Gator
Hunt
Within a few miles of
New Bern, the big rep¬
tiles thrive.
By DICK NOBLE
Plenty of North Carolinians gape
at alligators in Florida without realiz¬
ing that there arc alligators at home.
Plenty of them. Big ones.
For instance, just the other day. four
men found it took 21 high-caliber bul¬
lets to rid Pamlico County of a 1 2-foot
’gator — an 810-pound reptile looking
like some hangover front prehistoric
Carolina.
It happened when Arlinc Carawan.
Billy Haire. Albert Brinson. Jr., and
Red Respass went looking for a couple
of small gators to mount for the walls
of Haire ‘s study in New Bern.
The parly left Vandcmcre early one
evening and headed toward a spot
where Carawan said he was sure there
were alligators. The moon was bright
and when the men reached their desti¬
nation, just on the Pamlico side of
the Pamlico-Beaufort line on the Ho-
buckcn-Aurora highway, the visibil¬
ity was extra good.
Moving off the highway toward the
inland waterway, the men followed a
highway lead ditch for about 250
yards. Then they found themselves
facing a large marshy area with several
t
He could lake a good-si/cd nip at a
tormentor.
Ж‘*
*
Four successful hunters at the scene of the hunt on the morning after. Left to
right in the foreground are Red Respass, Albert Brinson. Jr., and Billy Haire, all
of New Bern, while in the center background is Arlinc Carawan of Vandemerc,
Pamlico County. Carawan led the hunt. — (Photo by Dick Noble.)
v<inc?50'0
,Hobucien
Corner.
>Van<Jemere'
•jnHboro
islands of old rotted trees scattered
around. They crept across to the near¬
est clump of trees on their right. As
they moved they crossed two ditches,
or what looked like ditches. Carawan
explained that this was an alligator
run, made by the ponderous creatures
as they struggled about the land in
quest of food.
The runs there were about two feel
wide and four feet deep. With the
passing of years the runs have become
filled with water and the scalcy mon¬
sters could swim from one section to
another.
As they moved on to their destina¬
tion, the four men could faintly see
in the moonlight several three-or four-
foot holes dug into the ground. Under
the banks of the runs these openings
led into pockets under the ground 10
or 15 feel wide, 20 or 30 feet long
and three or four feet deep, covered
with about three feet of muddy, spon¬
gy dirt. This was the home of the
alligator.
Carawan. who had been there many
times before, picked up a 14-foot iron
rod with a spike in the end of it. left
there by ‘gator hunters in the past.
Slowly and easily, he began probing
through the ground into the rear of
the dens. Moving from one spot to an¬
other. probing in several dens. Cara¬
wan suddenly struck pay dirt.
The spike lodged softly but solidly
in some matter five or six feet under
the ground, then began to wave fren-
zicdly about in the air. They had found
the alligator. ’
Two men armed with high-powered
rifles moved to a position across from
the entrance of the den. Another
continued to probe with the iron spike.
Suddently the water rose, eddied, and
a huge head poked its ugly snout,
over a pair of gaping jaws, through
the muddy water. The rifles barked,
not once, but several times.
The ’gator looked to be of medium
size, and nothing was out of the or-
( Con limit'd on page IS)
THE STATE. DCCCMDCR 13. I9S2
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