I plan to kick off my 2019 bowhunting road trip season in Feb. with Gators and Hogs in Florida. Does anybody have any knowledge or insight into a Florida outfitter that specializes in bowhunting gators and hogs?
Gators and hogs with a bow
- Thread starter Stay Sharp
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mallardsx2
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- Jul 8, 2015
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https://www.guided-hunting.com/home.html
Wife and I went there for my honey-moon.
At the time they had a hog/gator hunt combo that was pretty affordable. Search their site. They may still offer it. Nice people and they do a TON for disabled veterans.
We both got hogs and gators. To say it was easy with a rifle would be a bit of an understatement. But somehow the guide said we were the only people who could hit anything. Whatever that means. lol If I could do it over again I would have went with my bow for sure. We did some bowfishing while we were there on Lake Okeechobee as well. Never got a picture with my hog..but for the record I did kill one lol
Dropped my brand new glasses in the lake. I like to think a gator currently is either wearing them or they are in his stomach.
Little side note: Bring your thermacell and your bug spray and your bug new....
Wife and I went there for my honey-moon.
At the time they had a hog/gator hunt combo that was pretty affordable. Search their site. They may still offer it. Nice people and they do a TON for disabled veterans.
We both got hogs and gators. To say it was easy with a rifle would be a bit of an understatement. But somehow the guide said we were the only people who could hit anything. Whatever that means. lol If I could do it over again I would have went with my bow for sure. We did some bowfishing while we were there on Lake Okeechobee as well. Never got a picture with my hog..but for the record I did kill one lol
Dropped my brand new glasses in the lake. I like to think a gator currently is either wearing them or they are in his stomach.
Little side note: Bring your thermacell and your bug spray and your bug new....
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CrimsonArrow
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mallardsx2
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After looking at many gator outfitters I went with Ross Hammock Ranch for my "high Fence" gator hunt with a bow. I say "High fence" because to some, any time you hire and outfitter in a diff state for game animals you dont have access to in your home state, some want to pretend you are hunting in a "pen".
LCH
Very Active Member
Right, because everybody knows that those red stag are free ranging all over Iowa and water buffalo have taken over Texas 
Seriously though, go get them gators.
Seriously though, go get them gators.
Putting up a fence does not domesticate an animal. Fence off 32 square miles (the size of the ranch I hunted in Texas) and then hunt the deer inside those 32 square miles and tell me how the fence domesticates or tames them and makes them easy to kill. If anything, they are more wild and elusive since they are hunted more and harder than free range animals. After having done it myself, I can attest to that.
FYI, 32 sq. miles or area is about 21,000 acres (512 40's). The largest lease I have to roam for bowhunting is 160 acres.
FYI, 32 sq. miles or area is about 21,000 acres (512 40's). The largest lease I have to roam for bowhunting is 160 acres.
Ive wanted to take an alligator with a bow so In feb. 2019, I will drive to the Sunshine state to hunt gators and hogs with a bow. Im including hogs because Ive taken hogs in 3 states already and they are a fun bow hunt and good to eat. The only issue with bowhunting these two species is that I will need 2 different bows because the bow I use to do all my bowhunting is not set up for bowfishing or for gator hunting.
I will use an old compound bow for the gator bow and set it up with all the gear I need. The first step putting arrow rest on the bow that will support the 1000+ grain solid fiberglass arrow. I have an old NAP Quicktune 360 rest that I can use but the arrow support (launcher) is a bit too narrow and I can envision the arrow falling off the support during the rigors hunting of so I will need to modify it to fit my needs.
The factory launcher needs to be narrow to clear fletching for typical bowhunting and using arrows with fletching but because my gator hunting arrows wont have any fletching, I can tolerate (and want) a wider launcher with more support to make sure the arrow does not fall off the rest.
The standard launcher shown below.
I will use an old compound bow for the gator bow and set it up with all the gear I need. The first step putting arrow rest on the bow that will support the 1000+ grain solid fiberglass arrow. I have an old NAP Quicktune 360 rest that I can use but the arrow support (launcher) is a bit too narrow and I can envision the arrow falling off the support during the rigors hunting of so I will need to modify it to fit my needs.
The factory launcher needs to be narrow to clear fletching for typical bowhunting and using arrows with fletching but because my gator hunting arrows wont have any fletching, I can tolerate (and want) a wider launcher with more support to make sure the arrow does not fall off the rest.
