I've never seen so many alligators.
[thud]
what was that?
We gotta do something about this.
My goodness.
Gators everywhere.
As a new gator season looms...
Swampers face a daunting surprise.
Oh!
They done doubled or tripled their numbers
in the last few years.
The population has exploded,
and it's getting worse and worse by the day.
You know, they looking for anything to eat.
You got a dog, you got chickens, you got ducks.
Even a human.
Louisiana's best gator hunters return to battle,
including some warriors who'd hung up their hooks.
Never seen one like this before
many years as I've been fishing alligators.
These gators are aggressive.
He almost jumped in the boat with me.
That's raw power.
Now these veterans will pit their skills
against the huge predators...
Whoa, boy!
Get the gun, get the gun, get the gun, get the gun!
As they help the next generation...
[thunder] oh!
...Navigate the ways of the swamp.
- Hold on! - [bleep]
what the hell? [laughs]
♪ ♪
after long months of waiting,
louisiana's gator season is finally here.
But this year promises a unique set of challenges.
With gator prices taking a hit in the marketplace recently,
fewer hunters are willing to risk culling these killers,
and so the beasts are bigger, meaner,
and hungrier than ever before.
They on top of the food chain.
No other predator that can attack an alligator
other than a person.
They losing fear of us.
They not scared of us at all.
Making things even more unpredictable,
louisiana's expecting a relentless hurricane season.
But it'll take more than that
to scare off the king of the swamp.
With 500 tags to fill and three teams to fill them,
troy calls a meeting of team landry.
Y'all ready?
What I'm hearing and seeing
is more gators than ever and more aggressive.
Last year, we had a population explosion.
This year they getting more aggressive,
and I guess that's because of the numbers.
They getting hungry. They running out of food.
Yeah. And not only that, they're coming after the boat.
Alligators would always run and hide
and go down anytime they'd hear a boat coming.
And now it seems like it's just the opposite.
All right, y'all ready?
Let's do it.
All right, make it count.
With no time to lose, troy hits the water...
Where the hell is pickles? Pickles!
And he's brought along
an eager new deckhand named pickle.
This year big t had to work on a job.
He couldn't get off of work.
A friend of mine from below new orleans,
I been knowing since, oh, lord, maybe 35 years now,
he's got a niece.
Her nickname is pickles.
She don't look too much like a alligator hunter.
She looks like
she should be in third or fourth grade at school or something.
She's so petite, but don't underestimate her.
She's tough.
Hold it, hold it, hold it.
What you doing with a pink gun case?
[laughs] here. Put that in the boat.
- What? - Put that in there.
Now why you want that? I got a gun.
- That's a .708. - A who?
That's a rifle. That's a .708.
What you gonna do with that? That's too big.
We're gonna snipe 'em.
I pack a punch a lot more than people expect.
I've been hunting since I was three, I think.
Just been hooked ever since,
and that's all we do down home is hunt and fish.
We in the bayou all the time,
and we been playing with alligators
since we were little bitty.
I really respect mr. Troy
and I got a lot of appreciation for what he does
and I'll be willing to do anything that he needs me to.
It's good to have somebody like pickles in the boat now.
She's a good shot,
and it's just another tool to my advantage.
We got something?
We got something on there.
Let's see what we got.
Watch him, shorty, watch him.
Whoo! It's a big one!
Whoo, it's a big one, it's a big one, it's a big one.
Whoo!
Show him who's the boss, tiny.
Who's the boss? This boy's a big one.
Oh! Watch him! Whoo!
Careful.
This sucker's heavy.
Whoo! Bring him up!
[gunshot]
- whoo! - Whoo!
Think we got our work cut out for us, shorty.
Roll him. Here, you grab that way.
On three, ready? One, two, three.
Their first 11-footer of the season is a good start,
and troy is impressed.
She might not be as strong as big t,
but what she lacks in muscles
she makes up in everything else.
And she hustles.
She's not lazy.
That's a good one.
What a way to start the day, huh?
Yeah, huh?
Meanwhile, over in the mardi gras pass,
another famed clan of hunters prepares to launch.
Joey edgar will once again hunt
with acclaimed florida fisherman zak catchem,
while patriarch daniel edgar
welcomes his new deckhand, his grandson dorien.
How's your arms feeling today?
They feeling good.
I never realized how much meat you have there.
