2nd Place
Katelyn Bayhi
Age: 13
School: Parkview Baptist Middle School
My dad and my brothers have always gone hunting on our land, which we call “The Plantation”, near the Diversion Canal. They do any type of hunting you can think of – deer hunting, turkey hunting, quail hunting, and dove hunting. You get the idea. This year, my dad decided to try alligator hunting. A few weeks before alligator season opened, my dad was busy getting alligator tags, making the hooks, and talking to other die-hard hunters who might know a lil’ something about “them gators.” This is when you see the need for a book like “Alligator Hunting For Dummies.”
As alligator season got closer, my Dad asked me if I would like to go with him to set out the hooks. My experience with alligators had gone no farther than seeing them behind fences at the Baton Rouge Zoo. I went along for the ride, since it was something new for me to do with just Dad. We rode the four-wheeler until we found four spots to set up the traps that we thought we would be most successful at. On the way home, we stopped off at Fisherman’s Market to get chicken, which all die – hard hunters agreed was the best bait for alligator hunting ( I of course got boudin for myself because that is the best bait for my stomach).
Once we got home, the chicken was put into a bucket with some water and covered tightly. We left it outside for it to marinate, aka rot. Dad checked on it every day to make sure it was rotting properly. Apparently the smell gave it away. Dad was confident that the bait would be perfect for ” them gators.” We counted down until it was time to go bait the hooks, but I decided to pass up this adventure and instead go to bed early so I would be rested for the our big hunt. But in truth, the smell of the rotten chicken was so bad, it made my stomach turn.
The day was finally here. We loaded up the truck with our guns and headed out. Our first trap was unsuccessful, so we kept going, not giving up yet. I was distracted, and the next words out of my dad’s mouth were, ” Sweet Pea, you got yourself one on this line!” I didn’t know what to do. I grabbed the gun and dad started pulling on the string. It was bigger than we thought. Slowly but surely, we began dragging the alligator onto the bank. It wasn’t easy because the alligator was almost nine feet long and was putting up quite a fight. When we finally got it out, we shot it straight between the eyes. It quickly gave up and just laid there. We could not believe that our first catch would be a nine – footer!
We decided we would pose for some pictures with our catch so we would have proof to go along with our bragging. A friend who had been working on the land came over to help us. We all took pictures with the alligator. My dad has never been really photogenic but he wanted his picture taken. He got down really low by the alligator’s face and before we could say “cheese” he began yelling that the alligator was alive again. It had winked at him! We brushed it off and continued with the pictures until we saw the tail move. We dropped everything and started running. After we grasped reality and composed ourselves, we shot the alligator again and decided we had enough photos.
We continued our alligator hunting until the season ended, but the rest of the season was not as exciting as the very first hunt. This was an adventure I will never forget. Be on the lookout for my future book titled, ” Successful Alligator Hunting For Dummies.”
