OT Gator Hunt

[rabiddawg]

My friend and I scouted Lake George early this morning from about mn till 3 am or so. We saw probably 30 but the ones we saw south of Callahan Rd were tiny (3-5 feet). Does anyone have any knowledge of where bigger ones are. I've been told that many nuissance gators caught in Mississippi are released here but after my friend talked to a game warden who he went to MC with we know believe they are taken to Panther Swamp and released. We are scouting this Saturday too and I don't really want to waste time here if there are no big ones. Other possible locations this weekend will be Yazoo Diversion Canal, Little Sunflower River and Big Black River.

 

[engie]

There are big ones on all of those places. Trophies. Keep scouting as hard as you possibly can and live on the 5hr energys. It pays off. I've spent a ton of time north of Callahan Rd on the Panther border(not sure about the actual zones there -- heard a guy got in a crapload of trouble 2 years ago with a trophy gator about being out of zone on Lake George when we got the GW out to come weigh one that fell just short of the MS weight record). At the right time, the number of gators that are mostly unhunted/unafraid there is spooky.

One pointer -- don't waste a ton of time looking at the ones in groups or in areas where there are a ton of gators. Monsters will generally be alone and have a zone of territory that is theirs and mostly not intruded by other gators.

 

[rabiddawg]

That's why I said south of Callahan. Everything north of Callahan is off limits to anyone for gator hunts. Ironically that is the side where the only boat ramp is. So you enter water on the illegal side and have to go about 50 yards to get in legal water past the bridge. I know I want to go where the least peopke are and Lake George has only been hunted now for two years I believe.

ETA: thanks for the insight on group gators. I did know they are territorial and they tend to stay away from big ones. If all the smaller ones were chilling on the north end it would make sense that bigger ones are further south.