Momma said alligators are so angry because they got all dem teeth but no toothbrush.

I heard a story years ago and I can't confirm the truth of it, but it goes like this....There were a group of guys wading in water about knee deep setting out duck decoys on the upper lake and one of the guys that was known for his practical jokes and clowning around started yelling and thrashing around and the other guys thought he was playing around....Well, he wasn't!

Suppossidly a gator had grabbed his leg and clamped down but the guy was able to work free as it wasn't a very big one and wound up with some scratches and hurt pride.

Anyway that's basically the version I heard, and how true, I don't know?

They keep the jet fleas away:) Nuff said

From TP&W:

�If the alligator is not approaching people or otherwise posing an obvious threat, wait a few days if possible - even up to a week - before contacting TPWD. In spring and summer, alligators are moving to breed and find new habitat. Most of the alligators moving around are smaller ones that have been pushed out of their normal habitat by larger alligators. Usually, these smaller alligators will move further on in a week or two.
�If you hear an alligator hiss, it's a warning that you are too close.
�Alligators have a natural fear of humans, and usually begin a quick retreat when approached by people. If you have a close encounter with an alligator a few yards away, back away slowly. It is extremely rare for wild alligators to chase people, but they can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances on land. Never make the mistake of thinking that an alligator is slow and lethargic. Alligators are extremely quick and agile and will defend themselves when cornered. A female protecting her nest might charge a person who gets close to the nest, but she would quickly return to the nest after the intruder left.
�It is not uncommon for alligators to bask along the banks of a pond or stream for extended periods of time. These alligators are usually warming their bodies; they are not actively hunting. Often times a basking alligator may be seen with its mouth open; this is a way to cool its body temperature down, since alligators do not pant or sweat. An approaching human should cause these alligators to retreat into the water. (In some cases, the alligator may be protecting a nest - see below.) However, an alligator may be considered a nuisance if it leaves the banks of the water body to spend time near homes, livestock pens, or other structures.
�If you walk near the water and an alligator comes straight toward you, especially if it comes out of the water, it is definitely a nuisance alligator that needs to be reported to TPWD. In many cases, these are alligators that have been fed by people or have been allowed to get human food.
�If you see an alligator while walking a pet make sure that your pet is on a leash and under your control. Your pet will naturally be curious, and the alligator may see an easy food source. Alligators have a keen sense of smell. In areas near alligator sightings it is wise to keep pets inside a fenced area or in the house for a few days, during which the alligator will often move on.
�If you see an alligator in the roadway, DO NOT attempt to move it! Notify local authorities so the alligator can be handled safely.
�If you see a large alligator in your favorite swimming hole or pond, do not swim with it. Although alligator attacks in Texas are rare, it can happen. The "attack" reports in Texas are usually more accurately described as "encounters." As with all outdoor activities, realize that wildlife encounters are a possibility.
�It is not uncommon for alligators to pursue top-water fishing lures, and this activity does not constitute a threat to humans. As with fish, alligators are attracted to these lures because they mimic natural food. Most alligators can be easily scared away from boats or fishing lures. However, alligators that repeatedly follow boats, canoes, or other watercraft, and/or maintain a close distance without submersing may be considered nuisance alligators.
�If you see a nuisance alligator, consider why it is there. Did someone clean fish and throw the heads into a pond or river? If so, they created a potential alligator problem and could be breaking state regulations. Since October 1, 2003, it has been a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 for anyone caught feeding an alligator.

choot um!!!! choot um Elizabeth!!! had to do it. sorry guys.
really leave um alone and they will leave you alone.

This is a main part of the problem right here. I have seen people feeding the gators while cleaning fish at the 75 acre Lake fish cleaning station.

Also, I have been growled and hissed at twice on Choke. Scared the carp out of me and I went the other way. This past Thursday I had a gator in Opposum creek actually follow my boat a ways - maybe 75 or 100 yards. I was fishing a bank and did not even see her. When I got near the cove I hear the loud growl behind me, and saw her when I turned around. This gator was at least 10 feet long. I turned the boat to head away and she actually followed me in the water a ways. She never got closer than 25 or 30 yards from my boat. This is the first time I have ever seen this, been growled and hissed at once before but never followed. After following me for about 75 maybe a 100 yards she went under the water. I could not see her any longer, but after about 5 mins on the trolling motor I saw her head poke back up in the cove where I started.

I can say I have been fishing Choke since 1998 and the Gator population has grown signifigantly in the last 13 years. They are very intriguing to watch and look at, but I don't see why you can hunt everything else around but can not hunt gators. Seems to me there should be a season for them - There is no way Gators should be on the endagered species any more. I call BS and they need removed from the Endagered species list - Every lake in Texas and Florda has Gators - Heck I think there is enough Gators in choke to get them off the endagered species list.

I dont see why you could not get a tag for 1 gator a year and allow hunting them at some point in the season. They will over populate choke if they are not thinned out a little. With no natural predators in the area what would weed them out besides a dwindling food supply.

Alligators are no longer on the endangered list, however they are still on the protected list. There are public hunt permits issued at Choke Canyon. Numbers are based on surveys done by TP&W.

Did not know that, thanks. Hopefully some gator carne for me.

As Troy on that show, "swamp people" would say!

Chooooot um, Chooooot um Elizabet!!!!!

Last year I saw one I KNOW went around 18'+ on the East/North end of the lake...

Can anyone else confirm they saw here? How big is she?

I cannot believe you guys are so scared of those things. They might follow a boat, prob ou of curiosity. Not like they have tried to get in yet. Cmon!

Did you get any fingerprints off that arrow sticking out the side of the gator in Four Fingers this past weekend? I reported it to the park ranger Sunday afternoon 5/15.

Leave the gators alone. There is no problem on Choke except maybe the goofballs shooting them and feeding them.

The fishing was pretty good by the way.

I've got a gator on video somewhere around here that was longer than my old 20 foot Cobra. Bryan over at the Calliham store will tell you there at least use to be 4 or 5 that were around 20 foot or longer on Choke. Wonder what ever happened to those???

+1000
You guys are acting like you have a rattlesnake nest in your shoes. These gators are doing nothing to harm you, so why harm them? If I broke into your house, what would you do? Same concept applies to them. They just want to live their lives and not be bothered by us. Repsect nature and it will respect you.

Sometimes the eyes fool us.

Florida gator may be a star, but Texas grows them bigger


AP photo from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Robert Ammerman, a nurse who traps gators as a hobby, poses with the 654-pound Florida alligator he caught in the Lake Washington area of the St. Johns River in Brevard County .


Florida may be all abuzz about the monster alligator that towed a boat around a lake for 45 minutes when a trapper tried to snare it, but Texas gets to keep its bragging rights on big gators.

The Florida alligator set a state record at 14 feet, 3½ inches, but Texas Parks and Wildlife reports that the largest gator on record here was half an inch larger: A 14-foot, 4-inch gator was taken near West Columbia in 1998.

Texas may not have any bigger alligators lurking out there undetected, however. Houston Chronicle outdoors writer Shannon Tompkins recently reported that alligator populations are starting to come back from the devastation of Hurricane Ike, but it will take decades for the young alligators to reach the size of the behemoths wiped out by the storm.

Texas doesn�t have records on file for alligators caught before endangered species protections were lifted here and hunting resumed in 1985, so it�s possible that Texas alligators used to be even bigger.

Louisiana, meanwhile, still lays claim to a record that has stood for over a century. The biggest alligator ever recorded in the United States came from Louisiana in 1890. Its length: 19 feet, 2 inches.

Best tent camping there is around Choke is near "Watch for Gators" signs.