GATOR WITH A BOW

BOBSTER · 10-19-2006, 02:29 PM

This hunt started while my wife, hot4huntin (h4h) and I were bowfishin for carp, and mullet. During that time we encountered a few gators along the way. We bagged a few fish, with some mullets exceeding (?) lbs., but continued to have the gators hang out with us. There was one gator that really caught our attention. We knew that he was well over 11 feet. With gator season starting soon, I asked the ranch manager about a permit and one was given to me. The only problem was I had others that were hunting gators also, but they were setting lines, and mine was going to be all archery. After I was given a permit, we did not see the gator for a couple of weeks. Hot4huntin and I set out on opening evening of the gator season to try and located the big gator. We searched the area all over and were not able to find him. The other hunters had taken several gators now with hook and line and were starting to move back towards our area. I was starting to get a little nervous that they would take him with a line, and we would end up with nothing. I told h4h that I was going to drive to another location to see if he might have moved due to the extra traffic in the area. As I was traveling down the bayou, I found what I thought was him farther down. I went back and picked up h4h and headed back to the gator. When we arrived he went down in the same area that I had seen him in. Not only did we want to take him with archery, we also wanted to video that hunt. H4h has never used the video camera, and this was a learning experience for her and a funny experience for me. She did a great job and I let her know that she would put TK and Mike out of business with her videos. None the less, we did not get the gator that day due to legal hunting hours was over. The rain set in for the next couple of days and h4h talked me into going out and checking anyway. Also the other hunters were calling and telling me that were going to start setting lines in my area. I had to go, and could not find any gators and called h4h that I was heading back home and it was not worth her to come out. Once I got her on the phone, I saw a gator swimming down the bayou and let her know the hunt was on. The gator went down and did not come up for awhile. H4h showed up and then other hunters started showing up which was keeping the gator down also. Finally after about 45 minutes, the gator came up for a breath of air and h4h spotted it. It did not take long for it to go back down and I started worrying about sunset again. I really did not know how big this gator was, but knew that if I did not get it that evening, the other hunters were going to set lines for it. It surfaced and I stuck an arrow into it and the fun began. We did not have the camera rolling at the time of the shot, but did get it going for the rest of the excitement. H4h was a real trooper in helping me get another arrow into the gator and getting it out of the bayou. We also had a friend that showed up and videoed the rest of the hunt and his commentary along with h4h really made a great video, Look out TK and Mike, you have competition. After it was all over with the gator was only 8

bowjunkie · 10-19-2006, 02:45 PM

CONGRATS!!! Thanks for sharing the story

Let me know if you need pics posted....Email em and I'll post em up!

bowjunkie · 10-19-2006, 05:16 PM

HOLY SHIITE..... Muslim that is 8)

Who's Your Daddy! Awesome pics and glad I wasn't there on tape...be hard to justify my rugged and manly persona while screaming like a school girl when that gator hit shore :shock: ! Is Dena doing her Kung Fu impersonation in that fourth pic?...Heee Yahhh!

Bobster puts the smack down on a Jurassic Critter

Beleg · 10-19-2006, 06:22 PM

Congratulations!!! A gator with archery equipment is quite an accomplishment.

2050z · 10-19-2006, 07:37 PM

:shock:

WAY TO GO :!: :!: :!: :!: Now that is a bow hunt!

thanks for sharing that exciting hunt.

Ronny · 10-19-2006, 09:34 PM

Now that looks like fun, congrats

Hot4huntin · 10-20-2006, 10:55 AM

Great story, Bobby!! Congrats on the gator!! You should have given yourself a little more credit! This was one of my all time favorite hunts! Thanks for letting me participate!

Mike, you're a funny guy!! No Kung Fu, I was actually holding the line so the gator would not roll back down in the canal. Kinda hard to get a foot grip when you have a tugging gator, rubber boots, lots of mud and a cameraman yelling "Wrestle him blondie"!! Thanks for posting the pics!

Bobster forgot to mention that the gator went to the other side of the canal after his initial shot, so we had to cross a WET corregated steal pipe that is 20 ft above the canal while carrying our equipment. :shock: That was a fete!

Frontloader · 10-20-2006, 05:50 PM

Who is pulling on the gator leg and who is poking it with a big stick? :shock:

Seems like that should be the other way around.

Congrats on the gator by bow. Another head for the wall.

biggen · 10-20-2006, 08:58 PM

Alligator is back on the MENU boys!!! AWESOME!!

bowjunkie · 10-21-2006, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frontloader

Who is pulling on the gator leg and who is poking it with a big stick? :shock:

H4H: Bob let ME have the stick.

Bobster: But your already closer....and besides it looks like it's dead?

HeHeHe :wink:

Ya know we're just funnin....and maybe just a weee bit jealous.

**Also moved the pics into proper order...saw that the time stamps were not in sequence from when I first uploaded them.

BOBSTER · 10-21-2006, 08:56 AM

Thanks everyone, and Mike thanks for loading the pics. I have the video for sale to anyone that wants to die laughing at the blond gator wrestler.

bowjunkie · 10-21-2006, 04:02 PM

Bobster,

I'm in for 2 copies. One personal, and one to show at the Banquet and Bownanza :twisted:

Congrats again Brother! Look out Buck Med...Errrr...Ummmm Who? There's a new sheriff in town! :wink:

BUFF · 10-22-2006, 09:04 AM

O WOW way to go . I want to do that myself someday.

Tomme · 10-22-2006, 10:11 PM

Man that is tooo much. Wish I could have been there to watch this in person, but looking at the pics I would have lost a lot of money as I probably would have bet on the gator.

Really awesome and put me down for a bifold wallet.

DoubleJ · 10-23-2006, 02:45 PM

Congrats on the lizard Bobby. Great story. Looks like a nice Euro mount to go with your collection. I need a copy of the video for my next bowhunter ed class which H4H is teaching with me. I'll let her do the live commentary for the class.