How Powerful Can .22's Be? Enough to Hunt Alligator.

Last year, I went on my first alligator hunt ever with fellow writers Jessyca Sortillon and Kevin Reese. You would think I would have hunted alligators sooner, given that I'm from Florida and spent half my childhood in Louisiana, but it took me 32 years to finally do it. I had no idea what to expect, and it turned out to be my favorite animal I’ve hunted so far. So much so that I already want to plan another trip. After posting a few photos and videos online, several friends reached out to me wanting to go gator hunting. So this year, Heather Lynn and Caleb Francis hopped on a plane from Texas to join me in finding some swamp monsters of their own.

Alligator License, Tags, and Season

Alligator hunting guide and master gator whisperer, Walter Heathcock, is the man to book with if you want to bag a swamp monster. He owns Fin Twisters Fishing Guide Services in Venice, Louisiana, known as the fishing capital of the world, and is a licensed alligator hunter. He also guides duck and hog hunts, fishing charters for various species, and more. Each year, Walter gets an allotment of alligator harvest tags from the state of Louisiana to hunt on his property. Gator season in Louisiana opens in late August/early September and runs through December 31st. That said, the early part of the season is the best time to go. When planning your hunt, Walter or Walter’s girlfriend Beth, who sometimes comes on the hunt and assists with logistics, will ask how many tags (gators) you and any other hunters want so that he can reserve those for your trip.

Before hunting any animal, especially out of state, I recommend visiting the state hunting website for all the information on the animal you intend to hunt. As a nonresident who does not own land in Louisiana, it is a requirement to purchase the Alligator Sport Hunter license and be accompanied by a licensed alligator hunter who possesses alligator harvest tags. This cost me $150.00 and remains valid through the whole season.

One tool I also recommend using for hunting is the OnX app. While I knew Walter would be guiding us on his private property, I still like to use the OnX app to see where I am at any given time and to take advantage of its other helpful features. This application lays out public and private land, with everything clearly marked. You can look at weather data to see wind direction, barometric pressure, and even view drought areas or active wildfires. The trail camera integration is super useful if you’re a property owner, letting you track your camera locations and have photos sent to the app from your trail camera. You can also triangulate your shot distance just by marking where you took the shot and where you recovered the animal. I used it last year and now this year to mark where I harvested not just my gator, but my friends’ gators as well.

Legal Methods to Hunt Gators

I genuinely never knew how people hunted alligators, and maybe in hindsight I should’ve done some homework and watched Swamp People or something. But I also think it was fun going in (relatively) “blind” to a new hunting experience and learning it all on the fly. For you readers, I’ll give you a quick summary of the legal harvest methods for bagging and tagging a gator.

1. Hook and Line

If you get queasy from anything that smells rotten, I am here to warn you that you will not enjoy this part of the hunting experience. One of the methods for hunting gators, and the only legal method for public areas, is with a fishing line and a hook. A giant three-pronged heavy hook is attached to 300-pound-test fishing line, which is also used for marlin, sharks, and large tuna. The hook is baited with days-old chicken (or beef melt), which is one of the most rank smells in the late Louisiana summer heat. The bait is then suspended a few inches above the water's surface with a clothespin or similar device that lets a gator take the line without getting stuck dangling.

When a gator is hooked on a line, it can take a fair bit of strength to pull in the line as it’s not attached to a reel. Having a pair of thick, heavy-duty gloves is a must. Once a gator’s head is within almost touching distance, you must shoot it directly in the center behind the eyes and skull. The best caliber to use is .22 LR or similar, as you don’t want to create an explosion or massive crater, especially if you want to taxidermy or Euro-mount the head.

Walter has another way to catch gators while still using the hook-and-line method. On his boat, several fishing poles are equipped with large hooks. When a free-swimming gator is spotted, or one jumps in the water from off the bank, Walter will cast a line into the water to try to hook it. Beth will occasionally cast another line to sink a second hook into the gator to ensure you don’t lose it as you would a fish. Once it’s hooked onto the line, Walter will pull it up close to the side of the boat so you can shoot it in the head. The hooks also make it easy to pull the gator out of the water and keep it from sinking.

