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Giant Gators In SC
More swamp dragons are being slain in the Deep South; and not just from Florida and Louisiana.
Last year South Carolina opened its first modern public alligator hunt, with 1,000 tags offered and about 300 alligators harvested during a 30-day season running mid-September to mid-October. This year’s hunt has just concluded, with about the same success rate. But according to Claudia Cordray, who with her husband Michael and family run Cordray’s Processing (near Charleston, cordrays.com) the gators taken have generally been bigger and heavier than last year. Kara Slick’s 12-foot-3 alligator taken this year was so huge it barely fit inside a full-size pick-up truck, and was so heavy (600 pounds) a front-end loader was needed to remove it for processing at Cordray’s. AdvertisementRelated PhotosSUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSADVERTISEMENT |
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Photo Gallery Comments (28)
Those are some big gators
They ought to be able to make boots for the whole family from that!
I'm not taking away from these great accomplishments, but I've never heard of an alligator "swiping" at anybody with their claws. A bear, yes.
I don't believe that huge gators should be killed! After all, they live in the swamps,they are a necessary predator for their area, and they maintain the balance of nature in this fragile ecosystem. Why don't men leave them alone?
Women shouldn't be killing these animals either! As intelligent life-forms on the planet earth, we should know better than to go off killing necessary predators in any ecosystem!!!!
Mary Ann,
A lot of our big gators have been munching on golfers, swimmers, and the like and we in the South are too polite to let that type of behavior continue. As the ultimate predator we are removing some so the less senior gators will have room to grow. Besides, with a little flour and peanut oil, they are quite lovely.Jbug, an alligator swipes at you with his "LARGE TEETH".
Excellent photos! An attractive lady, jumbo size alligators and a clean John Deere tractor. Life's good.
I really want to know how they "hunt"/get these animals.
Do they track them through the brush? Do they call them? I heard and it may be a lie, the "hunter" has a big baited hook, then when it is fought out they shoot it. Or they go out at night and , WHAT!! shine a light in the eyes and shoot them???
Up here they call it poaching!
Cheers
C
what a pig that gator is huge. imagine what he eats in a day haha
Mary Ann, you need to realize that the hunting and fishing community are the most active and most successful wildlife conservationists. No one disagrees that predators serve an important role in their ecosystem, but with proper management they can be harvested without disrupting their sustainability.
We don't have Gators up here in the north woods, (MICH.)BUT I sure would like to bag one of them critters.
Not many attempt to hunt alligators. In Florida, there are around 1.2 - 1.5 million, with harvest limits around 6,000. They can be extremely skittish, and I hunt them with a bowfishing rig,600# test line, at night (no firearms allowed- bow rig, hand thrown harpoon, crossbow, or fishing rod). If fishing is a sport, try reeling in a 600# alligator. Fiberglass boats sometimes get the sides bitten off. Max accurate range with a bow rig is about 50', most alligators submerge around 100' away. Larger ones are more difficult to approach, herein lies the "trophy" factor. Harvest numbers are regulated year to year to maintain correct ecosystem. Please don't criticize until you explore the facts.
A "fragile" ecosystem Ms.Staples? There has been a dramatic increase in alligator populations throughout the south in recent years. If these ecosystems are so fragile it seems that this increase should have caused profound alterations to them. What and where are these alterations?
A "fragile" ecosystem Ms.Staples? There has been a dramatic increase in alligator populations throughout the south in recent years. If these ecosystems are so fragile it seems that this increase should have caused profound alterations to them. What and where are these alterations?
I don't know anything about alligators, so I wonder what is involved in "processing an alligator". What parts are they using? I realized the hide gets turned into belts, boots and ladies purses what about the rest of the gator?
We harvest all of the usable meat--from the tail, jowls, loin, legs and various trimmings. Meat that can be used for steak is trimmed and cubed. We vacuum package the steaks in meal size packages. Any trimmings that can not be used for steaks are made into Cordray Brothers sausage, a seasoning recipe that has been in our family for over fifty years. It does not taste like chicken...it tastes like Carolina Gator!
