Alligator hunt/hide processing cost?
 

Hi all, I'm new here and new to hunting, so if I get a term wrong or sound like I dont know what I'm talking about - it's probably because i don't, because all this is new to me - hence me being here trying to learn :)

Anyway, my bf and I want to go alligator hunting & right now I'm doing research. We want to go somewhere in Texas as it'll be easier for us travel-wise.

The prices I'm seeing right now are about 1000-1250 for a 7-10 foot gator (with price going up a lot once they get past 10 feet), about 120-200 per night for food and lodging - both of which sounded reasonable. But then when i looked into processing i was a bit shocked at the prices. One place quoted me 900 for the hide tanned, the skull defleshed & cleaned, and 10 lbs of meat. Another place wanted even more.

That would make the total 2500 minimum.

Do those prices sound right? I need a place that does food & lodging as we'll be driving a ways to get there. Oh - my bf will be using a gun, but if i take a gator I'd be using a bow - and one place said if i wanted to use a bow it was an extra 1k :jaw: which just makes no sense to me.

My question - does all of that sound legit? The prices, paying way more to use a bow, it being super expensive to tan the hide...

If you know of a place a bit cheaper could you let me know? I wasnt blinking at the 1k for a gator or the lodging price, but once you add almost another grand to tan the hide and ANOTHER grand just to use a bow, it starts to seem like its more money than its worth :(

thanks in advance for any info.

It is more expensive to take take a gator with a bow because it is more work for the guide. Taxidermy work is expensive and it does not pay to look for the cheapest place to get it done because once your trophy is screwed up it is that way forever, you cannot unrig the bell.

thanks for the reply. Im not looking for "the cheapest", I'm just trying to find out if 900 is fair or there is one somewhat cheaper. I've seen varying prices but not enough to get a sense of what the average price is. We both want to use our hides to make something (boots for him, purse for me) and keep the skulls.

I did some gator hunting in FL. The one in the pic below was a right at 9 ft long.

All I kept was the skull bleached out. Sold the actual skin for $18 a foot which paid for getting the skull done. I kept about 15 lbs of the meat and let the guy I went with keep the rest. Couldn't tell you what the going rate is now.

hello are you still loooking? cal or text me 606) 266-6640 i have an eight foot aligator that i must sale.

holy crap he's huge! Thats amazing :) somehow i pictured a 9 footer as smaller but thats a big boy, lol.

wat? I want to go on a hunting trip, not buy someone's alligator :happy0157:

trips cancelled i guess. Hella disappointed.

How come your trip got cancelled? Definitely a bummer.

boyfriend can't go anymore :( It's still a few months away so who knows, maybe things will change and we'll still get to go. I was already picturing the matte black alligator purse i was going to make, lol. Plus I was just looking forward to getting away and being in nature. I grew up in the country and live in the city now, and I miss being in the outdoors.