MY FIRST TIME
PEO PLE
Raymond York Fish & Wildlife Commission trapper recalls landing his first alligator. INTERVIEWER: JAMES COMBS
oing to trap my first nuisance alligator was exciting. I was confident going into it because I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps and served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I also had hunted and fished my entire life. My first gator-trapping experience was on Sept. 4, 2013, in a small lake off Ed Douglas Road in Groveland. When I arrived, I saw the nuisance alligator immediately. I used an electronic alligator call to lure the alligator, and it came within approximately 50 yards of my location on a small dock. It never came any closer, so I ended up baiting a fishing line with a piece of chicken. I waited until after dark, but the gator did not take the bait.
What about your first time?
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≈ PHOTO: NICOLE HAMEL The following morning, the woman who called in the complaint called me and said the gator was on the fishing line. I arrived and pulled the line toward me and realized that the alligator was much bigger than I anticipated. The previous day, I saw only the alligator’s head. When the alligator was close enough, I used a bang stick, which discharges a .357 Magnum firearm cartridge to sever the alligator’s spinal cord and brain. I killed the alligator with no trouble whatsoever. However, when I went to lift the alligator out of the water, it was so heavy I could barely move it. So, I tied the rope to my truck bumper and dragged it up to the land. The alligator ended up being 9 feet long. This particular alligator was special because it was the first one I trapped. As a result, I ended up taking the head to a Native American friend, and he made a necklace for me out of the alligator’s teeth. Today, I catch an average of 80 to 100 alligators each year.
To share a story about your first time doing a significant event, email james@akersmediagroup.com.
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