It is a shame that we don't have some of those giant gators in South Texas. We are over run with feral hogs and no natural enemies to control them. Last estimate was that Texas has over four million wild hogs. Sure we shoot them but they multiply too fast.
id want a .50 cal saw machine gun to go after gators that big
Thank you for the info Michael Cordray. I will make a point of trying a gator steak when I visit your state, I just put it in my Blackberry which is as good as a handshake on that promise.
Mary Ann Staples, you are either very naive or one of those people who don't believe we should be eating meat. A gator is not very picky about what he eats, dogs cats, a child, even you if you ventured close enough. I think you need to examine a gator close up to understand. Imagine you were a hapless hiker who didn't see this necessary predator. You last thought would most likely be "somebody kill this thing" and you wouldn't care how they did it.
Nativesc, I like your style. You are indeed too polite to allow that behavior to continue, I really like that.
Chaletaway, if you had seen some of the stories about people or their pets eaten by gators, especially if it was someone you know, you wouldn't call it poaching, it would be "animal control" to stop any more losses.
Kody, if you get the chance, you need to try some blackened alligator Cajun style, good eatin' there. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
Well I havent never eaten any alligator but I hear its better than chicken. I wouldnt mind bagging one of them though but the permits are well a little high!! As far as ecosystems go someone needs to educate Mary Anne about them. There are no predators in my area thats going to tackle a 16 foot alligator but man. And we dont like doing no more than necessary. My uncle lives right in front of gravel pits that were dug years ago. These holes has since been filled up with water and well lets just say they have become full of Alligators that have have mosied their way from the Great Pee Dee River. MY uncle uses dogs to hunt deer. So he lets his deer dogs run loose to train their selves and keep in shape. Lots of deer being that close to the river. He had a whole yard of dogs, now he is down to two house pets. Dogs just disappear and never seen again down there. I dont think you would have the same opinion if you woke up one day and a big gator was in your front lawn with half of your dog hanging out its mouth!!! I say harvest the big guys, lets eat them. No different than deer hunting, except we would be actually killing something that could eat us! And for women, come on. I deer hunt and women have just as much right hunting and harvesting game as men. Thats like telling Men that cant become a nurse. And yes we are intelligent, thats the reason we see a sport that gives us the thrill of hunting, and the satisfaction of harvesting a lot of meat! Mary Anne you have got to be a non hunter or else you would see that women get as much out of hunting as men and statistics show we are actually better!
Hey Mary Ann, if you had children and one of those "important predators" was preparing to munch on one of your kids, just tell them how important it is to preserve them. That should ease their pain of being ripped limb from limb.
Now you got my attention Bo! I love that Cajun cooking and Blackened shrimp, chicken and such top the list - a shot of good Tequila to start the meal and I am ready for the blackened Gator... OK, maybe 2 or 3 shots of Tequila then i'm ready!
Kody, just be aware that it doesn't taste like chicken, but more like rattlesnake. In the hands of a decent cook, it is wonderful. Don't take too many shots before you eat it, you don't want to numb up your taste buds, save the tequila for when you are done eating.
Wish you knew Kara; she is a great person and would never do anything to abuse the eco system. Her family runs a QDMA in SC. As for "Chaleta way" Do you eat fish? Maryann, how much do you contribute to conservation. You have to be a "pie in the sky" vegan. P.S. I'm a woman who doesn" hunt or fish, But thankfully everyone else in the family does so I reap the benefits!
I am in know way supporting Mary Ann's comments. But using the argument that if her child was being attacked she would be for hunting is silly. I hunt for the thrill and challenge, not because the animal may attack somebody sometime in it's life! Using this argument would seem to me to be advocating the hunting of humans, after all humans kill each other many more times than any animal - in or out of the woods.
