lungbuster12point06

Hey I'm new to the forum and wonder if there are any members that hunt gators with a bow? I am going on a hunt in Sept. to louisiana and will be using my bow and no forms of a firearm............I figure on putting a float in the gator,then using a cut on contact head to immobilize it by severing the spine........anyone have any tips on equipment or reccomendations on arrow weight or broadhead choice........I am going to buy a Muzzy Gator Getter kit , but also need to know what to use for the finishing shot.

WolfWithBow

Use Carbon arrows, they are tougher and heavier than Aluminum arrows. im not shure about broadhead selection but just pick something you think can do the job. And about the finishing touches nail one in the head, I don't know. The spine shot would work to.

WYObowfisher

Im alsogoing on my first gator hunt this fallin georgia. I will also be using the muzzy gator getter setup with a slotted AMS retriever reel.Im just going to use the point that comes with the muzzy arrow.Idunno if the arrow wieght really matters since your arrow will become detached from thepoint after you stick one.Everyone i have talked to uses a hand gun or a bang stick to finish the gator right before they bring it in the boat. I have heard of peopleusing a pick axe to severe the spinal cord.

HNI_Christine

Welcome to the forum!

Check this thread: http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=2161459

Several of the guys on that thread can give you good info. Bryan Hughes at Backwater Bowfishing sells bowfishing supplies and knows gators.

Good luck!

Spring tom

"anyone hunt gators with a bow"? Yeah, last night. Got one too.

The Muzzy Gator arrow head detaches leaving only the barb in the gator. Good design so that the gator doesn't break your arrow off and leave.

200 pound line is good. I've found if you go too heavy it effect the arrow flight. I don't use my arrow line to fight him. I only use the line to find him (having a float tied on).

I'd suggest you follow up the arrow shot with a harpoon. You'll need that line in him to wear him out by hand fighting him. Basically pulling on him till he tires out. If you don't want to harpoon him at least put another bow shot on him so you'll have two lines in him (in case one pulls out).

After he is tired you can slowly pull him up beside the boat for the finishing. No matter how tired he might look, he always has one last blast in him. Don't let that blast include any of your body parts.

Any fixed broadhead would do if you hit him in the right spot, but I'd go with a .44 bang stick if I were you. But all archery tackle would be cool too.

lungbuster12point06

Thanks for the advice.

shrky2413

Welcome. I haven't hunted gators yet but hope to get a chance soon. I would go with the Retriever big game float set up and then finish him with broadheads. For broadheads I would suggest a chisel point Zwickey BlackDiamond or maybe a Muzzy. I am by no means an expert here.

Sewer Rat

good luck getting that "sweet spot" with a broadhead.... strongly suggest bang stick, or use a spear/harpoon... remember, a gators brain is like the size of a flippin peanut... and that sweet spot for the spine aint much bigger... seen alotta arras go into a gator once (and no Christine it wasnt me shooting)....

get a coupla lines into him (either via arra or harpoon), and when he gets close to the boat.... drill him... after that, make sure you tape his mouth shut and watch his tail... seen a few suddenly "come to life"... and that aint fun when its a 12 fter and you are in a 14 ft airboat.. aint much room as it is..

lungbuster12point06

Thanks.............I'll let you know how it turns out in a couple weeks.

dragonslayer1

Hey 'Buster, we run Dragonslayers of Florida Guide service and guide a number of gator hunters each year. some of these guys got some good advice, some not so good. We were eight for eight with a ten foot average last year with the biggest a 12' 6" dinosaur. (You can see him in the bowfishing photo gallery). The detatchable heads are the only way to go. Don't think that carbon-aluminum Muzzy shaft is indestructible, because it's not. We had a fellow shoot one into a gator last week with a non-detatchable head, the gator dove to the bottom, rolled and broke that $30 shaft like a toothpick. Thankfully, we were able to get another arrow into him later that night and close the deal. On a broadside floater, shoot him from the jowl area to the front leg at or just below waterline. That area is some of the softest hide on a gator. A head shot will result in a bounced off arrow 90 plus percent of the time. A gator swimming straight away is also a pretty common shot. Try to hit him close in behind the base of the skull if possible. An arrow that goes between the plates on the back will definitely hold him if you get the penetration, but that part can be iffy. A big gators back is made of super hard overlaying plates. Once you put a point in him, clear your line and float, let him run and go get the float. You'll probably have to let it go another time or two, depending on the size of your lizard. Don't try to horse him here, because you won't be absolutely sure how deep you point is in. Let someone else pull him to the surface when he's ready and get another arrow or harpoon point in him. Now you can put some serious pressure on him. When he's wore down, we bring him up to within a foot of the surface and bang him right at the base of the skull, grab him by the snout immediately with gloved hands, pull his head over the gunnel and put a knee hard on his snout. I then take a modified chisel and drive it in right behind the skull to sever the spine. The we tape him up and usually put a rope on him and let him bleed overboard for a few minutes. The reason we sever the spine is that reptiles have involuntary movement for quite a while even after they are dead if the spine is left intact. A big one can knock you overboard thirty minutes after he's dead! Now he's ready to load. A gator over twelve feet is quite a handful. One in that range can weigh 6-800 pounds or more. We have a trick for loading the big boys but I won't go into that here. If you're hunting with a guide, he should know how to do it. One piece of advice I'll giveyou is practice, practice, practice and practice some more. Shoot at night into the water with someone else holding thelight. Shoot half full bleach jugs, corks,leaves and make sure to shoot at slightly submerged targets as well. You may get ashot at abig bull just as he is sinking, so you better be able to capitalize. There is nothing that messes up a hunt like poor shooting. It is very frustrating as a guide to scout, hunt and put your hunter point-blank on a big lizard and have him miss at six feet. Anyone interested in a hunt can e-mail me. We have two tags leftfor the '07 season. They are good until the first of November. God Bless and good hunting, dragonslayer1@gtcomnet