This duck hunter found himself with a gator between him and his boat!
Waterfowl hunting is always an adventure. Hunting in Florida brings on a whole new set of challenges. The swamps are vast and locating the birds can be tough. Oh, and there are all the other critters one must keep an eye out for like feral hogs, biting insects and venomous snakes.
Lastly, do not forget about alligators. The population is booming in the Sunshine State and if given the opportunity, they will interrupt your duck hunt.
That is exactly what happens here. These guys have just downed some birds and walk out to retrieve them. When their backs are turned, a large gator moves in and eats one of their downed birds right in front of them. This presents a further problem because the gator is between them and their canoe. What follows are some tense moments as the gator turns and starts stalking the hunters!
As if it was not bad enough that the alligator ate their kill, then it turns and starts threatening them! It is true what they say, there is never a dull moment in Florida. It took two shots close to the alligator's snout before he decided to be content with just eating the hunter's kill. Kudos for staying calm in this scenario guys.
It is fortunate these guys were not hunting with dogs. One could have been seriously injured in this scenario because it is unlikely the canines would know to keep their distance. That could lead to an even more dangerous scenario where the hunter had to try and rescue their best friend from the beast.
This was a tense hunting scenario, but this was the best-case scenario. The hunters and the alligator all walked away unharmed, even if the hunters are out one duck. We are guessing they will try to keep a closer eye on the canoe next time out and not let a hungry gator sneak up behind them!
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For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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