So, it's day 4 of a 5foot gator being in my pool!!! I don't think I'll be able to truly say how pissed off I am, but I'll try. In Florida, we have a nuisance law and Florida Wildlife Commission has an 800# you can call to notify them of gators in your pool, patio, garage or on your property in general. FWC will pay for a trapper to come and remove the gator.

I called them at 8am and the guy said someone would be at my home by 12 noon. The trapper showed up at 7pm with a cage and sat it outside of my pool and tossed 1 chicken drumstick in the cage then locked the spring-loaded trapped door and started walking away. I stopped him and asked why not put it inside the pool? He said the gator would drown. I asked what he was gonna do to him when he caught him and he said he would kill him or sell him if he's still alive. Soooo, just shoot it and/or trap it dead and let's both move on. No, he didn't want to do that. 2 days later...gator still there and no sight of him outside of the pool either, just floating for days. Can't let my dogs out, wife is on my ass non-stop. I call again on day 3. FWC says guy will come by 12 noon again. He no-showed on 3rd day. Guy shows up at 6pm on 4th day with 2 more guys and a tennis net attached to 2 poles. They drag the pool bottom and say there is no gator in there now. We look everywhere and NO GATOR! So now I have no idea where the gator went, how did he get in my fully fenced yard? There is no damage to the fence, no digging around the fence, no scratches on the fence, no way to go under the fence and it's a 6.5feet high wooden fence.

The wife is a nervous wreck still because the one thing we wanted to make sure happened was for us to see the gator being removed -- that didn't happen. I go outside now to let the dogs out with a 45 and a flashlight. SUCKS! All these fuckers had to do was bring the net the 1st day, shoot it, loop it and pull it out...pretty much anything other than that dumb shit they did. I now know why they gave me no time or care though. The 5ft gator isn't worth really anything at all. He had (2) 10foot live gators in cages in his truck on the 4th day and was bragging about how much they would sell for. So, because there was no real financial gain to be had they basically just didn't give a shit. I now have to wonder is the gator gonna return with his girlfriend? Gators are very smart. He remembers how to get back to where my pool is. I live on a huge lake (Lake Toho). It's one of the largest lakes in Florida. There are tons of gators and they don't freak me out while kayaking, but I damn sure don't want one in my pool or coming and going as he pleases.

If I shoot him, it's a 3rd degree felony--can't do that-- I'll likely have a huge fine, have to pay to remove it, lose my right to own my guns and lose my job because I need to have TSA background approval to work at the airport I work it. This whole thing was handled shitty-ly, yes shitty-ly as hell. Sometimes you have to make a word up to best describe the ignorant thing that happened.

It's only 4-5 feet, just jump in and wrestle his ass out...if he comes back.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
It's only 4-5 feet, just jump in and wrestle his ass out...if he comes back.

There will be one less SF member then LoL

How do you know the gator is a SIGforum member?

As far your question about how it got in and out goes, start with the assumption that it walked. I'm really not being a smart ass, but it's not likely the last gator you will see in Florida so you need to look again more carefully and closely to figure it out.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
How do you know the gator is a SIGforum member?

hahahahaha !!!!!AWESOME!!!!!

Did you ask Mr Gator to leave?
If he doesn’t leave after you asking him politely: Gangster Rap!
But you gotta sing it. It’s a well known fact that gators hate when you sing gangster rap music!

If that doesn’t work, Im all out of ideas.

Where I used to stay in Sanibel, which is home to Ding Darling NR (full of Gators) there was a pool. I was going to take a dip and discovered a Gator was snoozing peacefully poolside. Two elderly German tourist ladies were also lounging quite near the Gator. I pointed out that they were in close proximity to a prehistoric reptile that views them as a snack, but they seemed unconcerned. I called the Cops, who referred me to some dude who removed Gators.
He said:
"Go out to the pool and measure it. If its less than 6 feet long, we wont remove it"!
I did not pack a tape measure for my Florida visit, so no measuring took place. End of pool use for that visit. And I had just read a news report that an elderly lady was killed trying to rescue her dog from a Gator. But, hey, its Florida!

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
How do you know the gator is a SIGforum member?

As far your question about how it got in and out goes, start with the assumption that it walked. I'm really not being a smart ass, but it's not likely the last gator you will see in Florida so you need to look again more carefully and closely to figure it out.

I think he climbed the fence, but I'm surprised none of the boards show any of hint of this happening. It's mating season so they are really aggressive right now. I've lived here 2 times, 5yrs the first time and for 7yrs this time. I'm pretty comfortable seeing them and dealing with them up close occasionally on the lake. I don't want them in my pool though. I think I have a flying gator. Maybe it's an actual dragon? LoL

Keep in mind that alligators can climb. I'm not saying it climbed your 6-foot fence, but you are going to need to figure out how it gained access and make your property alligator proof.

quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
Keep in mind that alligators can climb.

[vthoky quietly scratches Florida off the Retirement Zone list...]

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
Keep in mind that alligators can climb.

[vthoky quietly scratches Florida off the Retirement Zone list...]

Yeah, it's pretty wild. I see them crossing the street every now and then and have to stop and wait. They have albino gators at Gatorland. They look like devils with their red eyes and white skin CRAZY!

25 years. I've been here for 25 years and seen a lot of alligators. Today for the first time, I did an internet search for alligators climbing fences. Good to know.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
Keep in mind that alligators can climb.

[vthoky quietly scratches Florida off the Retirement Zone list...]

Shovelhead says “no bueno” too……

And SOME people in Florida wonder why I live in Wyoming.

PC

I feel like you've allowed an opportunity to become a Sigforum legend pass you by, lol. Ever since I saw a video of a cop in southern Michigan (not too far from here, so there's always a chance!) wrestling a gator that somebody let loose, I've wanted to try it! This seems like a perfect opportunity...you could take a 4 or 5 footer, I'm sure...just don't do it in the water, and make sure you get video .

In all seriousness, though, I agree with the others that you have to figure out how he got in and fix that. But if he does come back, is there anything in the law that would prevent you from using a catch pole to just lasso him and drag him out of the pool and out of your yard? Because that could also solve the problem with a lot less chance of you getting eaten, and still provide the rest of us with some quality video entertainment .

You probably shouldn't take my advice, though...I tend to take stupid chances with animals. I faced off with two bulls in the road this morning, and it was probably 50/50 that you guys were going to get to see dashcam video of me on the news getting tossed in the air like that lady in South Dakota with the buffalo. Thankfully I guessed right and the bulls were more interested in figuring out how to get back inside the fence with the cows than they were in goring me.

I'm looking forward to your new gator skin cowboy boots at the next Sigforum Barbecue.

Can you lead him out with a chicken leg tied to a pole? Or put something better in the cage?

Joan Wilder likes your boots:

^^^
A five foot gator is likely only good for several gun belts.

Gators are opportunistic feeders.
If there is something to eat, a gator will eat it.
Have you considered the possibility that a larger gator ate your five footer?

Florida 118 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Florida 120 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

If you want it to leave, get it some footwear.

I suggest Crocs.