Alligator at Squaw - Dead

Anyone else see that the big gator at Squaw Creek was dead?

Lead poisoning...

looks like a head shot

They like tilapia too.

Hopefully someone contacted the game warden.

He probably killed himself because he couldn’t find a fish over 2 pounds to eat.

Game warden was aware and said likely was hit with a boat

OUCH!!!

Terrible

How many reports of alligator attacks have there been on squaw, ever? Looks like he was shot, could be wrong, but didn't seem necessary.

Must have been a Nitro, you know how those guys are.

It wasn't a Ranger, gator would have had plenty of time to get out of the way...

Wow, this is the first I've heard of alligators on Squaw. Man, I need to get out there and see what's going on.

Looks like a good sized one as well.

As a new resident to the DFW area ........ Are alligators common on the lakes near me (Lewisville, Weatherford, Possum Kingdon, Grapevine, etc) ?

Yeah and those North Texas gators are known for jumping into boats and biting people. No way, I’d go to a lake up there!

ROTFL!

I don't mind if they jump in the boat ... as long as they don't try to dominate the conversation.

13 footer shot at Lewisville a few years back.

Yes, they live in most of the north and east Texas lakes. They are very shy in the lakes with more boat traffic, you probably won't see one. If you do see one, just give it some space and leave it be. They've been here far longer than we have.

RiP

Them lizards are getting further north every year

I have fished near them in Florida many times, and unless they had young with them they were no threat whatsoever. I just didn't want to get surprised.

Thanks for the info.

Hope it was just an accident... I know you East and South Texas folks have em everywhere, but it pretty rare to actually get to see them around here. Hate to see the few we actually have getting killed. I totally get hunting them in places they have good numbers, North Central Texas just isnt one of those places.

I agree. Last one I’ve seen in the wild was fishing up the river on Ross Barnett.

the are native here. every lake in Texas has them.

They get real big up there too. Love that lake.

I hope that it was not shot... Having a gun on your boat at squaw is a no no...Another thing it is illegal to shot a gator.

Took this picture of croc in Everglades two weeks ago. Had one run over the bow of my kayak years ago when I came around a spoil island and accidentally cut off its escape route to water.

Surprised he lasted this long out in that parking lot. Finally found a prop he couldn't dodge I guess.

What? Their range extends up into Oklahoma and northern Arkansas and we can tell from fossil records that their range in America has barely changed at all in the last few million years.

Gator tails are good fried up. They make good boots and wallets.

Could have sworn I saw one in Tawakoni a couple of years ago. Right at daybreak, in the cove behind Sky Point RV park (Squirrel Cove?). Looked like a log at first, but then I thought I saw his nostrils. It was definitely something swimming, and not just drifting along. Wasn't huge, but still got the adrenaline pumping

Fork has them so it makes sense Tawakoni does

Ive seen them/him many times. Guessing he didn’t turn his headlights off at the boat ramp!!! Sorry! Couldn’t help it!

I expect to eventually see an Alligator at Whiterock, caught a Tilapia there last year in a cast net, saw flock of green parakeets over the weekend, the call of Peacocks can be deafening in the Summer, and I haven't seen many Elk lately so there could also be a few Grey Wolves, mixed in with the Cougars, in the wooded areas, as well.

Looks like a bow fisher shot him in the head, I know they slay the tilapia out there and have been encouraging the bowfishers to shoot em

Somervell County Sheriff shot one years ago in Squaw Creek(River) below Squaw Creek Reservoir. My kids and others fished and played in the creek below the lake. The sheriff said he was just “protecting the children”. The department actually caught a lot of flack for that one. The one (or more) in the lake would usually keep his distance but one time I was fishing and was surprised to see him just floating beside my boat. Startled me!

Always give a gator respect. Common since and good judgement goes a long way!

I'm betting if that GW that saw it and said a boat probably hit it then probably a boat hit it. I would think he is an expert at these things.

Why defer to him when you have access to such a plethora of information available on a forum? Conjecture is so much more entertaining! JK....but kinda sad anyway because gators have always been a cool part of Squaw. While sightings used to be common for me it has been a couple years since I’ve seen one. Rarely went up the river without seeing one swimming off in the distance. A Luminant employee said it/they have been living lately back in the hot water discharge area back by the employee parking area. He called it the “retention pond area” or something like that. If you look on Google Maps there is a large area by the discharge that is completely off limits to the public:

Regardless RIP Squaw Gator!

I saw 14 gators one day on an east Texas lake.

The one behind the SWIS or the small part that no one can get to has been caught on camera a bunch of times and there has been one hanging around the cold water intake .

People get crazy about alligators. I have seen them in just about every lake I've ever fished. I don't bother them and they don't bother me.

I can't imagine a grown man getting scared by an alligator being in the lake.

Same here.. Gators won't bother you.... Only way they'll bother you is if you get up in one of their nest. Other than that they just go on about their way. I think they are really cool animals, hate to see this one got whacked by a boat!

I also find it funny people on here saying they don't see them often.... I'm not sure if we fish the same waters, but I don't think I've ever been to a lake I HAVEN'T seen a gator..

If it was a Nitro then the boat would be on the bottom of the lake. Lots of good meat going to waste.

Guess yall never seen lake placid

There was one small lake I used to fish where I saw at least five gators every time I went. Some of them were enormous. A momma gator swam alongside the boat as we left a narrow cove where I had just seen her baby. I decided to let her have that stretch of water.

I made a couple of casts at one on Lake Nacogdoches thinking it was a laydown...until it went under. I guess the closest I got to one without seeing it was fishing one of the little pockets between Harvey and Veach on Rayburn. He was laying on a bank where the dirt was about the same color he was. I threw right beside him and when he flipped around and went in the water it made a big splash and wake and about caused my brother-in-law to soil his britches.

Two years in a row on Hawkins I had to quit throwing a frog just before dark because a gator kept trying to get it.

Gators are everywhere. I think there has only been one person killed by a gator in Texas in the last 100-plus years. That was the guy down near the coast who jumped in the water just about on top of one in the dark a couple of years ago. If I recall correctly there were warnings that there was a gator there but he jumped in anyway.

Saw this one at squaw about a month ago

I know they were in Tawakoni back around 2000. We used to fish around a collapsed road bed up there and there was always a gator or two hanging out in the area.

It's strange you mentioned Lake Nacogdoches. I was going to say that is the only lake where I have never seen an alligator. I always figured they were there but I have never seen one and I have fished that lake for many many years. The biggest one I have ever seen was on Toledo Bend. I originally thought it was a pine tree that had fallen. When I got a little closer, that big "pine tree" decided to stand up. I know it was 14' or more and it was MASSIVE. I'm not scared of gators, but I decided to give that one a little distance.

squaw gators have two tails,...

And one big eye.

Fork gater

I saw one on Athens a couple years ago. My gf at the time and I were just having drinks and floating around the dam area. Her eyes get big and she yells out "look an alligator" it popped up about 40 yards from the boat. He floated around for a minute or so and went back under. We had literally got back in the boat from swimming 20 minutes prior.

JadensBasshole, that is the dead one. It lays in same position currently.

Only lake I’ve personally seen them in is Lake Arlington. But have seen pictures and videos of several. Specifically Eagle Mountain.

they are in almost every lake in Texas