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Old 07-04-2008, 06:08 AM   #1
alligatorob
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Speargun for gator hunting?

I am contemplating trying to use a speargun for the gator hunt and am looking for advice. In the past I have used a bow and harpoon. The problem with a bow is power and with the harpoon is distance; you have to be pretty close. Gators have very tough skin so penetration is a big issue. It seems to me that with a speargun you would have more penetration power than with the bow but could probably still shoot from 10 feet or so.

The plan would be to tie the shaft to about 20 ft of line with a float on the end. This is an above water use, you have to hunt gators at night and in this area the water is too murky to do this diving. But that does seem like a potentially exciting and probably very dangerous approach.

I did some searching and found that others here are gator hunters, but I could not find anything about using a speargun for the hunt. Does anyone here have any experience shooting gators with a speargun? I would sure like to hear about it.

I am thinking about issues like the real penetration power, what kind of tip to use, how venerable is the shaft to getting bent in the process, would firing be slow and noisy enough to give the gator a split second to take off, etc.

Any advice would be welcome.
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Old 07-04-2008, 08:13 AM   #2
B Lang
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

I see a couple of problems you may run into.1-plan on donating ever shaft you shoot into one that is more than 6ft long.2-What kind of effective range is the gun going to have over a bow.3- SG's are made to be fired out of the water and you may run into mechanical trouble. Why not use a 12/0 snatch hook and pitch it 10ft past the gator and snag him? What model gun do you plan on shooting?
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Old 07-04-2008, 09:37 AM   #3
seahunter49
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

Hello Rob, my friend Pantoja who's on this board has a lot of experience hunting alligators with a speargun. He can't post right now but will be back on the board in a couple of days and will tell you about it. What I can say is that he was using a pneumatic speargun.

In the meanwhile for penetration I'm aware of this gadget http://www.beco-products.com/Bang_Gig_Pen_Kit.htm

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Old 07-04-2008, 09:48 AM   #4
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

i dont know where you plan on hunting but having a speargun in freshwater in florida is totally illegal.
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Old 07-04-2008, 11:37 AM   #5
alligatorob
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

Thanks guys, your thoughts are appreciated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by seahunter49 View Post
Hello Rob, my friend Pantoja who's on this board has a lot of experience hunting alligators with a speargun. He can't post right now but will be back on the board in a couple of days and will tell you about it.
Thanks that would be great, I hope he does and I appreciate the info on the Beco rig, not quite sure how that works, but at least I know someone is doing it.

Quote:
1-plan on donating ever shaft you shoot into one that is more than 6ft long.2-What kind of effective range is the gun going to have over a bow.3- SG's are made to be fired out of the water and you may run into mechanical trouble. Why not use a 12/0 snatch hook and pitch it 10ft past the gator and snag him? What model gun do you plan on shooting?
1 Maybe but I would hope not, that is why I am looking for someone who has done it.
2. No better range than a bow, but I would expect more penetration power. Last year I tried a bow and had about 75% of my shots bounce off, even at very close range.
3. Another point I am worried about and looking for someone who has some experience.
I have tried the snatch hook approach as well and may go back to it, just wanted to know about the possibility of a speargun.
I have 3 older band guns.

Quote:
i dont know where you plan on hunting but having a speargun in freshwater in florida is totally illegal
Not totally, from the Florida gator regs:

Alligators may be taken only by the use of artificial lures or baited, wooden pegs less than two (2) inches in length attached to a hand-held restraining line and hand-held snares, harpoons, gigs, snatch hooks, and manually operated spears, spearguns, crossbows and bows with projectiles attached to a restraining line.
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Old 07-04-2008, 01:59 PM   #6
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

I don't think you'd have a legal problem with the speargun as long as you're actively hunting in your area (and you don't have dive gear aboard). I've done three hunts and have had the most success with harpoons, although they only have an effective range of about 8'.

