More Hunting
After several hours of hunting, we loaded up our Teal, got onto the boat and headed back to the side-by-sides. As we were in Louisiana not just to duck hunt but also to test and review the then-new Ranger XP 1000 (“Polaris Ranger XP 1000: It Works For Us,” Dirt Toys, April, 2018, page 30), we were thinking the hunting portion of our two days at Honey Brake were done when we headed back from the blind.
Our hunting was done—for the most part.
Later that day Keeth invited Rick Sosebee and I to tag along as he checked some of the waterways on the Honey Brake property for alligators. Keeth has a license to hunt alligator and he was checking his alligator lines (think fishing line but a whole lot bigger). We had been out shooting photos of the new Ranger XP 1000 and some of the best spots were near the waterways and ponds that are on the property. We were cautioned to not get close to the edge of any of the waters because they are infested with alligators.
That was definitely true. We saw dozens of alligators of all sizes lurking just below the surface of the water and we were definitely careful not to get too close. It was while shooting photos that Keeth stopped by and asked if we wanted to ride along.
Then, after that, we were there when Keeth and some others pulled in some bait lines that were set in one large waterway not too far from the lodge. They hauled in three alligators (“small” according to Keeth).
The lodge’s cooks use all the animals harvested (including the ducks we shot) for various meals at the facility, like alligator poppers. Nothing goes to waste.
Our two days in Louisiana were a great mix of hunting and riding and well worth rising and shining for.
Sources
Savage Arms, Sure-Shot Game Calls, Banded Wader
