GA gator hunt AAR

[aubie515]

I must start off by saying that this is the hardest hunt I've ever done. This was a 43 hour journey from start to finish.

I started out leaving my house at 5AM on Saturday the 1st of September. I picked up my friend in Coatesville and headed to GA for my very first gator hunt. In GA it's a lottery/points system and this is my 9th year applying in GA. I wagered 4 points and I selected zone 8, which is in the Savannah, GA area. I picked this because I was station at Ft Stewart. It was closer than my guide's place because I didn't want us to have to drive so far, so Savannah was my choice.

My friend and I hit some serious I-95 traffic around Richmond, VA, but we made excellent time on the road. By the time we got to our hotel, we were both very tired as both of us did not get much sleep the night before we left. My friend was able to take a power nap, but I was not able to fall asleep. We met our guide Gary Frye (great guide, but an even better person) at the launch ramp before 8PM. He had a GA game commission officer there, since we were out of state hunters. They told us there was a 13' gator in the waters where I was hunting, so that got me pumped as anything over 13' may be a state record gator.

All three of us get on the boat and we are on the Ogeechee River in GA. I was surprised how I didn't feel that it was very humid out and the bugs weren't bad. I was stationed close to this area, and I remembered how humid it was and how bad the bugs were, so this was a nice surprise. We must have seen 20 gators the entire night.

Even though we saw a bunch of gators in the water, they would go under the water and we didn't get close enough for me to shoot them with the crossbow. Gary uses some heavy, deep penetrating broadheads designed for gator hunting. He uses a CenterPoint crossbow with a green laser attached, so he can see where you are aiming on the gator.

About an hour into the hunt, I started to get a headache and my stomach didn't feel right. I started to throw up my dinner and felt terrible. I lost count of how much I threw up on the boat. There were times I couldn't keep my eyes open and I had a blurred vision. and every 45 minutes would go buy I'd start throwing up again.

I never felt this bad on any hunt. Several times during the hunt, I really felt like quitting and I nearly told my friend and guide that I'm throwing in the towel. In my mind I was thinking how much time and effort I put into this hunt and yet I wanted to quit because of how sick I was on that boat.

I am not a seasoned boater, but two years ago, I hunted wild hogs in FL from an airboat and I didn't get sick once, so I figured I would be fine hunting the gators. I don't know what caused my sickness, but I felt horrible. If I had to guess, I'd say it was due to being very tired for not sleeping and the long drive from PA to GA. I also thought it could have been motion sickness as well.

Around 11:30PM, we finally got on a gator and Gary thought it was over 7' and at this point I just wanted to get this hunt over with. Gary said he's had clients that missed with the crossbow 4-5 times, so he thought I'd miss too. I don't blame him for thinking this since I was sick.

I shot the gator with the crossbow and the shot landed to the left of it's spinal cord. The shot didn't kill the gator, but it was a solid hit that anchored the bolt my gator. My gator started to go under the water and he was down there for a few minutes. I finally got my first look at my gator. He was about four inches from the surface of the water. I took out my Polymer 80 9mm pistol and shot my gator.

I wanted to use my Polymer 80 as this was my first pistol that I put together from the ground up. I thought it would be a cool way to get a "body" from this pistol. I used Sig V Crown 124gr HP.

Pistol build:
Brownell's RMR cut slide
OEM Glock slide and frame parts.
Polymer 80 PF940C Gray lower
BCA G19 threaded barrel
Trijicon dual illuminated RMR

My friend Erich, made a video of the shoot, so I was very happy as I didn't care at the time I shot my gator. I just wanted with be done with the night. I am thankful that Erich was able to capture that moment for me.

When my guide Gary brought the gator onto the boat, I thought the gator was only 6', but I was so out of it I didn't even care. We met my guide at his place the next morning to skin it and get the meat. Normally, Gary would do it right away, but he new I wasn't feeling well, so he suggested I went back to my hotel room and get some sleep. When we got to Gary's place, I was pleasantly surprised that my gator was 8' long. He only weighed 175lbs, but that was good enough for me.