Brotherbuck, the argument is hardly silly, your comment is. In the places where gators are a problem, they kill people, and animals that are dear to those people. These gators are being controlled to stop lessen the danger. Mary Ann failed to understand how the gator has a negative impact and was feeling sorry for the gator. The comments about if it were her child was trying to get her to see that there is a good reason to cull the herd as it were and remove the threat to people. Talking to someone who doesn't want an animal hunted is not going to be swayed by "I hunt for the thrill and challenge" That kind of statement does nothing to win your argument. Stating that we are concerned about human life does.
As far as hunting humans, Law Enforcement does that 24-7, 365.
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Excellent photos! An attractive lady, jumbo size alligators and a clean John Deere tractor. Life's good.
Mary Ann, you need to realize that the hunting and fishing community are the most active and most successful wildlife conservationists. No one disagrees that predators serve an important role in their ecosystem, but with proper management they can be harvested without disrupting their sustainability.
I'm not taking away from these great accomplishments, but I've never heard of an alligator "swiping" at anybody with their claws. A bear, yes.
Mary Ann,
A lot of our big gators have been munching on golfers, swimmers, and the like and we in the South are too polite to let that type of behavior continue. As the ultimate predator we are removing some so the less senior gators will have room to grow. Besides, with a little flour and peanut oil, they are quite lovely.Jbug, an alligator swipes at you with his "LARGE TEETH".
what a pig that gator is huge. imagine what he eats in a day haha
Not many attempt to hunt alligators. In Florida, there are around 1.2 - 1.5 million, with harvest limits around 6,000. They can be extremely skittish, and I hunt them with a bowfishing rig,600# test line, at night (no firearms allowed- bow rig, hand thrown harpoon, crossbow, or fishing rod). If fishing is a sport, try reeling in a 600# alligator. Fiberglass boats sometimes get the sides bitten off. Max accurate range with a bow rig is about 50', most alligators submerge around 100' away. Larger ones are more difficult to approach, herein lies the "trophy" factor. Harvest numbers are regulated year to year to maintain correct ecosystem. Please don't criticize until you explore the facts.
A "fragile" ecosystem Ms.Staples? There has been a dramatic increase in alligator populations throughout the south in recent years. If these ecosystems are so fragile it seems that this increase should have caused profound alterations to them. What and where are these alterations?
We harvest all of the usable meat--from the tail, jowls, loin, legs and various trimmings. Meat that can be used for steak is trimmed and cubed. We vacuum package the steaks in meal size packages. Any trimmings that can not be used for steaks are made into Cordray Brothers sausage, a seasoning recipe that has been in our family for over fifty years. It does not taste like chicken...it tastes like Carolina Gator!
Well I havent never eaten any alligator but I hear its better than chicken. I wouldnt mind bagging one of them though but the permits are well a little high!! As far as ecosystems go someone needs to educate Mary Anne about them. There are no predators in my area thats going to tackle a 16 foot alligator but man. And we dont like doing no more than necessary. My uncle lives right in front of gravel pits that were dug years ago. These holes has since been filled up with water and well lets just say they have become full of Alligators that have have mosied their way from the Great Pee Dee River. MY uncle uses dogs to hunt deer. So he lets his deer dogs run loose to train their selves and keep in shape. Lots of deer being that close to the river. He had a whole yard of dogs, now he is down to two house pets. Dogs just disappear and never seen again down there. I dont think you would have the same opinion if you woke up one day and a big gator was in your front lawn with half of your dog hanging out its mouth!!! I say harvest the big guys, lets eat them. No different than deer hunting, except we would be actually killing something that could eat us! And for women, come on. I deer hunt and women have just as much right hunting and harvesting game as men. Thats like telling Men that cant become a nurse. And yes we are intelligent, thats the reason we see a sport that gives us the thrill of hunting, and the satisfaction of harvesting a lot of meat! Mary Anne you have got to be a non hunter or else you would see that women get as much out of hunting as men and statistics show we are actually better!
Hey Mary Ann, if you had children and one of those "important predators" was preparing to munch on one of your kids, just tell them how important it is to preserve them. That should ease their pain of being ripped limb from limb.