We tried using a speargun last year (a 75 cm Eurogun) and it didn't come close to penetrating, and the slip-tip and cable on the small gun didn't give it any range. If you go the speargun approach, I think your best bet would be something like a Biller/JBL where you could shoot at least a 5/16 shaft and power it up as much as possible - just watch the recoil.
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Old 07-05-2008, 07:13 PM   #7
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

where is your area? i would like to hear a follow up report i was also thinking of spearing a gator this year i have hunted them for many years but usally witha snag hook but the thought of spearing one just sounds kool i was thinking of trying to free dive one i dont know what kind of record might be possiable for this but iots sounds like extreme spearfishing to me i got st johs river i have never been to this lake but i know some lakes in fl can be very clear and with proper lights i think this is possiable
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Old 07-05-2008, 07:27 PM   #8
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

the stoner, as previousley said it is 100% illegal to spear in freshwater in florida. so although intense and extreme , spearing a gator in a lake would be ilegal
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Old 07-06-2008, 01:09 AM   #9
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

Quote:
Originally Posted by njspearo View Post
the stoner, as previousley said it is 100% illegal to spear in freshwater in florida. so although intense and extreme , spearing a gator in a lake would be ilegal
That would be up there with the craziest shit I could ever imagine doing. Up there with Feeding A 30 foot Great white shark fish out of my mouth freediving without a cage.

It's just not wise.
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Old 07-06-2008, 10:25 AM   #10
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

A-Rob: Use a spear. I have harvested many dozens of gators using many methods. My Native Americans friends preferred method is a 22 shell in the eye while the big lizard is on land warming in the sun. Carney
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Old 07-06-2008, 10:34 AM   #11
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

A-Rob, by the way, when I did shoot a gator with a speargun my first thought was, what a bad idea. Carney
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Old 07-06-2008, 07:36 PM   #12
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

I'm back already . Well , hunting gators has always been a family thing , but the use of spearguns to do it is actually a relatively new thing. It's done at night , with a flashlight , the speargun, fins and a big tire tube. You get in the tube once inflated, get in the water, trying not to make noise, look for the gators. The distance betwin the eyes will tell you how big it is , and then you take your pick, use bthe fins underwater not to make noise and get close without taking the light off the eyes of the animal, you'll be surprice how close you can get like this, oce there just shoot. The rest is pullit to you . it's wise to go to land or a boat before completelly pulling it to you though it can be done. We use pneumatic guns for this ... and everything else actually , and take the shot with the gun underwater , not to spoil the piston. Oh I forgot , the darker the night the better , if it's not really dark the croc will see you and sink.
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Old 07-07-2008, 07:27 AM   #13
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

[quote=B Lang;740312] Why not use a 12/0 snatch hook and pitch it 10ft past the gator and snag him? QUOTE]

Snatch hook is probably the best way to go, more room for error. I use to help my buddy trap nuisance gators, and if they got a visual they would use this method. The other way would be to bait a hook with chicken or beef lung and leave it attached to a steel post. The property owner would notify him then they would pull in, snare it and tape him up.
The other issue if you harpoon or spear is you have to harvest immediately or the meat will spoil and in some cases unless you know what you are doing the hide will loose quality. They had restrictions on processing so they would have to keep the gators alive in a pin till they were ready to take to another trapper for processing.
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Old 07-07-2008, 08:59 AM   #14
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

For the recreational harvest, you can't use a baited hook or leave your gear unattended (you can use a baited wooden peg). I knew of some guys in Lake Newnan that used baited pegs successfully, but you can walk across that lake on the backs of 12' gators.

I don't remember if the statutes specifically say you have to kill the gator, but once it's in your possession you have to attach the CITES tag - that would be fun to watch someone do on a live gator. We'd just put the gator on a tarp, cover it with ice, and wrap it up until the next morning when we'd clean it.
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Old 07-08-2008, 08:06 AM   #15
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Re: Speargun for gator hunting?

that tube idea souds pretty fun and njspearo i am pretty sure this is legal i know it does say speargun is allowed in the gator regs maybe you wanna look and see what you think i thought pnumatics were bad to shoot out of water is this true? has anyone been to lake poinsette is it clear or deep?
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