Tagged Out: Monster Gator Hunting in the Louisiana Swamps

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I got a message from a fellow writer and hunter asking if I wanted to go on a gator hunt in Louisiana and I couldn’t say yes fast enough. While growing up, I split my time between Florida and Louisiana, so I’m no stranger to alligators or gator meat. The opportunity to hunt them was something I never imagined I’d get to do, and it was an entirely different experience than seeing them in the water or on a shoreline. I wasn’t sure how alligators were hunted or harvested and had no clue what I was in for. But I knew I wanted to go.

Before I dive into my alligator hunting experience, let’s explore the conservation and regulation of alligators. Just as there are seasons for hunting deer or turkey, there is a specific hunting season for alligators in Louisiana. Walter Heathcock, owner of Fin Twisters, is allotted a specific number of tags from the state of Louisiana based on the property’s habitat quality and land size to which he has access.

Like the management of wild boars or coyotes, alligators are hunted to maintain and enhance their habitat. In fact, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries marks wild alligators and gators released to the wild from commercial farms. When one of these marked gators is tagged, the information about the overall length, tail notches, sex of the gator and general location is shared with biologists. They use this information to study alligators' movement, growth and survival.

Once a gator is harvested, strict regulations apply regarding selling, shipping and keeping alligator parts. After this hunt, I received some ugly comments online from people ignorant about alligator hunting. Hopefully, this will help people understand the importance of gator population management and how serious the state is about proper harvesting. While there will always be trophy hunters, no matter the species, that’s not who I am. I plan to eat and wear the gator I harvested.

Harvest Methods

As mentioned, I didn’t know how gators were hunted or harvested. I didn’t even take a second to Google this information. I learned that there are three legal methods for hunting gators.

1. Hook and Line: Like fishing, but with a much stronger line and a much bigger hook, “hook and line” is the most common way gators are harvested. Baited hooks and lines are suspended above the water from a pole, branch, tree or other stationary object. Most hunting guides put chicken quarters and beef melt on a 300-pound test line. Lines must be inspected daily to ensure alligators are set free or harvested. When a hooked gator is pulled to the surface, you shoot it in the center of the head, directly behind the skull.
2. Bow and Arrow: Hunters can use a bow and arrow to capture or dispatch (kill) alligators on a hook and line. Barbed arrows must be used along with a minimum of 300-pound test line securely attached to the head of the arrow so it can’t be separated from the arrowhead. The other end of the line must be connected to a stationary or floating object that keeps the line above water. If you didn’t know, gators don’t float, so you must quickly pull up your line to pull up the gator to harvest it without allowing it to sink.
3. Firearms: Other than shotguns, firearms are allowed to be used to harvest free swimming alligators or dispatch alligators on hook and line. The best shot placement on a free-swimming gator is straight through the eyes. For alligators pulled up on a line to the boat, the shot placement is centered behind the skull.

The Stinkier, the Better

I arrived early in the afternoon before the two-day hunt kicked off and hopped on the boat with our guide, Walter, and Kevin Reese from Sightmark to start baiting the lines. Walter is like the gator whisperer. He knows what gators want, and that is days-old chicken that literally makes you gag from the smell. It was neat to see how the lines were anchored to a tree, the bait on the hook suspended above the water, and the extra slack bundled up and attached to a bamboo branch with a clothespin. We probably saw two dozen gators while setting the lines in a couple of hours. I remember being so excited about the next day that I could hardly fall asleep that night.

The Monster

Jessyca Sortillon, Digital Managing Editor at Outdoor Sportsman Group, was the other hunter invited on the trip. It was also her first gator hunt, so we were in the same boat (see what I did there) in terms of experience. Hunting alongside another woman in the firearms industry was super cool, as there are so few of us, so it made this trip much more exciting. We loaded our guns and gear, set out on the boat a little after 8:00 a.m. and immediately went to check the first line. I remember Walter saying something like, “This is just day one and line one, so be patient when choosing your gator, as we have a long way to go. That said, if you see me freak out, it means it’s a big one. Be ready to shoot it.” And that’s precisely what happened.

As Walter began to freak out while pulling up the line, he told me to get the .22 LR rifle ready. I loaded the gun and stood by his side on the front of the boat. Walter then asked me if I could see the head coming up to the surface, to which I answered, “No.”

It took me what felt like an hour to finally see a giant dinosaur-looking head become visible in the water. If I had seen the rest of his body or knew how to judge the size of a gator by its head, I think I would’ve been in shock. Walter slowly pulled the gator closer to the boat as I found that perfect center spot behind his skull and pulled the trigger.