I only got 4.5 hours of sleep that night, but when I woke up on Sunday morning at 6AM, I felt like a new man. My entire outlook went from not wanting to finish the hunt to...I'm so glad I gutted it out and finished.

I know some folks would not consider an 8' gator a trophy, when there was a 13' gator in the same waters, but I'll tell you what...this is my best trophy. It took all I had mentally/physically to finish this hunt. I will never forget this hunt as it was 9 years in the making. I spent a lot of time to get to this hunt and not to mention the money it cost to fund this hunt.

I will be going back to get another gator with Gary. My next one will be bigger and what I learned from this hunt will be applied to my next hunt. My friend that came with me, will start applying for points and I'm going to apply for points for my daughter. I believe one must be 14 years old to hunt gators in GA, so she will have 4 points by the time she turns 14. I have 4 points, so I could go anytime, but I'll wait as I'm happy with this hunt.

AAR: Things I would do differently:

1) Next time I go, I will add another day, so I can get to GA a day ahead of the hunt. That way I can rest up the day leading into the night hunt.

2) Bring some motion sickness pills JIC (just in case) and take them before I get on the water.

Things that worked on the hunt:

1) Bring a friend along to help with the driving-was also good to share the experience as Erich had a completely different perspective than I did during the hunt. He was not sick and saw everything and was able to video the shot. Going on a hunt and not being able to share the memory is not as fun, IMO. I am greatful to Erich for coming along on this trip with me.

2) Before the hunt, make sure you research and bring along items that will help your hunt. I didn't bring a ton of junk, but almost everything that I brought, I used.

3) Make sure you bring enough coolers as it's not just the meat you are going to bring back. It's the hide and the head and you will need plenty of ice.

4) If you ever are considering doing a gator hunt, start applying for the points in GA. GA only issues out 1,000 tags per year, but if you have 4 points or more, you should be able to get the zone that you want to hunt. It does not cost anything to apply for the points, so no reason not to apply for the points.

5) Never give up...no matter how sick you are...gut it out and get that gator. If I would have given up and went back to the hotel room...I would have been disappointed in myself for not trying to get that gator that I worked so hard just to get.

Conclusion:

I'm very happy with my first gator hunt and it won't be my last gator hunt. I am going to get a skull mount done. I also had the hide cut up, where I can get items made from the skin. I'm talking to my wife about doing a purse/wallet for her. The gator claws, I'm going to make a necklace for my daughter. The meat, I gave some of it to Erich and I'll give some to my friends and family. Of course I'll keep some of the meat as well.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/...z1lHBcGx8ciMAh
https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/...e6nqdfnd2ua7pk
https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/...ZcpuBpyksBSN43

[27hand]

That's some cool stuff.
Great write up.
Congrats on your trophy.

Cool that you gutted it out and finished the hunt.

[aubie515]

Thanks, it is one hunting trip that I will never forget. I know the next one will be better as I will be more prepared.

[STBear]

Congrats. Nice trophy. You have a good friend.

[ar15jules]

That sucks and is awesome at the same time. Glad it ended up working out for you. Being sick blows....

[Qtrborecrazy]

Aubie515, sad that you got sick but what I would like to know is, WHENS THE GATOR FRY?

[Gremcat]

Congrats, I missed the SC draw for the second year. I haven’t missed a draw since they started. I did check GA and surprisingly my points carried. I apply for the very difficult to draw Zone 1 and 1a so didn’t expect to draw anyway. If I would have been less distracted I would have 7+ points in GA vs. the 2 or 3 now.