2. Bow and Arrow

If you’re into archery or have ever gone bow fishing, then you’ll be happy to know you can take your bow and arrow alligator hunting as well. When a gator is hooked on a line, instead of using a gun, you can use an arrow to capture or kill the gator. A barbed arrow must be used to capture with a minimum of 300-pound test line attached to the arrowhead to prevent any separation. The other end of the line must be connected to a stationary or floating object.

3. Firearms

Any firearm other than a shotgun can be used to harvest alligators, not just ones hooked on a line, but also free-swimming gators. If a free-swimming gator is shot, you must be able to retrieve it. When a gator in the water is hit, it sinks fast, so a boat must be nearby to grab it quickly and haul it onboard. Gators on the shoreline or bank are much easier to recover, as there is no risk of them sinking into water. The level of marksmanship required to shoot a free-swimming alligator is high, as the shot placement to kill a gator is through the eyeball. Not only must the shooter be accurate, but the caliber, gun, and ammunition must be equally as precise.

22 ARC and 22 Creedmoor Rifle Builds

Two of my favorite cartridges right now are the 22 ARC (Advanced Rifle Cartridge) and 22 Creedmoor. These two cartridges are exceptionally accurate, with velocities ranging from 3,000 to 3,300 feet per second. The .224-caliber bullet is ideal for making a precise shot through the eyes of a free-swimming gator, and it is small enough to be used to shoot a gator on a hook and line without blowing up the head. Another significant benefit of the .224 caliber is that you can use suppressors designed for 5.56mm, 30 caliber, .46 caliber, and more.

I brought two suppressed rifles to Louisiana for the hunt: a semi-automatic AR-15 chambered in 22 ARC, and a bolt-action rifle chambered in 22 Creedmoor. I consider a suppressor a must-have for any kind of hunting, but especially when hunting gators in open water. Things happen quickly, and it gets chaotic when a big gator is hooked on a line and putting up a fight while Walter tries to wrangle it in. There is no time for everyone on the boat to put on hearing protection. There are also almost always people nearby on public land or waterways, fishing, hunting ducks, or enjoying a day on the water. An unsuppressed rifle shot can carry quite a long way, so using a suppressor is the polite thing to do.

The AR-15 is a custom build I put together with a builder set in Blue Tiger Stripe from AERO Precision. I added a Magpul grip and stock—the same models that I already use on my competition rifles. I’m very picky about what trigger I use, no matter if it’s for hunting or competing. I prefer a light trigger pull, so I don’t have as much room for error or movement as I would with fighting a heavy trigger pull. The ICONIC by Rise Armament is a two-stage trigger, making it ideal for hunting by forcing me to find the wall before breaking a shot. It has a 1-pound pull on the first stage and a 2-pound pull on the second, which still meets my criteria for a light trigger pull.

The barrel is the most critical part of the rifle, especially for tasks like hitting a gator perfectly in the eye while on a moving boat and potentially while it’s swimming. For this build, I knew I needed a precise, accurate barrel from a manufacturer that specializes in just that. I went with a lightweight 18-inch, 1-in-7 twist-rate barrel from BSF Barrels. After turning down the barrel, BSF will jacket a 416R Stainless steel match barrel in a roll-wrapped carbon fiber sleeve and load it under tension. They then machine slots into the carbon fiber, allowing air to move around the barrel and vent heat more quickly without any delamination issues. The carbon fiber helps keep the rifling straighter as the barrel heats up, while also reducing overall weight.

I have one suppressor that is my go-to, catch-all, can-do-anything suppressor, and that is the Primal from Dead Air. I have always used this suppressor on my 22 ARC build because it makes it extremely quiet. It also isn’t super heavy for a suppressor that can be used with 9mm to .45 ACP, and 45-70 to .338 Lapua. The rifle is topped off with the Sightmark Presidio 3-18x50 scope. This is probably the most affordable hunting scope I’ve ever used, but don’t let the price fool you. This first focal plane scope features reticle illumination, capped turrets with audible click adjustments, built-in zero stops, and comes with flip-up lens caps and a throw lever. I have now killed two alligators with a perfect eyeball shot from a moving boat using this riflescope. It also doesn’t hurt that Hornady ammunition is deadly accurate. I hunt with the 75-grain ELD Match Hornady Black ammunition for accuracy and better sound through the suppressor.

