On September 9th, 2019 three members of WWH arrived at a hunting camp to participate in a hunt that very few in the United States ever have the chance to experience… Alligators! The first day at the camp the veterans were briefed on what to expect for the next two days, fed gumbo, and had some time to relax. The following morning everyone loaded up in my truck and we headed out to meet an alligator legend, Mr. Reggie, who was going to take us to his hunting grounds. The veterans had time to meet Mr. Reggie and get a quick bite to eat before we headed to the boat launch.
One veteran was placed in the boat that would get the first crack at bagging an alligator, one veteran was placed in the boat that would haul the alligators, and one rode in my boat. First line that we came to had a big 8 foot bull alligator, it was quickly dispatched, and off to the next line our little flotilla went.
All day long, there were pretty sizable alligators on the lines. When the day ended we loaded the boats on trailers and headed back to the camp. The veterans swapped stories, relaxed, tore into a mess of pork ribs and went to bed early. The final day started with a big alligator on the first line and continued like that until all the lines were ran. It was fast and furious, but fun as we didn’t know what size alligator would be in the next line! Once we got back to the camp, we cleaned it, washed dishes, packed and headed back to the “cooler” to load up three trophy alligators that were going to be skinned for the veterans. Once the alligators were loaded we all headed home.
This was a great trip as the veterans learned where to set, how to set, and how to bait alligator lines. Each veteran is getting a 10 foot alligator hide tanned free of charge! They met some really amazing South Louisiana Cajuns who were alligator professionals, thus learning the ins and outs of the alligator business. A big thank you to Mr. Reggie and his helper Mike for taking the time to share their knowledge and making this a memorable event for our veterans.
I would also like to thank our three veterans, Darrel Lewis, Clint Norwood and Jacob Billiot. They made a positive impression on everyone as they jumped right in and became part of the alligator hunting team! Their actions, great attitudes, and enthusiasm ensured that WWH will be given the opportunity to hunt alligators next year.
Mike “Gunny” Cheramie
