The Demise of Sneaky Pete:

Well, an update on the gator situation:

I�ve spoken with a local TPW biologist who is going to set a trap, catch, and remove the gators. They will be re-located to a Wildlife Management Area that is in need of predators. I hope �ole Sneaky Pete will make a good addition to the WMA population.

My observations (thus far):

Gators, over time, become accustomed to and loose their fear of humans. I feel this is part of their natural learning ability or instinct. The more time we spent at the lake, the less threatened they felt by our presence and the closer they would get to us. In the end the gators would come directly under the pier while we were fishing or just a few feet away while we were on the bank. It seems that they �watch� and learn. As they inch closer with no harm, they inch a little closer and so on. Over time, the distance becomes dangerous.

They have a natural bite reflex. I observed this several times, the gators snap at anything within striking distance. They have the mentality of bite first, taste it � and eat it if it tastes like food. If it doesn�t taste like food, then drop it. For example: red-and-white fishing bobbers. It took them a while to figure out that my bobbers were not food. Anything that move close, especially to the sides, is likely to get a snap from the gator. Wow! They are fast!

They are curious. My lake became �their lake�. If any activity was happening on the lake, it wouldn�t take long for the gators to show up. My theory is that splashing water readily attracts the gators attention, so they will always come over and �check it out�.

They can become aggressive even if you DO NOT intentionally feed the gator. They gradually lost their fear of us and began watching us while we were fishing. First, they began grabbing at fish when we released them back into the water. Next they began trying to grab the fish before we landed them. Finally, one of the larger gators chased a hooked bass as I was fishing on the shoreline. It was in hot pursuit of the fish�in a very aggressive move. He wanted that fish and for a moment I wasn�t sure he was going to back off. He came within 3 feet of me � clearly going after the fish, but had it been a child or someone else, they could have unwittingly dragged the fish (and gator in hot pursuit) directly to them and put themselves in danger. He finally backed off after much yelling and waving of arms. They now clearly associate me with fish and are becoming more and more aggressive.


My 2 cents on gators in your lake or pond:

- First off, I like the gators. They are part of the natural system and a lot of fun to watch. You are lucky to have the opportunity to see them in the wild. However, safety must come first and as they become a problem, they must be relocated or removed.

- Size matters. A 3� to 4� gator is not a big threat and will likely stay away from human (unless fed). However, once they reach about 5 feet long, they start to gain girth and mass too. Anything over 5� long should be �relocated�.

- Never feed them. Remember that gators move around too. If you are feeding a pet gator, think about this: What happens to the next guy when your gator decides to move on?

- Be aware if gators are in your area. They are becoming more populated and they are reclaiming their range in Texas. State laws protected gators and their numbers have grown. I grew up in East Texas never recall seeing an alligator. Now-a-days, they are all over the place and it is no surprise to find one. The state recently added a nuisance gator season as a result from the expanding population. I hear that gator tags may be standard on hunting Texas licenses sometime in the future.

- Just because you don�t see them doesn�t mean they are not there + where there is one gator, there is likely more. I have spotted anywhere from none to 3 (or more) gators in my lake on any given day. I predict that this will be an ongoing problem. They tend to come and go, often going weeks without seeing a gator, then all of the sudden they are back again.

I hope you find this information helpful.

Gator

- Smoke 'em if you got 'em

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