2006 Bowhunt For Florida Alligator
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Fighting Gator

Talk about thick, the vegetation the gator was in was so dense the boat couldn't penetrate it.  Our link to the gator was the AMS bowfishing line and Mike and David carefully pushed and pulled the aquatic plants in front of the boat to clear our way -- a few inches at a time. Brad shined the line with his flashlight and we followed it slowly. Mike kept the slack out of the line and coiled the extra line by the yellow buoy. Soon we were half the length of the 15 foot airboat into the floating tusset jungle.

"Be ready to shoot," Mike Edwards told me.

We followed the AMS bowfishing line. As we went Mike tied one of his home made floats to the yellow AMS buoy. If the gator started to run we might need the extra drag.

Hiissssss.

The sound was loud. I've never heard an alligator hiss before but there was no doubt in my mind that I had just heard one. 

"There's the gator," David said.

I'll never forget the sound of David's voice, not overly excited, actually matter of fact, and confident, clearly announcing that "this is what were here for".

My bow in the left hand and camera in the right I looked for the gator. Something yellow, in the light caught my attention. Was it a Gator's eye? I didn't know.

The yellow image blinked.

I pointed my camera at it and took the gator's picture. 

I've pulled this particlular BowTech Liberty back on a bunch of game animals but its 64 pounds never pulled so easy as it diid now. Only 4 yards from us, the gator's yellow/orange eye was as wide as a baseball. I moved my pin to it, and a few inches back and down.

The arrow hit him hard .. and he went nuts. 

And for the first time I saw the entire gator. He was fat and much longer than I expected, absolutely huge. He thrashed violently and switched ends as he dissapeared under the tusset plants. And we watched as he bulldozed through the plants and stopped 10 yards from us.

"Get the harpoon in him," Mike said. The harpoon was a long pole rigged with a quick release harpoon head attached to a heavy rope. Its purpose was insurance to to help contain the gator. And a float was on the other end in case the gator broke out of the tussets.

Mike polled the boat closer to the gator, this time moving through the floating plants was easier because the gator had cleared a path for us. Brad stuck the harpoon barb in the gator's back and he ducked down so I could shoot over him.

I pulled my bow back again and aimed and shot where I thought the lungs were. 

The gator ROARED and rolled and snapped at the lines. The size of his teeth really surprised me, each one was very big. I shot again. The harpoon came loose when the gator rolled. When he stopped going nuts and was finally still he we saw air bubbles and blood coming from his ribs. .

Mike got out a grappling hook and tossed it toward the gators tail and caught it. Then both David and Brad slowly slid out of the boat and crawled across the top of the thick tussets until they were within good harpoon range of the gator. Brad slowly aligned the harpoon with the gators neck and shoved the harpoon'd quick release head into the gators thick hide.

The gator didn't like it.

He thrust his big body on the top of the tusset jungle and charged David and Brad!

Obviously this was not the first alligator rodeo for our alligator trapper guides. David and Bradd jumped for the boat and Mike grabbed and pulled to help his friends get back in the boat. The gator stopped near the boat and loudly GROWLED and hissed his challenge to us.

The 640 pound AMS line and the grappling hook lines were tangled around all the floating plants around the gator and he pulled half the island along with him.

When he stopped two yards away he watched us ... as he hissed his warning.

I had only one arrow left and when I drew Mike told me not to shoot him head on, I wouldn't get a vital hit. So I let down.

We had a situation on our hands.

Continued...

We are bowhunting alligators with David Mills of Zolfo Springs, Florida in south Central Florida's big alligator country and the Osceola wild turkey. To contact David Mills about Alligator hunts, phone 1-863-990-9087.

 

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