Hey gang,

So I know what your thinking.... Yeah right, but......


You may remember my post Beware of gators!!!
http://www.safishingforum.com/threads/be-ware-of-gators.1434/


Well it finnaly happened to me. I had mentioned in the previuse post last year of several sightings of gators around San Antonio including canyon lake and the guadalupe river drainage. It made me think twice about swimming across deep pools I couldnt see the bottom in. Or wading remote rivers and creek around SA with murky waters or tall grass on the banks.

Anywho....
Last night Anytime outdoors and myself made a quick recon trip to Canyon lake and would you guess what we saw.... A gator!!!! Sitting on the ramp at boat ramp 8 at about 1:45am was a 5-6 foot aligator. We heard him but didnt pay much attention until the boat was ready to launch. As we pulled onto the ramp he quickly made tracks into the tall grass nearby and none of us felt like giving chase into the thick brush in pitch black but he was kind enough to leave his tracks on the ramp in fresh sand and as he shed water while making his escape. No doubt about it it was a Gator.

It appears this gator has made a nice home there as he has several slides and several places where he has pushed the grass down and made beds. I saw fish carcasses of varying ages in the same slide so he has been feeding there for a little while. I called Canyon lake Corp of Engineers and they are going to let the proper people know however the last gator caught in canyon was released as a native species so I imagine this one will be the same unless it becomes a nusance.

I mentioned it before Ill say it again Gators are here and they are coming!!!

Stay Safe Out There!!!

I know its worthless without pics so hopefully my video from my phone came out. Ill work on getting it uploaded if its worth it.

Not surprised at all. We have several alligators here in the metroplex. Look up Ft Worth Nature Center...LOL

I've seen gators in private ranch lakes as far south as Webb County. Don't think for minute there aren't gators in most of Texas' rivers and streams. Suspect the ones I've seen originated in the Nueces watershed.

I wish people around here were so easy to convince. The local idea seems to be that any gators here are dropped off or relocated not native nesting species. Its hard to argue with the current numbers but I am of the opinion tha tthe numbers are rebounding and we will have more and mroe local encounters of native breeding gators.

The gators werent here becouse they were hunted out and now with strict regulation they are making a huge rebound.

Here is a funny story from last night that I just put on another forum.




So true story,

Eddie ask's me to go up to the truck to get his jacket. Keep in mind he is in the boat in the water. I have to pass exactly where the gator is TWICE!!!

The gator made a quick escpae to very tall grass right next to the ramp. I keep thinking can I out run a gator?

I convince myself no, the gator boys dont run Steve Irwin didnt run so neither was I. I would simply rotate around it while watching for the tail. Heck I was a boxer, pool player, swimmer, basketball player, football player, track runner I should be able to do that...... right???!!!???? I convince myself yes.

However, then I think... What's next? Cant run and now im circling an Angry Gator I might have to do the unthinkable so I pull the only weapon I have my S.O.G. Custom Special forces drop Point Tanto 4" Piercing Blade with double locking safty's and full hilt. Anotherwords the exact killing machine of a knife that you would want if you were going to be stupid enough to try to stab a gator through the quarter size kill spot on the top of his head. (Swamp people voice) . I pull the knife while saying dont pull it if you agint gunna use it while using the voice of the duke, John Wayne. I may have even thrown a pilgram in there... So here I am getting ready to go Mick Dundee on the gator as I slowly and cautiously walk by to get the jacket. I breath a sigh of relief as I make it to the truck and as I turn to return to the boat I repeat the above process again. LOL


You might be a city boy if......

Long Story Short there more affraid of us then we are of them and thank god cause I pee'd a lil.

if you see one there are already dozens. seen a 4 ft one hit on the hiway by choke about 3 years ago, he wasnt headed to the lake.

So you don't think it was let go? Where do you think it came from? I can't imagine they can just cross 100 miles of land to find a lake.

I actually like the thought of having a few dozen around the lake, maybe it will keep the jet skis and wakeboarders too scared to come out.

Lake Travis had a gator in it back 3 years ago or so. Doesn't surprise me a bit.

If ever one got into Lake Dunlap, it wouldn't take long for some of that nonsense activities (jet skiers, wake boarders, not to mention dangerous boat control traffic) to stop. But then the property owners would have a fit if one is sited. Maybe just a few piranhas in the lake. CHOMP CHOMP. LOL

All the way to Oklahoma is there native habitat . They are native Texans and should be treated as such with respect u don't mess with a Texan

Seen entry of gators at Caleveras and Brainig lake. A warden once told me ranchers would buy them to control the turtles in farm ponds. Once they ran out of food, they go to the next pond. Lots in Choke Canyon and seen one in Lake Corpus Christie.

A 7 footer was found in a lumber warehouse on I-30 in Campbell a few years ago. They have been caught on trotlines in Tawkonia. Fork has a bunch of them. They are in almost all lakes. You just don't see them. I lived in Louisiana for 15 yrs. We water skied and swam in all the lakes and never gave the gators a thought. Unless cornered or around babies they will stay away from you.

^^ Exactly, leave them alone and they will leave you alone..

I've heard stories while growing up back in the early sixties where on the Medina river above Medina lake there was a pool that was called the alligator hole. It obviously got the name from someone sighting a gator there.
There are gators just about everywhere and there are people everywhere and some of those people like to collect weird pets as well.
I remember several years back a kid got mauled up at Canyon lake by someones pet tiger or whatever. I know it was a big cat they had that got away from them while they were out showing off.
I've heard of people seeing monkeys at their campsites also, so Canyon Lake can be a little strange, so I don't doubt that you saw one at all!

We have rivers that flow through Texas all the way to the GOM. Why is it so hard for folks to believe that gators are native from the southern and northern borders of Texas? I can assure you there are gators on South Texas ranches that came from those rivers and creeks during floods. Not pets that were released or purchased to control turtles. Ranchers don't want something in their ponds that kills livestock.

I know you are smarter than me but have you ever been to Canyon Lake? That gator would have to come up through 4 other lakes and dams before it crawled up over the mountain of Canyon lake dam. Not to mention the water below Canyon is very cold (bottom draw lake). Now it could have come down the Guadalupe but due to low water parts of the river don't even run anymore. If there is a gator and I don't doubt there is/could be then it was let go. This area is way to populated for a gator to just be wandering around unnoticed for this long.

Gators in Coleto creek, Choke, Mathis? Absolutely but not going be allowed at Canyon, it's way too populated.