Fall 2024

By Polly Dean

Photos by Jimmy Jacobs

I had accumulated a few points over the years with my applications for Georgia’s Alligator Quota Hunts. A point was awarded each year that I was not drawn. After my points had built up where it was likely, depending upon which zone I would apply for, that I had a pretty decent chance to be drawn. So, I sat on these points a few years until I actually had a plan to hunt for an alligator, should I be drawn.

I stumbled on the fact that a fishing guide friend of mine, who lived on the Georgia coast, also guided for alligators. “Yes, ma’am,” Carl Evans said, when I inquired as to whether he guided for ‘gators. Well, that’s all I needed to know, so I applied for Zone 7 in McIntosh County on the coast where Carl guides. Having accumulated seven points, I knew I had a pretty good chance – 100 percent actually – for being drawn. During the quota hunt application process in our state, the Department of Natural Resources provides applicants their odds of being drawn for the various zones that they can choose to apply for.

I have hunted for alligators in the past in Louisiana. Regulations can vary greatly from state to state. In Louisiana, we were allowed to bait the alligators. We did so by hanging chickens over the water, then returned the next day to find that an alligator had taken each of the “baits” and were snagged by the hook and rope that suspended each chicken.

The State of Georgia does not allow baiting for alligators. Regulations require that hunters secure a restraining line to the animal before dispatching it. Methods for securing a line to the alligator may include hand-held snares, harpoons, gigs, arrows or snatch hooks. We used a Size 2 treble hook with a 3-ounce weight attached to 60-pound braid fishing line. The size of the treble hook seemed a bit small to me. Carl prefers having the alligator secured by two lines for a greater chance that it remains hooked. When an alligator was sighted, we both cast our weighted treble hooks just beyond the ‘gator and reeled it back until one of us “snagged” the animal.

A Georgia gator rig for snagging the beast.

The wind was blowing on the day of our hunt in mid-September. We had been dodging rain showers for days and after the rain, the wind followed, causing a chop on the water. I learned from Carl, that similar to deer, alligators don’t like wind. The resultant choppy water contributes to the alligator’s uneasiness in being out in the open. They tend to stay tucked back into the marsh islands where they can be harder to spot. The chop on the water interferes with their visibility while laying low on the surface.

We considered the fact that we might have to continue our hunt in the evening when it might be easier to “shine” the ‘gators. This is where we scan the water and shoreline with a bright light and look for the alligators’ eyes glowing in the light. Fortunately, we did not have to resort to that method.

The smaller gators were less wary and would let us get rather close to them.

As we cruised along the Altamaha River and its tributaries during low tide, we kept an eye out for the heads of alligators that were barely visible as they lay low in the water, usually just a few feet from shore. Carl and his father Mike, who joined us that day, were adept at spotting the alligators before my I could. Quite a few were spotted and I quickly noticed, how the larger ones were sneakier at not allowing us to get very close, before they would disappear under into the water. The smaller ones generally allowed our boat to get much closer before diving. The larger and older alligators were smarter in their advanced years and were more of a challenge to get within snagging range of the boat. I asked Carl if the ‘gators get wiser and more wary as the hunting season progresses, and he said that they definitely do. We were a month into the season, and the ‘gators were much more wary.

Carl and his father knew the area well. Mike pulled the boat up to a spot on an island where Carl could climb out on a levee to look for alligators in an abandoned “rice canal” that had been dug in the days when rice farming was prominent in the area. Apparently, Carl spotted a ‘gator and motioned for me to get out of the boat and join him. It kind of surprised me and I was hesitant to do so. I was a bit cautious of the prospect of snagging a ‘gator that was on land with me, making it angry and what would happen if it decided to charge after me. I knew that they could move pretty quick if they wanted to and the ‘gator was a lot more used to that terrain than I. So, I hemmed and hawed, but finally climbed out of the boat. I was a bit relieved when Carl pointed to an alligator not in the canal, but laying in the main river behind the boat we just exited. 

Carl made a cast with his rod with the treble hook and made contact first with the ‘gator. I cast my weighted hook just beyond the area where the alligator went down, made a few cranks, and was successful in getting a second hook into its hide. It dove down deeper and gave us a good fight trying to dislodge the hooks and lines that were holding firm.

The author, her guide Capt. Carl Evans and her alligator.

We kept cranking and eventually pulled the alligator within range for dispatching with a .40 caliber pistol. The use of a bang stick is the other legal method for the dispatching of alligators during the hunt season in Georgia. Carl estimated the alligator to be about 7 feet long. It wasn’t huge, but it would provide a decent amount of meat, and the hide was very likely to be in good shape due to its younger age.

Prior to dispatching the alligator, Carl gave me the option of releasing this alligator and going for a larger one, if I desired. However, with the rain clouds again threatening with no promise of letting up, I decided that this alligator would be the one I would go with to fill my tag. With a single shot to the head, it was dispatched.

Hunter and prey heading back to the dock.

Mike pulled the boat up to the levee we were standing on with the alligator still in the water. As Carl lifted the heavy animal into the boat, I was a little glad that this alligator didn’t weigh a whole lot more. We all climbed into the boat with the critter and as we rode back to Two Way Fish Camp, I checked the radar on my phone and was happy I opted to take this ‘gator, rather than continuing to hunt the rest of the day or even into the night.

As we pulled into the marina, a resident 11-foot gator was there to greet us and perhaps rub it in, that he would have been a grander specimen. Looking at his worn and blemished hide as he swam by, I was happy I went with the one I did.

The resident 11-footer welcomed us back to Two Way Fish Camp!

When we applied the tape, my ‘gator measured 7 feet, 1 inch and Carl estimated it to be about 130 pounds. It will make a much nicer alligator purse, bag, belt or whatever I choose. And the 50 pounds of ‘gator meat I got from it will be plenty for my family and myself to enjoy.

The tale of the tape at days end.

All in all, it was an exhilarating and successful day!

Capt. Carl Evans is available for fly and light tackle guided fishing trips in the Golden Isles of Georga, as well as alligator, duck and marsh hen hunts. He can be contacted through by visiting the Flatwater Outfitters website.