place i will probably be safe."

Many comments have been deleted since the story broke.

Aside from the smack talking about a young girl, I do think gator hunting is cruel. You have to spear the gator in the tail. Wait an hour or more for it to tire out from pulling your boat, then you shoot it in the head. I don't really see the sport in this.