An Alligator story, good one

[Johnny44]

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/alligator-dog-tags/

[Treeshark]

Cool story

[BTLowry]

I have a hard time believing a tag would survive that long in stomach acid period let alone be identifiable.

Maybe alligators don't have strong stomach acid?

No doubt they will eat a dog

[RiverRat1]

I have a hard time believing a tag would survive that long in stomach acid period let alone be identifiable.

Maybe alligators don't have strong stomach acid?

No doubt they will eat a dog

This..

And I didn't think a 12' alligator would be "at least 50-70 years old" More like 12-15

[rjtkdplus]

My friend who is a taxidermist in Florida has found many dog collar tags in gator stomachs. Usually just the metal remains. He even found a gps tracking collar in one a couple of years ago.

[johnpaul]

This..

And I didn't think a 12' alligator would be "at least 50-70 years old" More like 12-15

You clearly don’t know anything about alligators lol

[RiverRat1]

You clearly don’t know anything about alligators lol

I don't lol

I just know they allow some tags on the Nueces River where there are not that many gator. And we had one well over 16' long at one point. There are maybe 2-3 10+ footers on the main river. If it took them 40 years to get that big..well we wouldn't have any gators left pretty quick even if they gave out 2 tags per year.

[Smart]

I don't lol

I just know they allow some tags on the Nueces River where there are not that many gator. And we had one well over 16' long at one point. There are maybe 2-3 10+ footers on the main river. If it took them 40 years to get that big..well we wouldn't have any gators left pretty quick even if they gave out 2 tags per year.

You should have killed that world and state record.



"The current world record alligator was taken by Mandy Stokes, of Thomaston, in August 2014. It measured 15 feet, 9 inches long and weighed 1,011.5 pounds. Stokes and her crew took the gator in Mill Creek, a tributary of the Alabama River."



A Fort Bend County man has set the record for an alligator caught in Texas, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The 800-pound, 14-foot, 3-inch gator could be 30 to 50 years old according to its size. At 800 pounds, it is the heaviest alligator for which TPWD has a certified weight.

[PondPopper]

That's a 1000lb gator on Swamp People all day long.... Heck their 8 footers weigh 500. Dumb show..

[RifleBowPistol]

I don't lol

I just know they allow some tags on the Nueces River where there are not that many gator. And we had one well over 16' long at one point. There are maybe 2-3 10+ footers on the main river. If it took them 40 years to get that big..well we wouldn't have any gators left pretty quick even if they gave out 2 tags per year.

It does take a long time for gators to grow that big. Gators can live for 100+ years. When they are smaller, they grow faster, at some point the rate at which they grow, slows down. I am not any form of expert on the subject, But have read a bit and seen a bit over the years. An example, would be the gators that live in the small water hole, near the entrance to the Aransas Wildlife Refuge. There have been two gators in that water hole, since I was 16 years old, which was back about 1985. I am 52 now. I don't know when they first moved into that water hole, but the first time I ever saw them, I was 16, the first year I hunted out there. One of the two gators is missing one of it's front feet. That gator was about 8 ft., to maybe 9 ft., the first time I saw them. They were both about the same size. I used to go back year after year and would stop in to check on the gators by the entrance, at least once every bow season. I could not tell either gator grew any, in the first 10 years I went there. The last time I went back there, was right before TPW took over the hunting there, that will probably be the last time I ever get to hunt the place. I think that was probably five to six years ago. I went and checked on the gators, just to see if they were still there and how big they had gotten. The one that is missing the front foot was still there. I would say that gator was a bit over 10 ft. that last time I checked.

I have seen multiple 12 ft. gators and at least one, maybe two larger gators out there. There is one that used to live in a pond, down towards the south end of the place, back in mid 90s, that I am sure was pushing 16 ft., I used to guess that gator to be 17 ft., but I never tried to measure him. I saw him twice for many hours, both times, floating around in his pond, that I was hunting over. That gator was just massive, as far as the girth, length and size of it's head. I never saw it out of the water. But what I could see was by far the biggest I have ever seen, anywhere. That gator, has to or had to be very old, don't know if it's still alive, I have not gotten to hunt that far sound in the refuge in a long time, since I only rifle hunted the place the last three or four seasons I went down there, the last times I went down there. They have the whole south end of the place blocked off, and closed to hunting, during the rifle season.

I have seen multiple 8 ft. to 12 ft. gators on land, a 12 ft. gator, standing tall and walking across the marsh, is pretty impressive, more so when it is chasing you, for 60+ yards. Don't believe that crap about gators will only run for 15 ft. or 20 ft., if they are a long ways from water, that rule gets thrown out the window.