There is no indication this gator was a risk to human life. It was big, old and NO reports of it eating any person. If we kill just because something has the potential to do harm to us then not much would be left, including humans. So this is really an invalid argument.

This was not just some deer or hog that a hunter had taken for meat. It's one thing to take for sustenance, it's another to take for ego. This was perhaps the largest gator in Texas. Now it is not in the river, it's going to be on some jerks wall. So if I would like to visit said gator I have to go the this guys office and listen to his BS story about his "dangerous" hunt and subsequent hard on.

Levi G McCathern wanted to hunt something that could hunt him. Did anyone report a alligator in suit and tie stalking around the lawyer's office or hiding in a blind made to look like a water cooler?

If he had only injured this predator, he could have defended himself in court. Just ask him, I am sure he would tell you that he would win the case.

I do not have a problem with hunting or even taking alligators. On the show, Swamp People, that this guy was trying to emulate, the gators are taken for their meat and hides and to provide a way of life to the hunters. This is all done within the laws of Louisiana to protect the alligator population. Levi "Gator" McCathern is a lawyer. He does not need this gator for his livelihood. I am pretty sure he paid a bunch of money for somebody to set this up for him. We all know how sporting canned hunts are. This is no different other than the fact that this gator WAS wild.

Looks like the lawyer has a lawyer to claim he did nothing wrong. TPWD would not be investigating if this had been done legally. So I suppose it's ok for us to break the law if we are lawyers or want to do something we see on TV. I would bet he gets off and you or I would not.

What about the gator killed in Bastrop County this year. TPWD has done the right thing and gone after the "hunters".

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/weird/State-Investigating-Giant-Alligator-Hunt-124527139.html

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/12-foot-alligator-found-in-bastrop

I guess I am fired up about this because somehow this jerk thinks he was justified using some of the same predator arguments that are being made here. We all need to protect OUR natural resources. They do not belong to one guy in an office in Dallas.

Im going to buy you all stuffed gator cuddle dolls for Christmas.
John Wayne would have killed the gator with his bare hands not to mention what Tarzan would do.

It was a "what if?" question. This is a hypothetical question, let say the gator ate your dad/mother/wife/son/daughter/family member, would it be ok to kill it then or give it sanctuary? I'm not trying to start an argument just what to know what you would do should that happen to your family member...

I do agree with you that the gator should not have been killed. It should have just been captured and relocated to some kind of sanctuary like a zoo. However, like you stated yourself, this is a wild animal and IMO should not wait til the gator take a human life before someone decides it is a threat. Though there were no indications of the threat to humans, but it's better to be safe than sorry. In our society human life far out-weighs an animal's when it comes down to it, but animal activist would not agree with that.

I would love to have a gator doll pm I will give you an address to ship me my christmas present.

Ren,
If you are asking if I am an animal activist the answer is no. If you are asking if I would protect my family from IMMINENT DANGER with equally deadly force the answer is YES. But this is not the case. If we are to buy the argument that something or some animal or someone COULD cause harm then they must be dealt with by relocation or death then you really should rethink your argument. As humans we are all predators. How are we going to isolate all predators from potential pray. This is an impossible and ignorant solution. Please think about your arguments for the right for one person to do harm without JUSTIFICATION. Does anyone have a valid argument that justifies the killing of this alligator. I like a good logical argument and I am still waiting.

Nobody wants to address my question?

Why is that ...

I did address your question. Did you not read my answer? Why is that..


"This was not just some deer or hog that a hunter had taken for meat. It's one thing to take for sustenance, it's another to take for ego. This was perhaps the largest gator in Texas. Now it is not in the river, it's going to be on some jerks wall. So if I would like to visit said gator I have to go the this guys office and listen to his BS story about his "dangerous" hunt and subsequent hard on."

Dude are you just wanting to argue? I did say I agree with you about the gator shouldn't have been killed. The only difference from my point of view was to relocate it & that's way better than killing it. What's illogical about relocating it? Looks like your just trying to press buttons by saying "impossible & ignorant". Guess if everyone that don't agree with you completely is ignorant. I'm not even disagreeing with you about the wrongful killing & yet you wanna call my view ignorant. For the record I DIDN'T JUSTIFY THE KILLING OF THE GATOR.

My bad ... I see it now.

A lot of hunters kill huge animals to stuff them and place them on display. The average person will never be in the postition to see one in the wild so this is as close as they can get. I see no problem with it. It's no worst than a bear or ... gulp ... a state record LM.

Texas has apparently decided gator populations should be controlled and has set hunts. Assuming this man shot the gator in accordance with laws and regulations why are people so bent out of shape? Would they be if it was a big 12 point whitetail buck with a 30" spread, 9" bases and weighing 250lbs?

Apparently some are willing to forego a presumption of innocence and seek to smear the man in the court of public opinion. The state investigated the same guide over another gator about the same size in 2007, some say persecuted. The Nacogdoches paper alleged there was a grudge between the guide and the local game warden. Bottom line is that the state could never build a case and dropped it.

Someone mentioned canned hunt. I wonder if they know the definition. I see nothing to indicate that this animal was bought elsewhere and brought to this site for a kill. It seems to be a wild and free ranging animal.

Shame as sportsmen we cannot presume innocence of other sportsmen without an investigation or charges.

Night or day! Kill 'em all and not wait till the first casualty.

My guess is that if godzilla showed up ,breathing fire and stomping down houses somone would want to allow him to roam unmolested as an endangered species-p-

Ren,

All I am asking is you think about your argument. You said "IMO a gator that big can't be left out loose to endanger the lives of humans" and, "This is a wild animal and IMO should not wait til the gator take a human life before someone decides it is a threat..." SO according to your argument or opinion big gators and/or wild animals should be dealt with by relocation. Where do you relocate all the big potentially threatening wild life so it can't harm a Human.
Should a Government agency or International agency be created to move all Potentially Threatening Animals away from all potential human prey. Are you going to build a big ARK and send them into outer space. You would have never known this gator existed had it not been killed.
This is not a valid argument due to the fact that 1. it's not possible and its based on the idea that the animal may do harm so lets lock it away. It's not a logical argument. You can't prejudge and then determine the fate of something based on what you think it may do. I may commit a heinous crime but you can not lock me up for it until I do it.

Fish fear me
I respect yours and Ren's right to have your opinions. So do you really think the average person is going to get to appreciate the gator on the lawyers wall? I just don't think that there is a rational reason to take this resource from all of US just to hang on one guys wall. That was as much your Gator as mine or the lawyers. He did not have the legal or ethical right to take that animal. If you catch a trophy Bass we are all better served if it goes back into the water or into a program like share a lunker. If you take a bear you should eat it. Killing just to kill or for ones ego is just unethical and sometimes illegal.

Do either of you have a logical, rational, ethical reason for your opinions or do you just believe that because?

We are not going to agree. Thats ok.

Im sure they ate the gator meat. I know I would have. I love fried gator. Used to eat it all the time in Florida.

Barrblues,

All I am thinking as I read your post (arguments) is that I really hope you get this worked up over some of the REALLY important issues that affect HUMANS and OUR NATION right now.
I don't really care which side you fall on, just hope you channel this energy into other stuff too.

It would be a shame to waste it all on this poop.

I keep coming back to this thread like I would a car wreck.