Get er done you Nawth Carolians:
http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20171017/nc-could-allow-gator-hunting
Gator hunts are actually pretty boring, but they are goooooood eatin' .
I had some in a restaurant once and thought it was pretty good.
How can it be boring? Swamp People make it look like complete chaos :laf:
I got the opportunity to harvest one when SC first got their gator season. I shot it with a bowfishing arrow and then pulled it in. I agree with bambam, not that big a deal. If I ever decide to give it another go, I will definitely go the rod and reel route. Now that would be fun, sort of like hooking into a Jaws, literally!
As far as the eating, the one I killed was 11 feet long, have no idea how old, but the one thing I do know is it was so tuff you couldn't eat it. I ran it through the meat-cuber with the grain and across the grain and it was still like shoe leather. Wound up throwing it away.
The one I killed was 7 feet long, my daughter's was 8 feet long. I spent HOURS cleaning off the fat and cutting it up, but it was all delicious. We got them skinned and on ice really quick, getting the meat cool quick makes a big difference, as with all meat .
They definitely aren't as bony as our famous Vermont fur bearing alligator trout or as some people call them beaver trout:
(http://img4.imagetitan.com/img4/small/16/16_image654.jpeg) (http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=16_image654.jpeg)
Much like the ermine and the snowshoe hare they also turn white in the winter time :
(http://img4.imagetitan.com/img4/small/16/16_image194.jpeg) (http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=16_image194.jpeg)
I've tried breaded and fried gator nuggets from some restaurant up here a while back and it wasnt tough at all. It was actually pretty good. They doped it up with something cajun as expected but it was good.