The alligators this year are extremely aggressive.
They're fighting a lot,
so I'm blessed to have my grandson dorien.
You know, he went to school and then got a really good job.
But now I've got him for this alligator season,
and I need help.
Dorien hunted with the family four seasons ago...
[gunshot]
but left the swamp
to make more money working in oil.
He's thinking of coming home for good,
but right now, he's got 200 tags to fill.
What you think? You ready?
I'm ready. It's been a long time coming.
I'm definitely here to test the waters, I call it.
Just making sure the commercial fishing industry
is still stable like it once was.
It's definitely at the point in my life
where, you know, I might come back home
and work around my grandpa and uncle.
We got one on there, pa.
Yeah, I see it's muddy.
Okay, pa. Let's see what you got.
You got something decent?
Oh, yeah, he's a bull.
- Ready? - Yeah.
Whoa!
Hold him.
Oh, my god.
That's a big alligator.
Whoa! He's spinning the boat.
Gol! Give me a shot.
- Hold on. - Give me a shot.
That was almost a shot right there.
Oh, my goodness!
Oh, he's burning me! Oh!
Don't let him break the rope.
Oh! You just be ready.
Shoot him!
Right there!
[gunshot]
turn him on his belly.
- Yeah. - He's a big boy.
One, two, go!
We're just gonna have to roll him in.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
He's bigger than I thought.
Can you handle him?
Pa, you're looking at a man.
You're looking at a man right here.
There we go.
I am really excited to have dorien come back,
and I'm hoping that during this time that we're together
that he's gonna start to feel the swamp
and maybe start to get the urge
of spending more time with us in the future.
Yeah.
That's a good one.
105 miles to the northwest, in bayou sorrel,
it's also day one for another swamp legend,
willie edwards and his 18-year-old son little willie.
We got more alligators this year than we ever seen,
and they gotta fight over their food.
And that's all they do is fight, fight, fight, fight, fight.
They fight just to eat and to live.
So one boat is not gonna run them all.
With their bayou overrun with huge gators,
willie's called in a surprise helper,
the man who taught him everything,
his daddy, junior edwards.
My dad is one of the best alligator hunters.
He taught me everything he knows,
and I'm still learning stuff from him till this day.
And you sit back and just watch him,
he will show you how it's done.
Yup.
Same trees, same bushes,
sane tie knots, same everything.
Willie spent years working as junior's deckhand.
Together, they took on huge predators...
[gunshot]
...Using junior's secret technique
of hunting with reinforced treble hooks.
Guess you're gonna jump in the boat with him.
All righty, daddy.
All right, son. Rock and roll.
Big little willie, whatever you wanna call him...
...I was harder on my kids than I was my grandkids.
Where you got me a place to sit in there?
Ha!
I ain't laying on that floor.
I'm gonna be fishing with my papaw today
and looking forward to it.
I'm anxious to get in the boat with him and everything,
see what he can teach me and see what I can learn.
We got a good bond with each other
and a good relationship
and we don't hold grudges against nobody.
I was trying to push you back.
Line's down.
Yeah, they got the whole tree shaking.
Ooh, look. What a alligator.
Damn.
...Uh, he needs to learn a lot more.
93 miles to the east
in the marshes east of violet,
veteran hunter ronnie adams is back on the water
with sharpshooter ashley "dead eye" jones.
Though they're anxious to cull the aggressive gators
they know are in these waters, they're also wary.
Imma tell you like this.
You better not let yourself get surprised by one of them.
Because you let your guard down,
then that's when all hell's gonna break loose.
You see that line up there?
- Oh, yeah, it's down. - Come on, come on.
Be a big, big boy on here.
[thud] whoa.
What is that, che?
You hit something?
I don't know.
I guess we hit a stump.
There ain't no trees out here.
Don't know what the hell that was.
That was weird, though.
[thud] what the hell?
- That wasn't a stump. - That's not a stump.
-East of violet...
[thud] what the hell?
Ronnie and ashley seem to be under attack.
Ronnie...
- I'm not liking this. - What is that?
Something's hitting the bottom of the boat.
Told you they got monsters out here.
That's creeping me out bad.
Keep your eyes peeled.
Please tell me he is on that line.
-Don't see the line anywhere. -I don't see it either.
Let's see what we got. Oh, I see the rope right here.