The standard launcher shown below.
I designed a new launcher and fired up my 3D printer and made a wider launcher. Here you can see the original and the replacement I made.
The newly installed launcher.
Next up is mounting the bowfishing reel with the line that will connect the arrow (and hopefully the alligator) to the bow.
The newly installed launcher.
Next up is mounting the bowfishing reel with the line that will connect the arrow (and hopefully the alligator) to the bow.
mallardsx2
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We depart in about a week for the gator and hog bowhunt. Ive had the gator bow setup for a while and have been shooting it. For the hog portion of this hunt I will use my usual Bowtech. The gator bow is an old Oregon brand bow I added a big game reel to. Its set to 55 pounds draw. I designed and 3D printed a mount for my Ultimate Predator Adventure cam (like a GO Pro but better)
Ive been experimenting with metal arrow slides rather than the tip. Plastic ones and a variety of fish points.
For the hog portion of the hunt Im falling back on a tried and tru Woodsman. Ie taken hogs and deer with them in the past with great results. All of these have passed through one species or another and have been re-honed and ready for service. With the adapter, they are 150 grain.
For the hog portion of the hunt Im falling back on a tried and tru Woodsman. Ie taken hogs and deer with them in the past with great results. All of these have passed through one species or another and have been re-honed and ready for service. With the adapter, they are 150 grain.
mallardsx2
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I use the innerlock grapple points for stingrays. They work great for that but I dont know how well they would penetrate a gator. Probably not well. But when fired from my hydrostryke pro at 65 pounds they bury deep and sometimes the whole way through a 40 pound stingray.
From what I have been told you need a point that removed from the tip of the arrow once it goes into the gator. The arrow is purely sacrificial when shooting gators.
Are you planning on using safety slides for the gators?
From what I have been told you need a point that removed from the tip of the arrow once it goes into the gator. The arrow is purely sacrificial when shooting gators.
Are you planning on using safety slides for the gators?
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The first leg of the gator and hog hunt is under way. I need to acclimate to the environment in Florida. The week before departing WI we had temps with wind chills around -50F and 10 inches of snow last week so I thought it proper to slowly get used to the local conditions.
I have yet to get a Gator with my bow in FL but did I get this but I didn't have a tag for it so it was catch and release.
dirtclod Az.
Veteran member
Stay Sharp good to see you back.Catch and Release is the
name of the game,Unless you "catch" something that doesn't release!
name of the game,Unless you "catch" something that doesn't release!
Im back home after a week in sunny Florida. The trip was great. The weather was great (never saw a drop of rain)
The trip was a great success. I was able to get an 11 footer. Lots of great meat. I'll have the hide tanned and do a euro mount of the skull and preserve the claws. We spent a lot of time glassing and doing spot and stalks on several gators. They have better eyes and ears than I thought. This potato, corn, bean and watermelon farm has a lot of free range, wild gators roaming the irrigation canals. We wore out a lot of boot leather and sun screen and bottles of water.
We did a stalk on a large gator sunning himself in the pads, I got to within 10 yards directly above him, drew the 55 pound bow and unleashed a 1700 grain arrow which hit a scute (boney bump in rows down his back) and the arrow bounced off. I got zero penetration on that shot. Hitting a scute with a arrow, results in a pissed off gator and lots of splashing and nothing more.
Link to the Video of the hunt below.
[video=youtube_share;f86OgE45_VA]https://youtu.be/f86OgE45_VA[/video]
The trip was a great success. I was able to get an 11 footer. Lots of great meat. I'll have the hide tanned and do a euro mount of the skull and preserve the claws. We spent a lot of time glassing and doing spot and stalks on several gators. They have better eyes and ears than I thought. This potato, corn, bean and watermelon farm has a lot of free range, wild gators roaming the irrigation canals. We wore out a lot of boot leather and sun screen and bottles of water.
We did a stalk on a large gator sunning himself in the pads, I got to within 10 yards directly above him, drew the 55 pound bow and unleashed a 1700 grain arrow which hit a scute (boney bump in rows down his back) and the arrow bounced off. I got zero penetration on that shot. Hitting a scute with a arrow, results in a pissed off gator and lots of splashing and nothing more.
Link to the Video of the hunt below.
[video=youtube_share;f86OgE45_VA]https://youtu.be/f86OgE45_VA[/video]
