No-Tail lay still in the shade, quite possibly asleep. If Chef got his line back in his real fast enough he could get a second shot. David stepped in and pulled the line out of the water and up the bank.
As the Muzzy gator arrow slid through the water plants and brush along the bank the gator picked up the sound and turned around … and eased into the water.
The gator started swimming. At this point, if you’d have asked any one of us, we would’ve said the gator was leaving and this chance meeting was over. But No-Tail had his own purpose. Here’s A Bigger Pic of No-Tail…
The blunt tailed No-Tail turned sharply and cut across the channel toward our side, and stopped a few yards from where David had pulled the Muzzy gator arrow out of the water and up the side.
Our gator was looking for whatever had made that noise. Now the gator string was back in his bowfishing reel now and Chef drew.
He lined the alligator up through a small opening in the leaves and took aim. “I got him.” he said when the arrow landed. David pulled on the string and discovered that he didn’t get him and quickly yanked the arrow back.
Surprise, No-Tail completely misjudged the situation and swam up to the edge of the bank. David got Chef ready to go lightning fast. Chef took his shot. And missed.
This time No-Tail swirled went underwater. And quickly sped on to parts unknown. So we too, moved on.
Later that day when I showed David the pictures of the gator and he verified that part of the tail was missing, between two and three feet was gone — probably bitten off by another alligator when he was younger. CONTINUED…
- We are bowhunting Florida Alligators at Williams Wildlife Preserve. For information contact David Mills at 863-303-4726. Visit David on the web at www.teamsrr.com
- This alligator bowhunt is sponsored by MUZZY Bowfishing  Equipment. We received Muzzy Gator Getter Kits with gator arrows, bowfishing reels and line, floats and other necessities. Visit them on the web at www.muzzy.com.