In SC Midland I passed on a 12’ right at the boat 15 minutes in. My trip was a lot like yours. I had a severe cold, truck had a flat on the way and safety key missing. Rented a car in Fayetteville at 11:55 pm when they close at 12. Taxi took us for a 45 minute “ride”. Couldn’t get a hotel to even sleep the 1 hour before Guide showed. After passing a possible 12’ ( I have a full head/neck mount from a prior 11’ in SC) to find a definite 12-13’ I never saw another one over 9’. I did bring a Buddy and wanted him to experience so second day went for anything 8’ or over. Had one slip by and another submerge in the shallows. My friend was worried about my truck(no need USAA lost it for a week) and didn’t want to wait on the last 9’ in crystal clear shallow water to emerge so we left.

To add to your advice:


Make sure your Partners committed

Sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, and good binocs if daytime hunting

If night time skip the bug juice and go for a swamp net hat deal. Trust me, I worked in Rural SC/GA for 2 years. The bugs don’t care about spray and will fly into every opening they find

Learn to judge gators using eye to snout and eye width including reflections

If you think of it more as a Fishing/Hunting group activity it’s more accurate than Hunting really

Even in rural areas book a hotel or lodging well in advance

I used a harpoon and knife vs. Fishing pole and/or Gun. Even if hooked with a pole or snatch line you’ll still want a noose or large line in him. Ask the Guide what his harpoon handle is and pick one up. They sometimes like a long heavy handle to reach that can be awkward to thrust/throw, etc.

Watch the tail and watch the tail-enough said

Open cuts near bacteria ridden gator hide is bad for business. They bleach and scrub before cleaning for a good reason.

Public lakes on weekends are a bad idea. I learned the hardway after my first hunt was a small canal without traffic at night. The second was Lake Marion which had a rep for large lizards. I wanted Santee Cooper (Middle Coastal) and picked Midlands as a second. I should have picked Southern Coastal. GA is a bit different in zones. SC only has 4 and the lakes were producing. The water being high had them so far back in the cypress trees we could hear them crashing and couldn’t get close. We were in a few inches of water in very tight spots and still couldn’t get close. There is a report issued on sizes taken from each region and I believe GA does the same.

If your in GA and like small game there are huge saddled colored Fox Squirrels the size of Groundhogs and a smaller variety that’s solid black with a White nose. Some area call them Cat Squirrels.


Most important, a Low Country Boil is definitely the go to food when ordering. If your coastal you can watch the shrimp boats come in to the restaurants.

[Gremcat]

Finally have good enough network to load pics. Fat head for his Size guessing a Bull. That’s the ideal size for leather as large old gators have a lot of scars and don’t make good leather. It’s about the largest for eating as well. Most locals preferred 6-8’ from what I can tell. You don’t get as much meat as it looks. Mostly bones and about 35% of the weight is hide. Mine was 400 ish IIRC and only about 70#s meat. I did lose the cheeks though because of the mount. A full head and neck is pricey so didn’t want to mess it up. The legs are a little bit of meat and the 4 lions on the tail(no idea WH they are called loins other than appearance) and the cheeks. The rest is bone and hide. I had the horn back and belly hide taxidermy tanned which in retrospect was a mistake but at the time it was 3500 for a clothing grade tan. It’s a lot more affordable now it seems. Or I looked at and listened to the wrong folks.

[Gremcat]

I’ve seen cool things made from their legs too but I didn’t save mine at the time. I like the mount though it sits on the floor even though I have a lot of space. Thought if I killed a really big one I’d have a diorama built of them fighting. In retrospect a Euro would have been a lot cheaper though I like teaching the kids and their friends with the mount. They mount the skull as a pseudo form and only hollow out the brain /sinus cavity. This is after a 6 mos. pickle in acid. I get why it’s so expensive.

I really wanted to put Halloween candy in its mouth for Visitors though my Wife was still in sticker shock in Raleigh and now we are too far above the Falls for anyone to hike up and trick or treat.

[Gremcat]

There’s also nothing like not knowing what your hooked to and peering into muddy water with inches of visibility. When suddenly a Gator as long as your boat floats up to decide what you are. I still remember the hairs on my neck on end. Once he knew the game it’s a whole different thing entirely. They dig into the mud and you can’t stop them.