Let's talk alligators and children.

[buckbuck]

To give some context, I live in the DFW Texas area. Not Florida. My friend was fishing off his boat dock on a well developed area with lots of homes and boats and activity. He sent me this video showing an alligator. Then sent me the video of the 10'-1" gator captured and being sent to my lake. The north end of my lake is swampy and shallow. Authorities estimate 100 alligators live in that area. We never go up there and are in the deeper water nearer to the dam.
My question is for those of you that have experience living with these guys. Is it safe to have my young grandchildren in the open water? Is there anything I can do to discourage these guys from coming near? My heart still breaks when I remember that family that lost their 2 year old to a gator at Walt Disney.

 

[Ed255fsh]

they "usually" avoid people. Can be aggressive during nesting season. Honestly I would keep an eye our and avoid, maybe even shoot if they don't back off. Teach your kids to keep away. Don't swim or play in the lake. No kayaks.

 

[Ed255fsh]

PS . that was my boat house. He was not afraid of me.

 

[sbeassie]

We see plenty every time we go out. We don't worry about them at all when swimming or tubing, Hydro slide, etc. I know attacks happen, but they are extremely rare. Usually, it is someone walking or walking a dog close to shore or kayaking right on top of a submerged gator. Be cautious of them especially with small children but they usually will avoid people. But people can cause the problems. When they are hanging around the river bars and restaurants it is because people are intentionally feeding them or discarding food in the water. Just two Saturdays ago where I launch there was a 3-footer that swam right up to the boat. That's not natural behavior and tells me someone is feeding him. Deeper open water is not somewhere they typically hang out. They nest in shallow marsh and lay in the sun on logs or on the bank. If you see a few during the day, then there are dozens around. I've been out at night many times and a scan of the water with a spotlight reveals lots of orange eyes.

Good advice from Ed255fsh, be aware and stay away. If they make a habit of getting too close, "encourage" them to leave.

 

[buckbuck]

I am not getting the warm fuzzy answer I was hoping for.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

To give some context, I live in the DFW Texas area. Not Florida. My friend was fishing off his boat dock on a well developed area with lots of homes and boats and activity. He sent me this video showing an alligator. Then sent me the video of the 10'-1" gator captured and being sent to my lake. The north end of my lake is swampy and shallow. Authorities estimate 100 alligators live in that area. We never go up there and are in the deeper water nearer to the dam.
My question is for those of you that have experience living with these guys. Is it safe to have my young grandchildren in the open water? Is there anything I can do to discourage these guys from coming near? My heart still breaks when I remember that family that lost their 2 year old to a gator at Walt Disney.

I can’t see there being warm and fuzzy answer when talking about gators and children…sorry.

I’d think hyper vigilance and a 12GA with #2 or 00 shot would be an excellent deterrent. Check the regs…

Other than that I’d keep the little guys out of the water by themselves… and I’d have words with game and fish or whoever it was that planted that F’ing gator in your lake.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Open water isn’t an issue with gators. Near shorelines is where attacks occur, especially around mating season. They either attack because you’re too close to the nest or you look like an easy target…. Which is usually like a 15lb dog.

Be diligent but if your in the middle of the lake you really should t have any concerns.

 

[Babin Farms]

We have them in our area but have never seen one while boating and haven’t seen anything on the news of where they have attacked anyone.

 

[buckbuck]

That is the kind of thing I was hoping to hear from everyone. But I have to admit I am lacking experience or understanding of these creatures. I never dreamed they would be an issue in North Texas.
It gets more real when you think about your own little grandkids.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

That is the kind of thing I was hoping to hear from everyone. But I have to admit I am lacking experience or understanding of these creatures. I never dreamed they would be an issue in North Texas.
It gets more real when you think about your own little grandkids.

It’s really just down to common sense. Stay away from the shores, don’t feed them or provide a reason for them to come to you. They are typically afraid of humans. If you see people on the lake feeding them then you’re going to have a big issue.

 

[Neutron]

Had one on my property about 3 months ago, killed a possum and flattened the tall grass on the opposite bank of my creek. I never let my grandkids near the creek without me and they know to always look at the ground around them for snakes and other critters