South Florida alligator hunting done with a harpoon is fast and exciting, and we have the whole story.
We reached out to Kristy Grant, CEO of Sporty Girl Apparel, after the Florida-based alligator hunter and business owner posted a video of her boyfriend, Andrew Wooten, chasing down a big bull gator with his harpoon, and what a chase it was!
After both hunting partners had received their allotment of two tags each, they set off to bag some of the best eating wild game that anyone could grill: a big South Florida alligator.
Kristy told us via e-mail that the hunt started this way: "We hunted in the evening seeing some nice 11-footers, but (we weren't) wanting to settle on them. Then we came across this big boy and knew he was at least a 12-footer, so my mind was made and I wanted him."
As luck would have it, a problem with their gear caused them to miss one good opportunity to harvest the brute: a birds-nest in the line stopped the shot. The gator disappeared into the swamp and the pair called off their hunt due to darkness.
Upon returning to the same area the next morning, the veteran gator hunters decided to "pull the boat up on the bank and turn off the motor to wait and see if he would pop up anywhere." Their eyes turned to a lonely puddle on their right and Grant immediately thought "Why can't a gator ever just be laying in a small pond like that and make life easy?"
As they soon found out, sometimes a plan comes together against all odds! Here's what it looks like to chase down your prize, but you have to decide as to how easy it was.
Kristy Grant said, "When we looked it over (and) nothing was seen, we focused on the water in front of us about 10 minutes later with our back towards the pond. Andrew looked over his shoulder and sure enough that Big Boy stood up, took a deep breath of air, and puffed up his whole body. He looked massive at that moment!"
It was then that both Andrew and the alligator knew it was on, and the big bull made its move. It's just that Andrew was faster and laid a beautiful shot into the fast-moving gator.
Once they had gotten the first line into him, a second one was the only choice. After an hour's worth of fighting, a classic bang-stick ended the struggle and it was time to review alligator recipes!
Kristy Grant ended by saying, "It's a team effort in gator hunting and I'm happy to have one badass partner who never ceases to amaze me." Since they both have another tag to fill, and have already spotted another one for the "hit list," will it only be a matter of time until we see her launch a harpoon? Stay tuned for more videos of another great South Florida alligator hunt!
The alligator hunting season in Florida runs August 15 through November 1 each year with those awarded a permit being charged for an alligator trapping license and hide validation tags totaling $272 for residents and $1,022 for nonresidents.
Hunters can legally use bows, crossbows, gigs, harpoons, spears and spearguns to hunt alligators in Florida. According to the FWC The only firearm legal to use to kill a gator is a bang stick, and even then it may only be used if the alligator is attached to a restraining line.
Looking for a little more? Follow my webpage, or on Facebook and Twitter.
NEXT: ALLIGATOR HUNTING IN THE EVERGLADES
WATCH
