2006 Bowhunt For Florida Alligator
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Day 3 - It Can't Happen, But It Did ...

At 3:04 we were working through the murky waters and water plants in the picture below.

We slipped up on a 7 footer but I lost my shot because I took its picture. The gator eased into the thick stuff and David eased the Cadillac Style through the plants while we looked for the gator. 

He was a yard away when I saw him laying completely still. I set my camera down and checked my rig to be sure everything was ok. It was.

David made the airboat slowly circle the gator and that made it move a couple of yards. Now I could see it better and drew. The gator's head was just at the surface of the water and its body angled downward.

This time I did something different. I put my pin on the gator exactly like I would with a deer, behind the shoulder. The heavy arrow hit where I was aiming and the gator dove out of sight. The bowfishing line rushed out of the AMS retriever and I pulled the Float off its holding peg and dropped it in the water.

The yellow float went 35 yards and stopped. You can see a little of in the center of pic below.

As we drove toward it the float moved another 5 yards which put it out of the plants.

We went to it and pulled it in. When we saw the gator we saw something that surprised everybody.

David Mills said it first, "The gator is dead. You killed it with an arrow!" 

We pulled the gator to the boat with the AMS bowfishing line. This is the Gator Grapple head on the Hybrid MAX (aluminum with fiberglass inside) fish arrow and it got this much penetration, it's coming out on the left side of the expired alligator.

We taped the gators jaws shut with duct tape and pulled him into the boat. Daman took our picture: Kevin Sullivan, Robert Hoague and David Mills. Two beginning alligator hunters and a seasoned pro.

The time was 3:16am and we had just filled all our gator tags for this lake. Cold water was in the cooler and Daman handed it out. Cool and clear, it tasted great to this thirsty bowhunter.

Each one of us leaned up against something and we talked for a long time. This alligator hunt had been a powerful experience and we recalled every aspect of it, and kept on talking. The sky was clear and the moon was nearly full. The water was peaceful.

At 3:15 David said, "Lets drive around the lake one more time."

And we did ... twice.

NEXT: Pictures  ...

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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