{Sounds of swamp}
{Music}
[Narration] This is the J.D.
Murphree Wildlife Management Area and its summer in the marsh.
This is one of the best places in Texas to hunt Alligator.
{Splash}
[Andrew Peters] Alligators usually have a small area that
theyíll use so you can kinda keep an eye out and set your line where you actually see
an alligator.
[Narration] Every September a hundred or so lucky Texans
get drawn to hunt gators here.
[Andrew Peters] The J.D.
Murphree Wildlife Management area is roughly twenty four thousand acres of wetland habitat.
{Airboat}
[Andrew Peters] If you donít know youíre way around the
J.D.
Murphree W.M.A.
it can be difficult to get around, everything at times kinda looks the same.
And itís in a part of Texas that a lot of people have not explored before.
{Music}
[Narration] Thatís definitely the case for these three,
meet Spencer Burke, Scott Moore, and Terri Scull.
[Terri Scull] Ya he was just right here, looked like a seven
footer probably.
[Scott Moore] The area that weíre hunting itís a vast
bayou of swamps and marshes, with canals running through.
The adrenaline rush is way more than deer hunting or anything else, because youíre
after something that can actually get you.
{Music} Thereís one probably ten foot and two seven
footers right up here, about one hundred and fifty yards weíre going to try and put a
set.
{Music} [Narration]
Spencer has hunted gators before and is taking Terri and Scott out for the first time.
[Spencer Burke] Come up here and try to sneak up on some alligators
and see how big they are.
[Terri Scull] See if there are any slides or tracks.
[Spencer Burke] Got a run right here, so itís comin right
up here
[Scott Moore] We do alligator hunting because itís something
unique, itís different.
[Spencer Burke] Thereís one right there and a pretty good
one too!
There he is!
[Scott Moore] Weíre out in sort of a harsh environment
with the swamps and mosquitos, alligators, the snakes!
Itís just something you canít do every day
[Scott Moore] I like this over here,
[Spencer Burke] It looks pretty good.
{Gator swims off}
[Narration] Using a long cane pole.
[Terri Scull] Heís almost got it!
[Narration] The idea is to attach the bait to a roped
hook and dangle it just above the water.
[Scott Moore] How high does that look, twenty four inches?
[Spencer Burke] No, no,no, no.
Thatís too high, thatís way too high!
[Spencer Burke] If you put it too low to the water the small
gators will knock it down or even turtles can get to it.
[Spencer Burke] Thatís good!
[Scott Moore] Perfect!
[Spencer Burke] I think this spots good weíve got the wind
direction that will carry the scent, down the canal and weíve actually got a gator
down there looking at us right now!
[Scott Moore] Mr. Alligator is down there waiting for us
to leave so he can get snack time at three oíclock.
I like it, good job Terri!
{Boat engine
[Narration] Deeper into the marsh, Spencer and Terri set
up their poles.
[Terri Scull] I donít know kinda get excited!
Never been gator hunting before, come out here and see probably ten gators so far.
Ya know you see em on TV, and see the alligator shows and this is exactly what it looks like
where theyíre travelling in and out of.
{Music}
[Spencer Burke] Our bait is chicken thigh quarters.
[Terri Scull] Those smell savory!
[Spencer Burke] Itís savory thatís for sure!
[Terri Scull] Mmmmmm.
[Spencer Burke] And we let em sit out in the sun for a day
or two, and they got quite ripe!
[Terri Scull] Up wind is better than downwind when you get
those things out!
{Water splashes} [Spencer Burke]
I like putting my bait about eighteen inches above the water, hopefully you catch a bigger
gator.
[Terri Scull] That smells terrible!
[Spencer Burke] I offered you all some of this stuff.
[Terri Scull] Man that is putrid looking man!
{Music}
[Terri Scull] It stinks!
[Spencer Burke] Thatís gonna get one!
[Terri Scull] Ya!
[Spencer Burke] Hopefully weíve got em high enough where
weíll get some big gators and weíll see what we got when we go out there tomorrow.
