Global Sports: The Finer Points Of Hunting For Alligators

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

The Finer Points Of Hunting For Alligators

By Sharon Morris


Human beings are easily among the weakest of animals when relative size is taken into account. The other great apes can boast levels of physical powers not even the most athletic people with the hardest of training regimens and the best performance enhancing drugs can ever hope to reach. Humanity is weak due to a quirk in its evolution. In exchange for muscular development, it would receive enhanced cognitive abilities. These enhanced cognitive abilities allowed human beings to realize that a pointy rock could make for a good weapon. Then it realized that attaching it to a long stick could make for an even better weapon. Using those weapons, they hunted animals. They became so good at it and became so ingrained in human instinct that to this day, people will go hunting for alligators.

Now, there are a lot of factors that cause a person to go hunt. For some, it is for food, as wild animals do not consume anywhere near the same amount of chemicals that those in raised captivity do. To others, it is simply just recreation, a pastime to indulge in. Others may have to do so because a wild animal may present a danger to the local community, if that happens, then it very much has to be put down.

An alligator is an apex predator. This means that it has no natural predators, not within its native habitat. An apex predator is generally among the most dangerous species within a given habitat. They also do not appear to age, not biologically, once they hit maturity. As such, they can have decades to build up their experience when it comes to killing other animals. As such, anyone who hunts a gator should take care that every single safety precaution is taken.

The hunters of old had to make do with bows and arrow, and spears. In really desperate situation, they might have nothing more than a knife. But modern hunters do not have to go without. The most important tool when hunting is the line. This where the hooks are going to go. On the hooks will go the bait. The second most important tool is either the gun, or the bang stick, a long pole with a bullet which it will fire.

Speaking of bait, it is almost impossible to hunt gators without it. Setting bait is an important tactic for any hunter. Instead of tracking an animal, an animal comes to where a hunter wants it to go. Since alligators a predator animal, the bait used should be meat of some kind. This meat is then placed on hooks which are attached to the lines. A gator hunter is also going to need a boat.

It is better to trap than to track. Gators can stay submerged for very long periods of time. They can also move fast.

Once a gator takes the bait, a hunter has to pull the line in, pulling the gator up out from the water. Once the head is visible above the water, the next step is to take a single, close range shot to the head to kill it. Ideally, it should only take one bullet, as any additional blemishes will degrade its value, it is for this reason that a shotgun, which fires multiple pellets instead of a single slug, is not recommended despite being ideal for hunting birds and terrestrial animals. Once the thing is dead, it should be hauled up on a boat.

Gators can be sold. They can be eaten. They can also be made into trophies.

People like killing things. Especially a lower form of life. Hunting is just a way to satisfy that desire.




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