Kathi Jones wrote:
> "George Shirley" > wrote in message
> news >
>>Loki wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 1 Sep 2005 16:33:02 -0400, "Kathi Jones" >
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>and what, Loki, does one do with a 17' gator? Can it be pickled? (on
>
> group
>
>>>>topic ;-)
>>>>
>>>>Enquiring (Canadian) minds want to know.........
>>>
>>>
>>>Cure the hide or sell it. You know, nice alligator handbags and
>>>shoes. Then you cook the tail meat. It's not bad. Not sure how to
>>>preserve it though.
>>>
>>>Loki
>>>
>>
>>Let's see, tail meat is $9 a lb, rest of the meat, back and legs, worth
>>about $6.00 a lb. Skin is worth about $20 a square foot nowadays, and
>>the stuffed head is worth a good bit as a curio. Hardly any waste on a
>>gator. Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi have trapping seasons and I'm
>>not sure about Florida and the other southern states. Some guides around
>>SW Louisiana are charging several hundred dollars for cheechakos to come
>>in and shoot a gator. Me, I just run over one once in awhile with the
>>pickup and occasionally run over a stupid gator with the boat. The meat
>>is tasty but not worth what they're selling it for, I can get prime beef
>>for that kind of money.
>>
>>George
>>
>
>
> Wow....I'm amazed. Of course I know one can buy alligator purses, wallets,
> boots etc., but I never really thought about it much. So is gator meat
> something you can buy at a local market? Or is it like deer, moose or duck
> hunting season here - catch what you're allowed (licensed and got tickets
> for)and stock the freezer once a year....?
>
> Me, I'd pick a nice prime rib of beef over any of that stuff anyway.....
>
> Kathi
>
>
Most states with gators have gator farms, a lot of the meat comes from
there along with the other gator products. We have a "trapping" season
here in the fall and the trappers, if they get a ticket, can catch the
amount of gators allocated for catch by the Fisheries and Wildlife
folks, or, in the case of federal wildlife reserves, what the feds allow
to be caught. Gators were protected throughout much of their range for
many years and have spread quite a bit. I have friends who make their
living off the swamps and marshes by trapping and fishing. Gator season
is a major part of their income.

Nutria, normally called nutria rats, are once more becoming a part of
their income since the state put a bounty on them at a few bucks per
tail. Some folks eat them, and I have, but still prefer beef or pork.
The hides aren't worth much anymore as people have gotten away from fur
coats, even those from pests like nutria. They eat the roots of marsh
grass and dig holes in levees and aren't native to North America so
they're a pest. I don't think anyone even traps muskrats anymore either
and mink isn't worth much in the wild because we don't have cold weather
down here, the furs aren't worth much. Even when I ran a trap line when
I was a teenager mink weren't worth much. Raccoon skins were worth more
back then and you could eat coon too.

Gator is okay Kathi but not my preferred meat anymore. My grands and
greatgrands like it for the novelty so when they come to visit I put out
a spread of gator meat, turtle, and whatever else is at the fish market.
I eat the shrimp and crawfish and the youngun's eat the "exotic" stuff.
<VBG>

George