Alligator Attacks Our Tractor

[scott_vt]

Geez, one time a couple of years ago, me and my waterfowling buddy had just finished dumping out about five dozen duck decoys into a thick marsh from the airboat.

I gunned the motor up to lauch us into the center of a floating "tussock" with my buddy standing down in front of me.

As the airboat nose grill breached the small bushes growing on top the tussock island and was catapulted up onto the tussock proper, suddenly over a dozen LARGE gators stood up and high tailed it for the water, snarling running and jumping in all directions all at once. Fortunatley, none of them landed in the airboat, but we were extremely shook up and got out of there ASAP and have NEVER tried to beach the boat into a tussock again!!!

Now Skypup,
I dont know if your pullin leg or what But I have seen plenty of snakes end up in the bottom of those glade boats No Thanks !

 

[JimR]

Life is so much easier up here in the N.E. No gators, crocks or poisonous snakes to deal with. I can't remember ever being attacked by anything wild around here. We do get a few coyote attacks, but those are far and few between. You folks ought to eat a few more of those gators to knock the population down a bit. Having 25 little ones in a hatching means they must be multiplying like crazy.

 

[RonR]

I have a queston.

Do cattle in gator country try to protect their calves? Or are they just live and let live type of critters?????????????

I'd always assumed around here that they tried to fend off coyotes to protect the young, but maybe I dunno.............

Ron

 

[SkyPup]

It is pretty diffucult to protect your calf when it is whisked underwater and gone in a flash......


Here are a couple of gators that I caught right in my backyard, one was actually inside my barn!!!

 

[3RRL]

OK, so that first picture doesn't scare me...

 

[SkyPup]

Here is another big one I caught in our garden...

 

[RonR]

Ok, I get the picture. Don't think I'd ever live there, but instead of or in addition to my pliers pouch, I would have a shoulder holster with something near a Smith/Wesson 50 Cal pistol as an equalizer!

My guess is those things are pretty stealthy, unless you see them in the open, you might not notice they were eyeing you for DINNER!

And your incidental movement toward them might be construed as a frontal attack to them, with some not so nice consequences.............

Ron

 

[HGM]

Here is another big one I caught in our garden...

Man.... Thom, are you trying to reduce the tourisim industry or what??

 

[sandman2234]

Between the hurricanes, Skypups gators, rising fuel costs, it is a wonder we have any tourists at all.
There is a resturant over near Milton, Florida, appropriately called GATORS, that is only open a couple nights a week. Great food, and over looks a river full of Gators that they almost have to feed something to. You can look out over the porch and see at least a half dozen at any time.
David from jax

If you want to try Gatortail, that is your place.
David

 

[JimR]

Is Gator like eating chicken or what? I'd run that little sucker over with my tractor if he was that close to me. He'd be in the frying pan for supper.

 

[HGM]

Is Gator like eating chicken or what? I'd run that little sucker over with my tractor if he was that close to me. He'd be in the frying pan for supper.

depens on what part and how its cooked I guess.. The most comon would be the tail. It could probably be described as having a chicken like flavor, but I think its mostly dependant on the seasoning. The texture is the biggest difference, its more like a pork chop in that aspect.. Try it sometime, it it pretty good if its prepared right(usually fried nuggets)..

 

[SkyPup]

I always carry a Ruger Single Action BlackHawk revolver in .357Mag on all our tractors (have one permanently mounted under the FEL joystick on each one). Have taken out numerous canebreak and diamondback rattlers, water mocassins, and a dozen or so coyotes with the handguns over the last few years.

However, you have to shoot a gator directly into its pea sized brain right behind the middle of its eyeballs to kill it. You can shoot it 300 times all over the head and body with absolutely no effect, the only way to stop one is to sever its central nervous system, they are like frogs or snakes, you can cut them in half and both halves will simply crawl away......

 

[JimR]

However, you have to shoot a gator directly into its pea sized brain right behind the middle of its eyeballs to kill it. You can shoot it 300 times all over the head and body with absolutely no effect, the only way to stop one is to sever its central nervous system, they are like frogs or snakes, you can cut them in half and both halves will simply crawl away..



Now that is a scary thought all by itself. I guess you better make sure every shot counts on a Gator.

 

[firemanpat2910]

Its hard to shoot a gator in the top of the head when he has his mouth open and pointed at you. Best advise is take someone with you that cant run very fast, you dont have to outrun the gator,just your friend

 

[CDsdad]

Dear old dad shot one in the mouth with a 30-30. Right down the gullet. I had to fish him out of the pond when he floated up the next afternoon. He was about 7' long and came from the neighbor's pond. We threw out catfish feed and he came running when the fish started eating. I threw a boat paddle at him and he came toward us with his mouth open about 6". Pop put his lights out. If I had them eating cattle, I'd kill them all.

 

[3RRL]

OK SkyPup,
I've seen enough. I found that we have a similar problem. I was attacked by this one but I got away safely. It's an Alligator Lizard. And I don't know what they taste like? OK, I know you're laughing at me now, but they're a lot more dangerous than you think. They're hard to spot 'cause they can hide about anywhere and then ambush you and bite you in the shoestring if you're not careful. But I pretty much leave them alone and found a way to co-exist with them peacefully.

 

[Tim_in_IA]

3RRL,

Is that what the bandage on your finger is for

There are benefits to living where the ground freezes solid! No gators!!

We have the coyotes though. I like the idea of the gun under the loader joystick. I'd like to have a rifle holder somewhere as well for the long range coyotes.

 

[3RRL]

3RRL,

Is that what the bandage on your finger is for

There are benefits to living where the ground freezes solid! No gators!!

We have the coyotes though. I like the idea of the gun under the loader joystick. I'd like to have a rifle holder somewhere as well for the long range coyotes.

Tim, you mean like this? Look on the left loader arm...This is my wife operating the tractor and she puts her side by side 20 ga in the scabbard. When I work the tractor it's an M-1 carabine.
Uh...the bandage...hahaha

 

[JimR]

Now that is what I call a protected tractor and driver. I wonder what the locals would say if I did that on mine here in MA.? I do think the neighbors would feel threathened and call the police on me.

 

[PineRidge]

Here is another big one I caught in our garden...

I think the best way to handle one of them suckers is with the grapple on the front of my 40D. That's as close as I would want to get to one anyway.

I could jest see momma now if I brought er back to the house fer her to cook up fer viddles.