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Florida gators
Anyone got a minute to help a yankee out with some advice?
Going to Florida in Feb and been talking to a guy about swapping a gator and hog hunt for a whitetail hunt in Illinois. It sounded good but then someone else tells me that it'svery unlikely that I'll see many gators this time of year because it'll be too cold. The area is near Sarasota.Is a February gator hunt a waste of time or do I have a chance? Thanks Guys! BTBowhunter |
RE: Florida gators
in the Sarasota area,it is far enough south that there should be plenty of gators.it has to get cold and stay cold for a good while befor you fail to see them.even in northern Fla. where I am,a cold day or two will not keep them down.after a warm day they will be laying in the sun again.
talk to you guide and see what success he has had in cold weather. |
RE: Florida gators
If its in Feb it must be on a private ranch or something. Otherwise its illegal. There gator season runs from September to the first week in October. I went with a guy last year and we got a 10'4" and 11'7" gator. He came this year and got a 142" whitetail here.
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RE: Florida gators
It is a private ranch and he says he has tags.
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RE: Florida gators
i'd do it, you'll have a blast.....i went this year my first gator hunt with my sister, it was a blast....hog hunting is a blast too, do it do it do it.........:D
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RE: Florida gators
Hook up with guides that really get Florida Lizards!:D:D:D
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RE: Florida gators
WOW!!!!!!!! BREAK OUT THE FRYING PAN
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RE: Florida gators
Hey Rebel HOG
I agree with NC Bear Hunter.That looks like some good stakes there.But how much did this lizard weigh.And I know I have wanted to see one in the wild many times but I think this olboy would make me back up in a hurry.congrats on the gator:) |
RE: Florida gators
Yedneck, that's not me! Just a FL picture to show how big they get down here!
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RE: Florida gators
one was killed not far from where i live this year that went 18' 6".
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RE: Florida gators
Dang that’s an awesome pic Rebel Hog. Pardon my ignorance but how do you even hunt for gator and what do you kill it with? |
RE: Florida gators
usually with an air boat and a bang stick! some perfer using a bow with a bowfishing rig attatched.
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RE: Florida gators
Hey camo, can't you also hunt them with a long gun?
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RE: Florida gators
Hey Bt,
I am a yankee myself, just moved to Florida this summer with the job. I live next to Sarasotta in Bradenton. There is no shortage of gators around here. They get into just about every puddle and pond there is. It is Jan 31 and I saw several this week. The hog hunting is fun for us northerners and you can hunt them year round as they are considered a pain in the britches down here. The wild hog taste better than domestic hog you buy in the store as long as you get a sow. If you get a boar I would try to limit it to less than 150 lbs. It is also better if you don't get them with dogs because their hormones is what gives them a bad taste. Good luck and have fun.  |
RE: Florida gators
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RE: Florida gators
go here fo info on fl. gators http://hunting.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=hunting&zu=http://wildflorida.org/hunting/ the tail is the best eatingand the rest ofit is good eating.. |
RE: Florida gators
Hey CAMO COP did you see the one that you say went 18' 6"? It must have been on a private ranch because they don't get that big in the wild. I know the guy who has the SCI record of 13' 9". Of course I could be wrong but I dont think they get that big.
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RE: Florida gators
ORIGINAL: tanktrunk Hey CAMO COP did you see the one that you say went 18' 6"? It must have been on a private ranch because they don't get that big in the wild. I know the guy who has the SCI record of 13' 9". Of course I could be wrong but I dont think they get that big. Alligator hunting, Guided alligator hunting  |
RE: Florida gators
Female alligators rarely exceed 9 feet in length, but males can grow much larger. The Florida state record for length is a 14 foot 5/8 inch male from Lake Monroe in Seminole County. The Florida record for weight is a 1,043 pound (13 feet 10 1/2 inches long) male from Orange Lake in Alachua County.
this gator was taken less than a mile from where i live.. |
RE: Florida gators
i dont know about the sarasota area but if you git out there in a hot day you will see gators
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RE: Florida gators
Try again on the 18' gator. The Florida record is 14' 1".
Everyone always sees gators as long as there boats, but none have ever been killed. |
RE: Florida gators
a 14 fter is guesstimated to be around 80 yrs old.... so just imagine how old a 18fter would be...
gators grow alot in the first couple of years, but slow down after that... alot of peeps think that they continue that growth rate after they are a couple of years old... |
RE: Florida gators
I lost one this year that would have been in contention for the state record of 14' 5/8 ". We got him in Lake Jessup, the lake that connects to Lake Monroe where the other one was caught. I was in a 14 foot jon boat and he was every bit as long as the boat. We fought with him for over 2 hours. We managed to get him to the boat a bunch of times and bang stick'em three times. He broke 600# bowfishing line! We were able to get him on tape before we lost him. I gaffed him once under the jaw when we though he was dead after one of the bangstick hits. He came back alive and almost pulled me in with the gaff. Here are some stills from the footage. We're still not over it, but we learned a lot of what to do and what not to do on something that size. It was just a shame to lose something that big. We went back to look for a few days after, but never recovered him.
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RE: Florida gators
ORIGINAL: bigboar23 I lost one this year that would have been in contention for the state record of 14' 5/8 ". We got him in Lake Jessup, the lake that connects to Lake Monroe where the other one was caught. I was in a 14 foot jon boat and he was every bit as long as the boat. We fought with him for over 2 hours. We managed to get him to the boat a bunch of times and bang stick'em three times. He broke 600# bowfishing line! We were able to get him on tape before we lost him. I gaffed him once under the jaw when we though he was dead after one of the bangstick hits. He came back alive and almost pulled me in with the gaff. Here are some stills from the footage. We're still not over it, but we learned a lot of what to do and what not to do on something that size. It was just a shame to lose something that big. We went back to look for a few days after, but never recovered him.
WOW! You lost a good one! Lots of good eating there!:) |
RE: Florida gators
ORIGINAL: bigboar23 He came back alive and almost pulled me in with the gaff....... We're still not over it, HECK!! I wouldnt be either!!! betcha got a bigger boat after that dincha |
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