Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Hunting Gators in the 1800s


Alligator hunting can be traced way back to the early days in Egypt. The American alligators didn’t gain any recognition until the mid-1800s.


They are found mostly in the swampy fresh-water lakes and marshes of southeastern United States, from Florida to Texas.

These cold-blooded reptiles grow to an average of ten to twelve feet in length and can weigh a thousand pounds, though some have been harvested almost double that size.

The life expectancy is akin to a dog’s, ten to twelve years.
To procreate, the female lays eggs in nests prepared on land (can be as much as ten feet wide and three feet tall) where she lays twenty to sixty eggs in June and July. Her eggs take sixty-five days to hatch.

As pioneers left the northeast and journeyed south and west to settle in the new lands, some found their way to Louisiana. It is there in the mid-1800s, settlers started diligently hunting gators for their meat, hides, and oil.

From the leather, they made boots, shoes, and saddles. The oil, extracted from the fatty tissues, greased their wagon wheels and axels, steam engines, and cotton mills alike. The gator meat provided sustenance and is reported to taste a lot like chicken.

The demand for gator hides proved sporadic, dwindling just before the 1860s, but then with the Civil War, it once again gained popularity—at least with the Confederates who supplied their troops with shoes and boots made from alligator hide.

By the late 1860s, alligator leather was the most favorite of all other leathers for high fashion because companies in New York, New Jersey, and Europe started tanning the Louisiana alligator hides commercially, making them softer, more flexible and durable. 

There are several methods of hunting—or fishing—for gators. Stout rope with a big hook is tied to a stout limb that overhangs the swampy waters. The hook can be baited with a spoiled chicken or duck quarter or a large fish.

The hunters set these hooks along a section of the swamp or river then go back later in the day to check their lines much like a fisherman and a trotline. Checking those lines, that’s when it can get tricky.

A taunt line indicates a gator has been snagged. Hooked, the reptile retreats as deep as the rope allows and must be pulled hand over hand up to the side of the boat where it's shot or bludgeoned. The kill zone is only about as big as a man’s fist.

Another method is snagging a swimming gator with a treble hook attached to a strong line, pulling it to the boat and repeat what needs to be done to get it into the boat with you (dead).

Hunting an alligator alone is an extremely challenging endeavor. In my novel BITTER HONEY (1855), my hero’s mentor was such a man. Fashioned after the rugged individualist of his day, in a shallow draft skiff, he would pull the gator to the side of the boat then dispatch them with a spiked club.

I cannot imagine doing something so dangerous for money, but there are men who have and still do hunt gator in that fashion. I wanted my young hero to have such a man as a mentor. I believe he matured into a strong man himself for it.

The alligator hunting in BITTER HONEY is a God-given means of provision and is, of course, not for sport or as graphic as in this post.

BITTER HONEY is my FIFTIETH title published and my newest release, book 22 in the Lockets and Lace Collection. Get your copy today! Only $2.99!

In fifty years, from the late 1800s into the twentieth century, hunters harvested over three and a half million Louisiana gators. Today, that number is in excess of three hundred thousand each year.


BIO: Award-winning Author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory! And her best-selling novels are blessed with a lion’s share of 5-Star ratings! With fifty-and-counting titles, she loves writing as well as singing the new songs the Lord gives her—listen to a few at YouTube.

She and Ron, her high school sweetheart, share four children and eighteen grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County, in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

LINKS: Amazon  /  BookBub  /  Website  /  Readers' Group  /  Facebook









19 comments:

  1. What a fascinating post, Caryl! I can't imagine doing such a dangerous job. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. My hero goes gator fishing to survive after a tornado claims the lives of his parents, destroys his home, and uproots most the family vineyard. Had some research to do! Glad you found it interesting. I was concerned it might freak the ladies out :) tee hee hee Thank you fot your comment, Linda! :) Blessings!

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  2. Thanks for the post. The grain on the boots you picture is beautiful. I'm not sure how I feel about killing a gator simply for its' skin, but it is similar to people who trap for fur. It's certainly a rugged lifestyle!

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  3. They eat the meat, too! :) SO it wasn't JUST for the hide, but that's what brought the $$ in :) Hear tell it tastes like chicken . . . I don't think it was on God's approved list of meats, but then there was that vision about not calling unclean . . . we won't get into that. :) Thank you for the comment Connie! BLESSINGS!

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  4. If they didn't creep me out so much, I think it might be kinda fun. I had an alligator sandwich at a county fair years ago. It was interesting!

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    1. You're so brave, Stacey! Thanks for coming by! Blessings!

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  5. sounds exciting but dangerous. I have some friends who do go gator hunting in Louisana.

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    1. They don't seem to think it's dangerous at all but I can tell you I would NOT be in any boat hunting alligator, Shelia! You could count on that! :) Blessings and thanks for coming by! :) <3

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  6. Sounds interesting but dangerous. I did not know that alligators are hunted that way.

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    1. Yes, they are :) It's in the book :) <3 Thanks Erralee for coming by and commenting! BLESSINGS!

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  7. I enjoy reading Author Blogs... I always learn something new about their writing or one of their books... This was incredible... I can't imagine wanting to be out in a little skiff or boat in waters where Gators could be lurking! Sends shivers down my spine.. Thank you for teaching us once again!

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    1. I am with you, Sandy! But my hero was young and brave and hunting alligator in those days paid very well. Thanks for coming by! :) BLESSINGS!

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  8. Thanx for the history lesson! I really like learning how people lived in other times and places!

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  9. Wow, this is so very interesting Caryl, thank you for sharing this information . I learned something while enjoying reading it. Your book sounds very intriguing and like a very good page turner, and a sweet book. Stay safe. Have a Great weekend. God bless you and your family.

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    1. Thank you so much Alicia! Thank you for the blessings! I'm sending some right back your way! <3

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  10. I loved this blog long before I joined these ladies, Jennifer. It's a great place to get little tidbits of interesting history! Blessings and thanks for coming over! <3

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  11. Wow I didn't know any of this. Thank you for sharing!

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  12. Very interesting I can't imagine doing that it would be scary and dangerous and they had primitive tools to do it with. Thanks for the history lesson.

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  13. Very interesting I can't imagine doing that it would be scary and dangerous and they had primitive tools to do it with. Thanks for the history lesson.

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