Immediately, the gator started thrashing; the line started twirling as that alligator spun itself, trying to get free. The tail flicked up out of the water towards the very end of the boat, and one scaly foot knocked into the side of it. Kevin and I got alongside the boat's edge, waiting for instructions on what to do next. Walter wanted to wrap a thick, looped rope around the gator’s upper body and pull it up by a winch to get it loaded into the boat. He told me to get ahold of his leg to stabilize it. So, I stuck my hands into the water, trying to get a good grip on one of the beast’s legs, only to find he wasn’t quite dead yet.

The alligator put up one hell of a fight. He began thrashing, twisting and making a guttural noise I will never forget. It took more shots to the head to finally dispatch the alligator. Walter and Kevin managed to get the rope set, lifted it by the winch and swung it into the boat. The gator measured 11 feet, 2 inches, and filled the boat—bow to stern.

During this trip, I learned something else about reptiles that still freaks me out. Because of how many nerves they have in their bodies, their tail and legs will still move even after they’re dead. Their tails will wiggle, legs flex, and feet will continue to move. To tag an alligator’s tail, you must physically sit on it to keep it from wiggling while you cut a hole in the tail to attach the tag. Looking back, I wasn’t mentally prepared for how large alligators are up close or how terrifying they are to share a boat with.

The Gator Kit

I built an AR-15 chambered in 22 ARC this year for predator hunting. AERO Precision sent me their builder set in Blue Tiger Stripe and the matching Magpul furniture (grip and stock). The barrel is the centerpiece of any rifle, and you should always invest in a high-quality barrel to make the most humane shots on animals. For this build, BSF Barrels sent me a high-performance, 18-inch, stainless steel beneath carbon barrel with a 1-in-7 twist. My go-to rounds are the 62-grain ELD-VT V-Match and 75-grain ELD Match Hornady Black, which run about 2,600 feet per second and group phenomenally. I installed the ICONIC by RISE Armament, an independent two-stage trigger that is hard to beat.

Finally, I always hunt suppressed if I can. I knew we would be hunting on open water and have other people in the boat, so a suppressor was a necessary accessory for this trip. The Dead Air Primal is a multi-purpose .46-caliber suppressor that can be used with just about anything, from 9mm to .45 ACP and 45-70 to .338 Lapua. The Primal is compatible with all HUB series mounts, or you can direct thread it onto your barrel. Weighing at a little more than a pound, I knew this would be the best suppressor for this hunt. It makes 22 ARC sound like a .22 LR.

Sightmark sent the Presidio 3-18x50 MR2 riflescope, the matching sunshade and a cantilever mount. The 3-18x magnification level was perfect for alligator hunting, as you need a higher-powered scope to see gators 100-plus yards away and be able to line up a clean eyeball shot. I used my Real Avid scope mounting and bore sighting kit to mount, level, torque and zero my scope. With the above-mentioned Hornady ammo, it shot sub-MOA with a 0.749-inch group.

A Skilled Shot

I wasn’t leaving Louisiana without shooting the rifle, so this hunt wasn’t over for me yet. While I was beyond excited to take home an 11-foot alligator, I wanted the challenge of shooting a free-swimming alligator through the eye. We continued to check lines while all of us were thinking the same thing. How do you find an alligator to top that one? Everything we saw swimming or onshore looked petite compared to the giant in the boat, even decent 7- and 8-foot alligators. I had to rewire my brain to accept that I could find a good-looking alligator but that he wouldn’t be a monster.

We were drifting around a bend that afternoon when I spotted a gator sunbathing on a dry bank. We had a Kopfjager tripod with a Reaper Grip system set up, ready for the quick deployment of a rifle. I dropped my handguard in the grip, inserted a magazine and pulled the charging handle. The gator was about 100 yards away and perfectly in my crosshairs. I gave a light squeeze of the trigger and heard a click.

I quickly pulled the charging handle again, hoping it would eject the defective round and load a new one, only for it to double-feed my rifle. I dropped the magazine, and the follow-up loose round dropped free, but something else was wrong. My barrel has such high tolerances that the initial round didn’t go into the chamber. I pulled the charging handle back once, twice, finally getting the bolt to extract and eject that round to clear out my chamber. I inserted the magazine again, pulled the charging handle and got back on target. With a deep exhale, I fired my shot and watched as the gator violently jerked sideways as the energy of the 22 ARC turned his lights off. Watching the video footage later, I managed to get my gun up, clear the malfunction and make that kill shot in 32 seconds.

Leaving Louisiana

I left with a newfound respect for alligator hunters and guides who often confront these predators face-to-face. Walter was an entertaining guide, full of knowledge, and he managed to wrangle a young wild gator for us to see up close. Ultimately, I kept the hide, leg and tail meat, and the head of that 11-foot giant. It might take a few years to get the hide tanned and sent to a shoemaker, but you'll know where it came from if you ever see me wearing gator-skin boots. This was a trip of a lifetime and a wild experience getting close to predators. I hope you get your monster if this is on your bucket list!

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