Wish you knew Kara; she is a great person and would never do anything to abuse the eco system. Her family runs a QDMA in SC. As for "Chaleta way" Do you eat fish? Maryann, how much do you contribute to conservation. You have to be a "pie in the sky" vegan. P.S. I'm a woman who doesn" hunt or fish, But thankfully everyone else in the family does so I reap the benefits!
They ought to be able to make boots for the whole family from that!
We don't have Gators up here in the north woods, (MICH.)BUT I sure would like to bag one of them critters.
It is a shame that we don't have some of those giant gators in South Texas. We are over run with feral hogs and no natural enemies to control them. Last estimate was that Texas has over four million wild hogs. Sure we shoot them but they multiply too fast.
Thank you for the info Michael Cordray. I will make a point of trying a gator steak when I visit your state, I just put it in my Blackberry which is as good as a handshake on that promise.
Mary Ann Staples, you are either very naive or one of those people who don't believe we should be eating meat. A gator is not very picky about what he eats, dogs cats, a child, even you if you ventured close enough. I think you need to examine a gator close up to understand. Imagine you were a hapless hiker who didn't see this necessary predator. You last thought would most likely be "somebody kill this thing" and you wouldn't care how they did it.
Nativesc, I like your style. You are indeed too polite to allow that behavior to continue, I really like that.
Chaletaway, if you had seen some of the stories about people or their pets eaten by gators, especially if it was someone you know, you wouldn't call it poaching, it would be "animal control" to stop any more losses.
Kody, if you get the chance, you need to try some blackened alligator Cajun style, good eatin' there. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
Now you got my attention Bo! I love that Cajun cooking and Blackened shrimp, chicken and such top the list - a shot of good Tequila to start the meal and I am ready for the blackened Gator... OK, maybe 2 or 3 shots of Tequila then i'm ready!
Kody, just be aware that it doesn't taste like chicken, but more like rattlesnake. In the hands of a decent cook, it is wonderful. Don't take too many shots before you eat it, you don't want to numb up your taste buds, save the tequila for when you are done eating.
Brotherbuck, the argument is hardly silly, your comment is. In the places where gators are a problem, they kill people, and animals that are dear to those people. These gators are being controlled to stop lessen the danger. Mary Ann failed to understand how the gator has a negative impact and was feeling sorry for the gator. The comments about if it were her child was trying to get her to see that there is a good reason to cull the herd as it were and remove the threat to people. Talking to someone who doesn't want an animal hunted is not going to be swayed by "I hunt for the thrill and challenge" That kind of statement does nothing to win your argument. Stating that we are concerned about human life does.
As far as hunting humans, Law Enforcement does that 24-7, 365.
Those are some big gators
A "fragile" ecosystem Ms.Staples? There has been a dramatic increase in alligator populations throughout the south in recent years. If these ecosystems are so fragile it seems that this increase should have caused profound alterations to them. What and where are these alterations?
I don't know anything about alligators, so I wonder what is involved in "processing an alligator". What parts are they using? I realized the hide gets turned into belts, boots and ladies purses what about the rest of the gator?
I am in know way supporting Mary Ann's comments. But using the argument that if her child was being attacked she would be for hunting is silly. I hunt for the thrill and challenge, not because the animal may attack somebody sometime in it's life! Using this argument would seem to me to be advocating the hunting of humans, after all humans kill each other many more times than any animal - in or out of the woods.
id want a .50 cal saw machine gun to go after gators that big
I really want to know how they "hunt"/get these animals.
Do they track them through the brush? Do they call them? I heard and it may be a lie, the "hunter" has a big baited hook, then when it is fought out they shoot it. Or they go out at night and , WHAT!! shine a light in the eyes and shoot them???
Up here they call it poaching!
Cheers
C
I don't believe that huge gators should be killed! After all, they live in the swamps,they are a necessary predator for their area, and they maintain the balance of nature in this fragile ecosystem. Why don't men leave them alone?
Women shouldn't be killing these animals either! As intelligent life-forms on the planet earth, we should know better than to go off killing necessary predators in any ecosystem!!!!
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)