The 22 Creedmoor rifle I brought this year is the Vandal Dark II from Horizon Firearms. The rifle weighs just over seven pounds, which isn’t much more than most of my AR-15s. The 18-inch 416R stainless barrel features an 8 Flute Spiral fluting design that helps reduce unnecessary weight. The stock is a textured Carbon iota EKO, and Stiller makes the action. The Vandal Dark II thankfully comes equipped with a TriggerTech trigger, which my trigger snob heart loves. One of the features I appreciate most about this rifle is that it comes with Picatinny and ARCA rails, so you can attach any bipod or tripod without worrying about compatibility. For this rifle, I suppressed it with the Lazarus 6 from Dead Air, a 6mm ARC and 5.56mm-caliber-rated suppressor. This suppressor is made of Haynes 282 material with the Triskelion baffle design. It is compatible with Xeno and KeyMo mounts, as well as Dead Air HUBs. This tiny package suppresses sound well and minimizes back pressure. I mounted this rifle with the Vengeance 5-25x56mm RMG riflescope from ZeroTech. I learned last year that it is a good idea to have a high magnification for hunting gators, in case you need it for distance, or to run a lower magnification and have a wider field of view. This scope features locking, adjustable turrets, a zero-stop, a removable throw lever, and a parallax adjustment dial.

Must-Have Support

When you’re physically shooting from a moving boat, there isn’t a place for you to lie prone with a bipod or any walls for you to rest a rifle or support bag on. A tripod is pretty much a must-have for this kind of hunting scenario. I flew with my Recon V2 Inverted tripod from Two Vets Tripods. This is a beast of a tripod that can get you set up in any position, giving you the chance to make an accurate kill shot. The legs are inverted, meaning instead of loosening a lock and pulling down from the leg portion underneath, you loosen a lock and pull straight down with the lock in your hand. It is a single piece that moves up and down, making setup much easier. The tubes are vented, so there is no airlock that most tripods experience, which makes it hard to collapse. The spring-loaded angle adjustment tabs pull out and lock in once you set the legs to the angle you want. Each leg of this tripod can flare out to nearly a 90-degree angle. They sell heads that screw into the top of the tripod, available in your choice of ballhead size, with Picatinny and ARCA mounting capabilities, and QD-style levers.

When picking out a head attachment, ensure your rifle is factory-equipped with an ARCA or Picatinny mount (or both); otherwise, you’ll need to add one. This is where the two mounts on the Vandal Dark II came in handy. I mounted an M-LOK-compatible ARCA-style mount on the 22 ARC AR-15 to make it compatible with the tripod head.

The Tail of Three Gators

Since I had hunted with Walter before, I wanted Heather and Caleb to harvest their gators first. We booked a three-day hunt, so there was plenty of time to spot and pick good-sized gators. We saw the most activity on day one, sighting dozens of free-swimming gators, gators sunbathing on the shore, and many tucked under low-hanging trees, weary of the boat’s engine. Heather was first up to shoot, and before noon on the first day, she had taken out a monster. We were cruising down one of the canals, trying to size up some of the gators we were looking at, when Walter spotted “a big one” and grabbed his fishing pole. It dipped its head down into the water, but it was too late for Walter’s quick casting skills. He immediately hooked onto the gator, and the fight was on. Heather was equipped with the 22 Creedmoor and joined Walter up on the bow of the boat. It didn’t take long for Heather to get a good, clear shot at the top of the gator’s head. We had to tie a rope around this gator’s neck and hook it to the winch to haul it out of the water because of its size. Heather’s gator ended up clocking in at 10 feet 5 inches and was one of the widest, thickest gators I’ve seen. That set the bar high for the rest of the week.