It's way out, too. Hope it's a big boy.
Get the gun.
Watch him, che. Watch him.
Boy, that sucker's fighting.
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
Boy, that little sucker got some spunk, huh?
Soon as you can, get the shot, che.
What the hell?
I hope it didn't pop the line.
Gator pulled it right out of my hand, dude.
I can't believe that.
Get ready, che. Get ready.
Get ready to shoot this sucker.
- Oh, my god. - What the hell?
Oh, my god.
What the hell?
What happened?
I can't believe this.
46 years in the swamp, I've never seen this.
Girl, we got a monster out here.
While I'm fighting, he come and ate the damn gator.
He's gotta still be right here.
Oh, he's here.
We gonna set a bunch of lines
on top of him.
Hopefully we'll catch him.
I'm pissed right now.
I really wanna get this big gator
and kill him and put him in the boat.
Can't believe he ate half that damn gator.
More! More than half the gator!
Back in the canals of lake verret...
With a mission to thin the alligator population,
troy and his new deckhand
continue getting to know each other.
Tell me how you got the nickname pickles,
because I'm allergic to pickles.
Well, my middle name's nicole. That's where it started from.
- Nicole? - Yeah.
My daddy used to call me cheyenne nicole,
and it started sounding like "shiny nickel"
after years of saying it, you know.
After that it was shiny nickel pickle.
Now it's just pickle.
Shiny nickel pickle.
Yup, that's where it comes from.
What about you? You got a nickname?
No, I ain't got no nickname.
No? What about king of the swamp?
Where you got that from?
I don't know how the hell I got that name.
Yeah, me either.
Normally I don't like bringing little young kids on my boat
during alligator season because we got so much work to do.
But pickles, she's not a big person,
but she's strong and she grew up doing this.
It looks limp, huh?
I don't see the line. You see it?
Going down the tree.
Yeah, right here in front of the tree.
Most probably hung up.
Look like a nice one, huh?
Whoo!
Get the gun, go get the gun.
Whoo! Oh, watch him, watch him.
Shoot him!
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
Shoot him! Shoot!
Give me a shot. You gotta give me a shot on him.
Whoa, watch him.
Watch them jaws. Watch them jaws.
Right there! Right there!
Shoot him!
- What? - Hoo-hoo!
Huh? Okay, on three,
we gonna go up and in. You ready?
One, two, three.
Like that.
Feel like it's 15 feet trying to load him.
I think I got a little bit to prove.
I mean, my size kind of, you know,
speaks for itself.
But I'm a lot stronger than I look.
All right, pickles, that was a good shot, girl!
Back in mardi gras pass,
daniel edgar and his grandson dorien
have already caught four gators.
Looks like we got one on the line, huh?
Line's real tight.
Line's tight?
He's out in deep water.
It's a good one you're thinking?
Oh, I'm telling you.
Whoa. Ooh, he scared me.
Try to get me a shot.
Ah!
Damn.
[grunting]
ooh! Ahh!
I didn't want to hit him in that hard pad
and then ricochet and hit you.
[gunshot]
good shot.
Good job, pa.
Get this thing in the boat.
We got him.
- Ready? Okay. - Not yet.
One, two, go.
Come on in here, big boy.
Ready?
That's a 10-footer all day.
I'll take a 10-footer.
After five years as an automation specialist,
the young deckhand is feeling the wear and tear
fighting 600-pound beasts.
He burned me up.
That one put up a real good fight.
What'd he do to your hands, pa?
Oh, he skinned me to the white meat.
I guess my hands got a little soft while I was in the city.
We gotta get blisters on those hands.
They gonna harden up here in a couple days.
Gotta get your hands back like this.
- Cinderblocks. - Cinderblocks.
Rub them sores with some grass.
Brand-new.
105 miles away in bayou sorrel,
little willie's getting some gator-hunting lessons
from his papaw.
So you started alligator hunting
a little bit before daddy was born.
Monsters, huh?
It's important for kids to learn about their inheritance
and their history down the line, you know.
They need to know about all that...
On the bank over there.
Big one.
Yeah, that's a bad alligator right here.
Golly!
Oing out in the bayou now.
That's a big gator.
Tear your fingers off.
He's sizing the boat up now.
Goddog.
Only if we had a little slack right here.