{Music fades}
{Hurricane winds}
[Narration] In September of 2008, Hurricane Ike bore down
on Texas, the hurricane not only wiped out parts of Galveston and the upper Texas coast.
{Airboat}
[Narration] About a hundred miles to the east, a storm
surge hit J.D.
Murphree with a wave of salt water.
[Amos Cooper] It was real eerie, the day after Ike, ya know
you go out there was no birds, there was no frogs nothing, it was just complete silence
it was kinda nerve-racking.
It killed alligators for months after Ike landed and it just devastated the landscape.
{Airboat}
[Narration] But over time J.D.
Murphree has recovered.
Now this coastal marsh is back.
Prime habitat for not just alligators, but for wading birds, and wintering waterfowl.
{Airboat}
[Narration] Biologists gauge the gator population by checking
nest success
{Cattails crackle}
[Andrew Peters] The nest is over here and it looks like thereís
a few gathered up over here, usually they stay by the nest for quite a while.
{Chirps from gator babies}
[Andrew Peters] These guys are days even hourís old, little
bittie guys!
Hard to imagine this guy getting ten feet long.
[Amos Cooper] Hah, theyíre going right through my net!
{Laughter}
[Amos Cooper] This year is the first year since Ike that
things kinda got back to normal, we had more nesting than we had in probably eight years
this year.
So thatís a good sign for us.
{Cattails crackle}
[Andrew Peters] Itís really neat to see em, not only just
to be able to see all these baby alligators and be here just moments after theyíve hatched.
But just to see our numbers rebound, shows that we do have huntable numbers and we have
a population that can support a hunt!
{Music}
[Scott Moore] Itís almost like Christmas morning being
a little kid waitin for Santa Claus to come!
[Terri Scull] You ready!
[Scott Moore] Weíre all pumped up and ready to go see what
we got!
[Terri Scull] Wooooooooh!
{Cattails crackle]
[Spencer Burke] I had trouble sleepin last night I was so
excited about checking the lines, I think weíre going to have some gators on this morning!
[Scott Moore] Hey we got one guys!
[Spencer Burke] We got one?
[Scott Moore] Yep!
[Spencer Burke] Oh, he pulled all the line too!
[Scott Moore] Here we go!
Heís not wanting to come now!
Here we go!
What you think heís seven foot?
[Spencer Burke] Heís over seven foot!
[Scott Moore] Oh, youíre just anticipating, you donít
know really whatís on there, and heís pulling against you and youíre fighting against,
and all of a sudden he shows up andÖ
{Splashing}
[Scott Moore] Oh thatís a good, oh yeah!
[Scott Moore] And then itís on then!
He sees you and you see him!
{Splashing}
[Scott Moore] I am amped up!
Adrenalines pumping.
All right Spencer, whenever you get ready!
{Gun blast}
[Scott Moore] Santa Clause was good!
{Tape}
[Terri Scull] Looks good, no line left!
[Narration] In the end it was a successful morning as
all three had a gator on the line.
[Terri Scull] Alligator hunting is just not like anything
else Iíve ever done.
[Spencer Burke] Hold on tight Terri!
[Terri Scull] You know thereís one on the line and you
start pulling him in I donít know you get anxious you get excited, you get nervous.
{Music}
[Terri Scull] Heís not happy!
[Spencer Burke] You donít know if youíre going to catch
an alligator until you pull it up and you really donít know how big itís gonna be!
[Terri Scull] Thatís a big one!
[Spencer Burke] His tail is on the bottom I can feel his tail
kick in off the bottom.
[Spencer Burke] We weíre quite surprised today weíve got
a good eight and half footer and seven and a half footer and probably a six and a half
footer.
[Chase Fountain] Smile, smile, smile, one, two, three!
[Terri Scull] This is a great experience!
If you like to hunt and fish, or even if ya know youíre just interested in something
thatís completely different than maybe anything youíve ever done.
I would recommend it for sure for anybody that hadnít done it.
{Music fades}