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Old September 20, 2012, 05:55 PM   #1
bswiv
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When you get old you have to..........

When you get old you have to come up with better ( EASIER! ) ways to do things.

This morning on the lake.......biggest one this year.....12' 10' and 700# or so.

When we finally admitted to ourselves that we could not pull him over the side we had to do some thinking. First thought was that we'd haul him up shallow and one of us would get in and lift, which changes the angle and makes things easier.

As you can see, except for some sweat everyone is dry......which means we are all smarter than Louann who would have been right in there.......so we came up with better plan.

What we did, and I think you can see it in the picture, is attach the block & tackle to a cypress tree and run the lines over the boat. This alowed us to haul him in without to much trouble.

He's short for his head size and girth but still a fine one.





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Old September 20, 2012, 07:42 PM   #2
2damnold4this
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Wow!
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Old September 20, 2012, 09:15 PM   #3
Mayor Al
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How would you stuff and mount that critter?
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Old September 20, 2012, 09:25 PM   #4
grubbylabs
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Is your wife going to let you mount it on the wall or make luggage for her?
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Old September 20, 2012, 09:33 PM   #5
Buzzcook
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I always wondered why you didn't hook up an electric winch to the boat.

Nice reptile.
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Old September 20, 2012, 10:34 PM   #6
warbirdlover
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Wow!!!

We don't have those in Wisconsin....
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Old September 20, 2012, 10:48 PM   #7
Brian Pfleuger
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You've got to learn to lie better, bswiv.

They catch 'em half that size on TV and they're "1,000 pound monsters". Yours MUST be a ton. Easy.
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Old September 20, 2012, 11:53 PM   #8
shortwave
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Quote:
I always wondered why you didn't hook up an electric winch to the boat.
Been thinking about that every since bswiv's previous thread titled:
"What are the options.....?"

Why not tie head off to cleat so as head is out of water and drag gator home or make some kind of 'gator boogie board' with the front of board out of water anchored to rear boat cleat and maybe tow eyelet.

Anyways, keep the pics coming. Nice gator.

Last edited by shortwave; September 21, 2012 at 01:51 PM.
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Old September 21, 2012, 03:48 AM   #9
HiBC
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Jig and minnow?
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Old September 21, 2012, 04:04 AM   #10
rightside
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WOW!
I am now officially impressed! What a monster! I bet that would get the adrenaline pumping a bit more than your standard bass.
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Old September 21, 2012, 06:57 AM   #11
boomingmetropolis
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Say, if it's not too late, I sure would appreciate a new pair of boots!
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Old September 21, 2012, 09:16 AM   #12
JerryM
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What would such a beast sell for to gator buyers?

Jerry
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Old September 24, 2012, 04:06 AM   #13
Jack O'Conner
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Looks like you have many Sunday roasts to enjoy!

I've never eaten a reptile before.

Jack
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Old September 24, 2012, 04:31 AM   #14
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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Curious. How old do you think this critter was bswiv?
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Old September 24, 2012, 04:49 AM   #15
bswiv
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Answers........

The hides........we don't know yet. Rumor is prices are up but over the last 2 years we've been putting some of the rougher ones straight into the dumpster. And sadly the larger males, like this one, tend to be scared up and therefore not to nice.

The meat on the other hand is worth a good bit and we sell it out of the fish market big time. We are the only place in the Jacksonville area that processes gators and sell fresh meat so it's a good market for us.

2. Will she let me put it on the wall..........NO! To small..........

3. Age.......best guess is in the 15-18 year range. Very hard to tell on gators according to the FWC. We hunted this one a number of times over the last 3 years and he was big when we first saw him. They grow very slow after they get to the 10 foot plus point.

4. As for our own TV show......we don't qualify because our family tree has branched...........
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Old September 24, 2012, 08:09 AM   #16
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Quote:
We are the only place in the Jacksonville area that processes gators and sell fresh meat so it's a good market for us.
May have sampled some of your gator.

Friend of mine from Ohio, a more senior fella named Don Stump, has a winter place in Jacksonville area. He used to bring me back gator every year from a fresh fish market in Jacksonville. Course that was after I quit going to Fla. in the winter.
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Old September 24, 2012, 09:07 AM   #17
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People have told me that gator tastes like chicken. Others have said that rattlesnake tastes like chicken. Still others that turtle tastes like chicken

Accordingly, I asked the manager of the local Chick-Fil-A since they all taste like chicken, how do I know what I am getting in a sandwich?

I'd like to try both rattlesnake and gator.
Jerry
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Old September 24, 2012, 07:04 PM   #18
Art Eatman
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" When you get old you have to.........."

Pee more often.....
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Old September 24, 2012, 08:41 PM   #19
sc928porsche
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Actually the only thing that tastes like chicken is chicken and almost frog legs.
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Old September 24, 2012, 09:07 PM   #20
shortwave
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Quote:
" When you get old you have to.........."

Pee more often.....
Boy isn't that the truth!

Advantage of getting older is you're forced to learn that peeing around or out of your deer stand does NOT scare deer away. Wish I knew that 20yrs ago.
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Old September 24, 2012, 09:09 PM   #21
Daggitt
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That Gator reminds me of my typing teacher in High School. As far as eating it , well someone can have mine. I don't want any. Thanks anyway. I don't even like chicken very much.
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Old September 25, 2012, 12:40 AM   #22
hogdogs
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I wouldn't eat gator if it tasted like nasty ol' yardbird...

It is a very "sanitary" clean tasting meat... Better than frogs!!!


Brent
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Old September 25, 2012, 08:50 AM   #23
Rifleman1776
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Monster. Congrats.
A state record was caught in Arkansas recently, over 13 feet. I didn't know we had big gators in the state.
Jacksonville? What state? Every state has a Jacksonville.
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Old September 25, 2012, 09:06 AM   #24
JWT
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Gee, he'd have made a nice house pet.
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Old September 25, 2012, 12:50 PM   #25
Art Eatman
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Jacksonville, Florida.

Got gators in Texas. While most are in the southeast part of the state, some live in the Nueces River around Cotulla. Sightings there of up to ten feet or a tad more are known.

Some kind soul liberated a small one in the Rio Grande below Presidio. It was around for several years and was about a four-footer, last I heard. Not seen for some years, now, though.
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