Caleb was next up, and all of us were so jacked on adrenaline; the level of excitement was palpable. Caleb brought a custom, super-short 300 Blackout bolt-action Q rifle with a Q suppressor mounted for his hunting gun of choice. As we floated down canals and visited open-water spots, we had a hard time finding anything big enough to harvest. The problem was that every gator looked small compared to Heather’s monster. We went back to a smaller canal when we spotted a decent-sized free-swimming gator. Just like before, Walter grabbed his pole and launched the fishing hook into the water. He latched onto the gator, but it did not come to the boat willingly. When Walter finally got the gator up against the boat, it took at least another 10-15 minutes for it to present its head to the muzzle of Caleb’s gun. When Walter and Caleb pulled the gator over the side and into the boat, we found the hook barely lodged into the top of its claw. None of us could believe that the gator didn’t get free of the hook, especially with all the trashing and rolling. Caleb’s gator measured 9 feet, 4 inches, and was still a monster-sized alligator.

The sun set on day one without any luck spotting another good-sized alligator, so we called it a night and got ready for day two. It was almost like a barren wasteland the next day, with minimal alligator movement. We must have come in too hard on day one, letting the ecosystem know we were on the prowl. It wasn’t until later in the afternoon that we spotted an alligator sunbathing on one side of the canal, with its jaw wide open. We had several pairs of binoculars on board and were trying to gauge the gator's size from just its head. The gator's jowl looked thick, and Walter estimated he was about 8 or 9 feet long. I had the 22 ARC rifle set up on the Two Vets Tripod, waiting for the right shot to present itself. The boat was tucked in on the side of the canal, with a mass of reeds bumping against it and occasionally blocking my view. I finally cleared the reeds and took the shot. It was perfect. Walter started the engine back up, and we went to collect him from the side of the bank. When we pulled up to the alligator, all of us deflated. We were duped! The alligator was only 6 feet, 7 inches long. Walter was flabbergasted; he’d been doing this for years and is usually spot on at estimating an alligator's size. While we were disappointed in its size, a smaller alligator is better for making leather goods, as its belly skin is more supple. We closed out day two and decided to use our third day still and see if we could find any big gators slipping up.

The Ghost Gator

This is where the story gets insane, and is the reason I call Walter “the gator whisperer”. We had been out on the water for a while on day three and hadn’t had any luck spotting any decent-sized gators. We watched baby alligators swim for hours and spotted dozens of giant gars, many of them making loud noises and splashing the water with their tails. I admit I was getting slightly discouraged by how late in the day it was. I knew it was time to hit or bust, and that I might go home with little to show for the trip.

We were working the canals again and drifting around a bend when we saw a ripple on the top of the water. There was no alligator in sight, nor did we see anything jump out of the water or slide into it. With all the gar we had spotted flipping around on the water’s surface, we thought there was a good chance it could’ve just been the fish. But, going on intuition and thinking, “what the hell,” Walter decided to cast a line out. He casted one, two, three more times before reeling back in and scanning the canal for any sign of movement. He decides to cast out the hook one more time, and I swear time stopped. Walter had hooked onto what had to be an alligator. I had the 22 ARC in my hand and joined Walter up on the bow of the boat. The gator put up such a fight that it started spinning and wrapping the fishing line around itself, tangling itself up. My heart was beating fast, but my head was clear. The gator finally spun to where I could get a perfect angle of the top of the head, and I fired the shot. Lights out.

When we pulled the gator up onto the bow of the boat, it was a sight to behold. This alligator was about the size of Caleb’s and had beautifully colored scales. I was just so excited to get the chance to shoot a bigger one. Walter was the happiest I’ve ever seen him and was in disbelief at what had just happened. He shared that he didn’t know there was an alligator there. He didn’t know if the ripple had been a fish, an alligator, or something else entirely. That ripple, though, was the catalyst for Walter to cast a line. He shared afterward that the final cast would have been his last one before we moved on to another spot. That gator will forever be dubbed “The Ghost.”
 
I’ve decided to make an annual alligator hunting trip to Venice, Louisiana. Walter and Beth are among the best humans I’ve met, and they're a joy to be around. I know many more friends and acquaintances who are interested in joining me in the future, and I can’t wait to write those stories. Thank you, Fin Twisters Fishing Guide Services, for the experiences I’ll cherish forever.

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