[gunshot]
as the day wears on,
junior steps up the intensity of his gator-hunting guidance.
He's pushing me and pushing me and pushing me.
It's a lot easier with my dad and everything.
He don't push me or pressure me as much as my papaw does.
...Pump too much in his head,
he forgets half what you tell him.
...And let him learn it.
It's snapped.
Golly.
Yeah, that was a long time ago.
93 miles east,
ronnie and ashley search for a wily beast,
one that astonished the duo
by snatching another gator from ronnie's line midbattle.
He's right here in this area somewhere.
And I'm gonna throw on this treble on his ass
here in a minute if he'll pop up.
I've never seen an alligator this brutal,
and I can guarantee you this ain't the first one he's ate.
He needs to go back in his time and get the hell out of dodge.
You see the line, che?
Yeah, it's down.
Ooh, we got something right on the other side of us here.
[thud] damn, you all right?
What was that?
That was him! You all right, huh?
I don't know.
[thud] he hit us! He hit it again!
Suddenly, the tables turn and they are the hunted.
Man, that had to be the big boy.
We in a bad situation, che.
We just gotta do what we gotta do with it.
Don't let it get the gun, ashley.
- He's trying. - I know, baby. I know it.
Whoo-whoo!
Come on, baby.
Come on, girl, get that shot on him.
Oh! Whoa! Watch your feet.
Jeez.
Come on, baby, come on. Get that shot.
Hurry up, hurry up.
You better kill him. Kill him.
[gunshot]
man, this is a good one here, che.
Oh, yeah.
This is a good gator all day long.
I'm coming by you.
You bringing him all the way around?
Look, his little piece of tail is missing, too.
Jeez.
These type of alligators are the ones you hear about on the news,
eating dogs and eating people.
He is way over-aggressive. It's time for him to go.
75 miles west on the canals of lake verret,
troy's sassy new deckhand
is going toe-to-toe with the king of the swamp.
All right, cinderella, you good?
- I'm good. - Huh?
Huh? Them big old ears, you can't hear nothin'.
- What? - Huh?
Huh?
I said them big old ears, you can't hear nothin'.
What?
They ain't good for nothin'.
I don't know what they're doing up there.
Decoration. They good for decoration.
[both laugh]
well, pickles, I think she's learning me.
I told her, I say, "you act just like my kids.
You talk back to me like you one of my kids I gotta raise."
so we gonna get along good.
Looks a little wrapped up.
- I seen some action. - Uh-oh.
Throw me the gun, pickles, just in case it's a big one.
You feel something?
Oh, yeah, he's on there.
Just don't know what he is yet.
Whoo! Now we're talking.
Show him who's the boss.
When he decides to go, he's gone.
- You all right? - Yeah.
- He's pulling hard! - Whoa, whoa.
Back up, back up. Whoa, whoa, whoa!
It's a dinosaur.
Got him?
Watch him, watch him! Bring him up!
Bring him up, bring him up!
[gunshot]
all right. Okay, hold it.
Pull it. Push it up like that.
Whoo.
Look at the size of that thing.
I'm enjoying fishing with pickles.
She's doing good.
I think she's bringing me good luck.
And I got a lot of respect for the woman.
She's doing a very good job.
You did good.
Might bring you back tomorrow
if you keep doing good.
[laughs]
meanwhile, ronnie and ashley are going to war.
I got something up my sleeve.
You always do.
He likes eating his own kind,
so I got something for his ass
I'm about to fix him up right now.
Let me get one of these little ones out of here.
What're you gonna do?
I'm gonna chum the water for his ass.
That's a good idea.
Oh, yeah, we gonna see if it works.
Whoo, yeah, he's dripping some good juices out.
Let me dunk him in the water a little bit,
get a good chum going.
Yeah, maybe he'll think it's an injured one. Flopping.
I'm telling you, that's what I'm hoping.
Keep your eyes peeled. He could be anywhere.
We gonna let him know we got some bait for him, baby.
The dinner bell's ringing, baby!
Oh, ronnie, there's some bubbles.
Where? Where? Where?
I see bubbles right there.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, baby, I told you it would work.
Get after him, che.
It's like right in here.
- Yeah? - See him?
- Oh, I see him. - That's definitely a gator.
Let me throw this treble on him.
Yeah, che, right there, che.
Right on them bubbles. Come on, baby.
