July 21, 2003

TPWD Game Warden Field Notes
The following are excerpts from recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department law enforcement reports.

Heroic Rescue � Newton County game wardens were called to the scene of a double drowning in the Sabine River at the Hwy190 Bridge. The victims, ages 15 and 42, had drowned while rescuing three young girls who had lost their inflatable raft in the swift water of the river. The wardens recovered the bodies July 7. A Jasper County warden and a Sabine County warden assisted in the recovery.


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If you refuse a breath test � On July 4, a Parker County game warden filed a Boating While Intoxicated case against someone who was on Lake Lewisville. The person refused all tests. The next day the person called because he could not find his driver's license. He had to be reminded about the consequences of not submitting to the breath test.

All's well that ends well � July 7, a Denton County game warden responded to an alligator call at Lake Lewisville. Some kids had caught a 22-inch alligator while fishing. The alligator was taken to an isolated location and released.

Likely story � July 3, a Denton County game warden apprehended two men from Fort Worth who had 36 undersized crappie. The men stated that their tape measure must be wrong.

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? ALL THE LAKES AND STREAMS THAT ARE PART OF THE TRINITY RIVER SYSTEM, AND MOST OTHER RIVER SYSTEMS IN TEXAS, HAVE ALLIGATORS NATIVE TO THEM. THEY ARE SHY, AND IF LEFT ALONE, HARMLESS.

JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE THEM DOESN'T MEAN THEY AREN'T THERE.

I have seen several gators on the North end near 380. About 6 years ago, I had a relative who shot one to protect his dog. He then called the game warden to notify them and they ended up writing him a ticket. What still amazes me is that I had never heard of gators there before. I used to wade fish for crappie in the spring there but have not since.

I saw a very big Alligator at Richland Chambers about 1 month ago. Big and brown. First time ever seeing one in the wild. Amazing.....ly scary. LOL!

Gators have been around in north and mostly in east texas for years.
I've seen gators at lake fork for years saw my first one on an early trip a few years back with my buddy, we saw some glowing like eyes we figured a beaver or something and as soon as the sun came up well it was not no dang beaver.lol.
Plus i know there has been two or three taken out of white rock lake, so lake lewisville don't suprise me one bit.

ray

My brother played tug-o-war with one over a dead duck in the Richland-Chambers WMA a couple years ago.
Bro got the duck- and a tail lashing too.

Great news! In a way,certain elements of nature may finally be beginning to reclaim what was rightfully theirs to begin with.

My dad and I used to see evidence of gators all along the Elm Fork yrs ago, in the very shadow of MAJOR urban developments. If some people knew how close to "civilization" some of these gators live, it could cause some major stirs!

Most of the crusty "urban fishermen" who frequent the Trinity watersheds for fishing and waterfowl hunting can probably relate many stories of encounters with gators over the years, but unless asked, won't even bring it up!

Rudy

If you have any problem spotting the gators,
Here is something I used to do as a child growing up in Florida (we had a 3 acre pond, surrounded by creeks and more ponds in the woods...personally caught 3).

Take a flashlight and shine it onto the water's surface at night. If there are gators in the area, you will see their eyes (Big round eyes) on top of the water for over a hundred yards (depending on the brightness of your light). You can also spot snakes in this way, but their eyes are much smaller. You are supposed to be able to estimate the length of a Gator by determining the number of inches between the eyes. Every inch in width is 1 foot in length...and I have seen some very large gators 12+ feet (later confirmed by seeing them on shore).

Gators that you don't see out in the open are not a problem, because the will stay away from people. Gators that are easily seen, and then fed are a problem...when they no longer fear people, is when problems start to happen.

Gators, Gators, and more Gators. I don't think there is a lake in Texas without one. My brother in law caught one on a rod and reel off of Eagle Mountain Lake a few years ago even got a spot on the news.

The way ya'll talk, those gators might be easier to catch than those LMB, ya know!

You haven't seen a gator til you've been on the river in Choke Caynon!!.....twice we've seen a 14-16 foot gator that weighed probably 6-800 pounds or maybe more.....we were within 30 feet or so at one time while he was on the bank......very intimidating to say the least!!

Another lake with some big ones is Lake Livingston. We saw two down there every bit of 14 feet. It was really impressive to see them in the wild like that.

Thanks for the updates on 'gator locations, y'all. I'll start carrying red sauce with me on my fishing trips from now on...never know when you'll need it...yumyum, eat 'em up!

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HEY I NEED A NEW PAIR OF BOOTS SIZE 14 THANKS

Distribution of American Alligators in Texas Region. Interesting facts on where these creatures live. I live in Austin, and they say they even exist there! http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/wild/...fAlligators.pdf

TPWD says the largest alligator in Texas was 14'4" long. Located in Jackson County.

Are alligator's good to eat?
Alligator meat is a popular dish in Louisiana, and has a taste similar to chicken. At nearly $7 per pound, alligator meat is not likely to challenge the popularity of chicken any time soon. Alligator farms help meet the demand for the hides, food, etc. while allowing the wild population to grow in their natural habitat. Farmers are allowed to harvest alligator eggs. In return they have to release some of their 4 ft. gators back into the wild. Once a gator is over 4-ft. in length, their only predator is man. PER TPWD!

[This message has been edited by Ranger R (edited 07-29-2003).]