A few weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to represent Women’s Outdoor News on an epic hunting trip, traveling to Texas with Remington Outdoor Company. The trip was the result of a contest last Christmas — The WON’s 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway — the prize being a 2 to 3 day alligator hunt in Seadrift, Texas, with Castaway Lodge. Our giveaway winner was Melissa, a rising veterinarian from Washington State, and she would meet Remington rep Jessica and me in Texas to begin our adventure.
Upon arrival, we planned to start our search for alligators the following morning. Thanks to Hurricane Harvey’s copious amounts of flooding, our guides had no way of knowing just where those gators would be. We fully anticipated needing the full 3 days for each of us to tag out.
Melissa would shoot first, followed by me, then Jessica. Our first stop proved successful, and in less than 20 minutes Melissa had a nice alligator in the boat. As luck would have it, the next 2 stops were equally as successful, and all 3 of us tagged out in just over an hour. We would go home with 10 pounds of tail meat each, and will get our skulls and hides next year.
By mid-afternoon we were back at the landing, and of course spent the next hour or so documenting our triumphs. Naturally, hilarity ensued as we tried to get some entertaining photos.
Since tagging out so quickly was definitely unexpected, we wondered what to do with the next 2 days of our trip. Luckily, our outfitter had a few tricks up his sleeve. Fish were biting, early teal season was in, and hogs inhabited the many barrier islands just across the waterway. That’s right – in the next 2 days, we would duck hunt, chase fish and try to rustle up a hog or two from the airboat.
Best. Trip. Ever.
Reveille the next morning came extra early, as we had a 2-hour drive to the duck hunt. With palpable excitement, we had no trouble hopping out of bed at our 3:45 a.m. alarm.
Accompanied by 2 more guides and a sweet pup named Sadie, we piled into the duck blind just before legal hour to wait.
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