Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

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buttonbuck
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Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby buttonbuck » Fri May 22, 2020 3:00 pm

Anyone here ever bow hunt alligators?


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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby Dewey » Fri May 22, 2020 4:25 pm

buttonbuck wrote:Anyone here ever bow hunt alligators?

There are no gators in Montana. ;)
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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby Rich M » Sat May 23, 2020 12:10 am

Not a problem.

You have 2 options - either brain em or stick 'em, fight em, and then bang stick em. If you try to lung or heart shoot one you'll be in for a long wait - their a reptile and diff from mammals.

FWIW - FL residents pay $275 for 2 gator tags (thru a popular quota drawing - most folks will draw every to every other year) and to accompany them you need to have a $50/$60 assistant permit. Cheaper than $1,000 for a gator license.

Most gators are caught by snagging them and getting them close enough to harpoon, then battling with a rope. gators less than say 8-9 ft long are pretty skinny, 9 ft plus starts to gain girth and attitude. 10 ft plus gators will attack the boat and have sunk boats during the "hunt".

I shot one with a rifle once and got one using bait once. I don't eat em so wife frowns on spending $275 on a permit...
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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby Rsnyder » Sun Jun 07, 2020 2:23 am

Rich is on point. I’ve always harpooned/fight/ bang stick. You can bow shoot w a harpoon head but bang stick is the legal method of kill for FL. It’s fun. I eat them get heads and hides done mostly for gifts to out of state friends
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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby Sailfish_WC » Sun Jun 07, 2020 4:01 pm

We do it.
In FL it’s a no go with a bow.
Essentially snag them or catch them with bait.

It’s a damn blast. One of the most fun hunts I do.
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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby Bowhunter68 » Sun Jun 07, 2020 4:18 pm

Sailfish_WC wrote:We do it.
In FL it’s a no go with a bow.
Essentially snag them or catch them with bait.

It’s a damn blast. One of the most fun hunts I do.

I’ve seen several people bowhunting alligators in Florida, even on tv. Did they change the rules to ban that or is it just not widely done?
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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby Rsnyder » Sun Jun 07, 2020 11:10 pm

You’re bow shooting to hook the hide, not kill.
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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby PK_ » Mon Jun 08, 2020 5:57 am

Bowhunter68 wrote:
Sailfish_WC wrote:We do it.
In FL it’s a no go with a bow.
Essentially snag them or catch them with bait.

It’s a damn blast. One of the most fun hunts I do.

I’ve seen several people bowhunting alligators in Florida, even on tv. Did they change the rules to ban that or is it just not widely done?

It’s legal to use bow in FL. But...

Legally, You have to have a line attached to the arrow and broadhead needs to be barbed or some way of not pulling out(good luck)...seems a lot of stories I hear about, this is completely ignored...

See page 8
https://myfwc.com/media/16675/alligator ... -guide.pdf

Also realize much of what you see on tv could be filmed on a game farm where anything goes...
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Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby Sailfish_WC » Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:35 pm

Makes sense, we have a harpoon with a detachable point with a line.
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Re: Is it legal to bow hunt alligator

Unread postby buttonbuck » Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:54 am

Regs state that you must restrain the animal then dispatch it with a pistol or bang stick


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