Fella's, I've seen some stuff before, but none like this....

[Deadeye]

Me and my old redneck buddy was out on the Pearl river yesterday afternoon just looking around and we came across some trot lines in some of the back sloughs. We noticed that the jugs were bouncing on the water and being curious we decided to check this line, not with the intention of stealing any fish. As we were going down the line pulling it up and looking to see what was on it, out of the water comes up a 10 foot alligator with his mouth wide open, less then 2 foot from us. It likened to have scared to crap out of me, literally. This gator was tangled up in the trot line by his bottom jaw. Damn thing was huge. His head was atleast 10-12 inches wide. After Joe and I calmed our nerves we pulled him up again just to see if it really was what we had saw, yep, it was. We came across the owner of the line on the way out and decided to warn him of this. He said that the gator had been tangled up in the line since Saturday morning.... I thought he should have cut the line to free him, but he must have had other ideas. Anyway, thought I'd share this with you....


Lesson of this true story, never run another man's trotline.

[Wildfowler]

Yikes!!!!

[Bluesky]

Poor thing, someone needs to get that thing loose.

[Delta Duck]

Crocodile Deadeye, is there enough for me a pair of boots also

[Wingman]

Tangled in the line since Saturday morning???????????????????

I'd liked to have taken that man over by the trot line then shoot a hole in the bottom of the boat. See how he likes it.


THIS IS EXACTLY THE CRAP THAT GIVES HUNTING/TRAPPING/WHATEVER WE DO OUTDOORS A BAD NAME!

That man ought to have his hunting and fishing priveledges revoked.

Wingman

[Anatidae]

That'll teach ya to go messin' with somebody else's trot line, won't it? (hehehe)

[Denduke]

Need to end him! There's to many big gators in Pearl and especially Ross Barnett. Guy almost had his lab eaten at boat launch. Guys went to go goose hunting at Barnett counted 40 sets of eyes from the boat. Somebody is going to get eaten one of these days. Seems like use to every problem gator would be dumped in Barnett. They are overpopulated and dangerous!

[Anatidae]

Well, I'm all for puttin' the critter out of his misery, but technically (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong).....it's illegal to kill alligators in Mississippi. The proper thing to do is to report this 'in-ci-dent' to the MSDWF&P so they can either free or kill the critter. In the case of a 10-footer........'ain't worth risking the well-being of our valuable department personnel, so chances are he'll be shot (the gator, that is). But let THEM make that decision and let THEM do it.

The only thing the fisherman (AND the others that know about this), did wrong.....is not report it so somebody doesn't get hurt. The longer that gator stays on that hook, the more pissed-off-er he gonna git. What happens when the next guy comes along and gets curious 'bout the jugs bobbin' and wants to see what's on the other end o' the line? 'Probably have a heart attack and die....... right there on the spot.

Now, I'm no gator expert........but if you've ever had a 10 or 12-footer 'boil' the water about paddle-length from yo end o' the pirogue......you learn to keep yo eyes peeled and yo ass away from there until it cools off enough for that critter to get a little 'groggy'.

That's only the second most terrifying thing I've ever experienced while hunting......the first was trying to get two Brittanies to back-away from a 6-foot diamondback before he could get coiled-up, good.

It's real simple.....you don't want Phideaux to suffer a horrible demise.....don't let him go for a dip with an alligator. It's a risk you take when you KNOW there's gators around. Wouldn't we be better off tryin' to find-out what makes a gator 'tick' than tryin' to kill every one we see.

Killin' gators 'cause they're a threat to folks (and their poor dogs) makes about as much sense as shootin' somebody's deer dogs for chasing deer across your hunting lease.......'dog's just doin' what he loves to do......he's just havin' a little fun!......'aint' HIS fault!

We'd have more ducks if humans hadn't killed all the wolves and bears that 'posed' a threat to humans and their domesticated animals. 's why we got so many duck-snatchin' predators up there, now.....ain't any big'uns eatin'-up the lil'uns.

Yeah, there's gators on the Pearl (that's where I encountered that weed bed that exploded about 4 feet high when I got too close to it......'had no idea weed beds just blew-up like that)........there's gators on the Tombigbee, too! A fella's gotta be careful these days, ya know.

Besides, gators serve a valuable purpose to SOME duck hunters.......they keep certain areas from otherwise becoming over-crowded. BWAAAAHAHAhahahaha!!

[Denduke]

What makes a gator tick and the total annilation of gators is not a concern of mine, but the gators killing and eating of reptillia , pisces,amphibia, cannines and maybe a few anatidea is.

[Anatidae]

Ha.......that's a pretty good shot there, Denny.

Fact remains.........dogs and gators don't mix. Oh the dog has a better chance of surviving on land, but ou get the two in the water and it's no contest.........so I don't see how being unconcerned with figuring-out what makes a gator tick and/or annialation of gators is independant of keeping your dog , cows, anatidae, whatever from becoming gator bait........'cause a dog ain't no matchfor a gator. Avoidance is the best medicine.

[Denduke]

I can't argue with your logic but I've had a couple of bad experiences with gators and I just think they should not only be protected but managed (thinned). I hunt a 1200 acre "duck pond" state lake that has no gators at all...imagine that. I fish Jeff Davis lake and almost had my hand grabbed lipping a bass one foggy morning. Gator was just being gator, but when they get used to people they get dangerous, especcially the big ones. My buddies grapple catfish on the Res...what about the gators ya'll. "We just watch them real close." O.K. Gourdhead! When it freezes the gators and the skeeters I might try marsh hunt on the Res. Rather hunt with the dog it's his destiny. I ain't scared for me 'cause I used to fight bull sharks off of my bag of snappers 100' in the Gulf. But I'm older now and hopefully more sensible now.

[Anatidae]

I don't think any of us wants to get up-close and personal with a gator......or have a dog get tangled-up with one, either.

Hey, if you see Billy Gilbert, tell him the guy and his wife that use to work at Big Buck Sports says "hello". We bought a truck from him when he ran McLaurin Chevrolet, back in the early 80's. 'Also sold him a couple o' guns and went on some good dove hunts with him. Great guy!

[Denduke]

You're not the guy that ordered all the "white water" stuff then drug up and went to Lacross are you? He He Well I'm the customer that talked them into ordering all the dekes last year! Ya'll go buy some dekes. Big Bucks always try to order anything tou want. Embarrassing walking in and all the unsold dekes. OOps.

[DuckyDan]

yikes! I don't think I'd like that too well either. That guy should cut the thing loose or call MDWFP and let them handle it. Tombigbee does have them now. Makes me a little uneasy when I'm hunting over there......Had a buddy that saw one while waterskiing last year.....hehehe. That'll make you not want to fall!

[Goat Roper]

The only Gators that should be treated that badly live in Gainesville, Florida. (Can't tell I'm a Seminole can ya.)