“Tag: gator hunting”

At present, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) estimates there are about 1.3 million resident wild alligators, up sharply from a low in the early 1960s that prompted the closure of legal hunting. The alligator population has been on the rebound since, and hunting seasons were reinstated in the 1980s.

Earlier this spring, NRA Pubs' Tom Rickwalder journeyed to Florida to hunt Osceola turkeys with the National Wild Turkey Federation, Bushnell and Federal Premium, among others. After tagging his bird, he was given the chance to hunt a management alligator in the state's swampland. Guided by Justin Guerry of Osceola Outdoors, Tom took his first-ever shot at a gator.

If the weather where you are has taken a wintry turn, here’s video proof that not all of our best hunts have to happen in the cold.

Young Evan Farless joined Mike Tussey of Osceola Outdoors for a nuisance gator hunt in Florida earlier this summer. Armed with the LWRCI Razorback and an EOTech optic, Evan looked to drop his first-ever alligator. Get an inside look at the hunt with this video.

Finding an alligator prowling around the area is something that residents in the southeastern part of the country are relatively accustomed to dealing with. But finding monster—not once, but twice—that looks like it walked right out of a Discovery Channel special? That's a little less common.

Alligator hunts can provide an opportunity to chase prey that can very much bite back.