I know he's right there. I see the bubbles.
He's right there.
- Feel anything? - Nothing.
Try throwing out just a little bit to the left right there.
Maybe he's walking along that side and you can catch him.
Perfect.
Ooh, I thought I felt him right there.
Thought I felt him.
Ooh, I got him, ashley!
Get the gun, girl. Get the gun.
Got him. He's trying to go under the boat.
I got it.
Yeah, he's trying to go up under the boat, che.
I can't get him, boy. That's a big son of a--
golly, he's pulling, che.
He's giving ground and taking.
Yeah, boy, that son of a bitch is pulling big time.
Whoo-hoo! Boy, this is a big mother humper, che.
Soon as I get him up, you gotta crack his ass.
Oh, man. Golly.
He's rubbing on the back. Oh!
You okay?
- What the-- - dang it!
Oh, man!
God, that must've been a big gator.
- Dude, that was him, man! - Damn it.
I can't believe that.
You know, I was disgusted.
I lost the alligator on the treble hook,
but we gonna push through.
I mean, I'm gonna give all my effort
to find this alligator.
He's going. We'll catch him again.
Back in mardi gras pass...
Line's down, pa.
Whoa.
Looks tight.
Oh, it's a big one. Look at the damage.
He got up here on the bank. Look where he slid back in.
Look how wide his belly is.
I got the line.
Okay, let's see if we can make it happen.
This is heavy.
Stay up there.
This is a giant.
No joke.
Hold him, pa.
Oh, my god!
Look at the size of that thing.
He'll break the rope.
I'm gonna have to shoot him.
Oh, my goodness!
Shot I get on him, I'm gonna shoot.
Hold him.
Don't let him break the rope.
Whoa. Hold him.
[gunshot]
that's a big alligator.
This one was different.
Lord, go.
That's a good one.
12-footer, I think.
- Okay now. - One, two.
Oh!
It's a giant.
First day I would say success.
We had a great time. We loaded the boat.
My hands definitely feel great.
Being sarcastic, you know, but they're getting better.
Well, pa, some really good alligators over here.
Better put on your back brace.
I got it, pa.
There's a really great future
in this industry for a young man.
But he's gotta make his decisions,
and he has to follow his heart.
And I'm really fortunate
to be able to share some of this with him.
105 miles northwest in bayou sorrel,
little willie's learning
that papaw likes his own way of hunting.
Look.
Steady, steady, see how it's steady bubbling like that, pa?
Look.
You're hitting him on the back with it.
Come on. Every time you throw it, pa,
you're hitting him on the back with it.
Sometimes we'll get to butting heads a little bit.
But it ain't too bad. It's all fun and games.
He's going up, going up.
You want me to throw the hook, pa?
The way my papaw throws the hook and everything,
and I was telling him he's throwing it right on his back.
And I know he been doing it for years,
and I know that's his technique.
He done hooked many of them,
but it's just not how me and my dad do it.
It'll take me a little minute to get used to how he does it.
Tear your fingers off.
Though they've landed another 11-foot giant,
junior's not giving his grandson a break.
...Young boys is.
They think they know it all
and think the old man don't know nothin'.
I'm gonna catch him. Just leave me alone.
You don't even wanna scoot towards the back of the boat.
Yeah, you're scared.
Meanwhile, east of violet,
ronnie and ashley are still searching for their adversary,
a wily gator who snagged their catch,
snapped their line, and stole their treble hook.
I've wasted hours today trying to get this alligator.
It's like the alligator's playing tricks with us
you know, playing games with me.
We got something here.
Look at the cane pole.
Look how he tore it all up around here, too.
I know it. It's a mess here, dude.
Let me feel it, see what we got on it.
I don't feel anything pulling back, but...
Let me see.
Let it go. I got it.
I got it.
Get that gun ready.
I'm ready.
Whoo-hoo!
Boy, ashley.
Golly, girl.
Shoot that son of a bitch soon as you can.
Oh, the line is frayed, che.
Gol! This is him! This is him!
Hold on to him.
Dude, this is a hammer, che.
Don't let him cut the rope.
Come on the other side of me. Come on.
Ooh, ashley.
Soon as you can kill him, kill him, girl.
[gunshot]
oh, that's him, che.
Hold this rope and hand me that hook.
Ready?
- One, two-- - one, two, three.
All righty.
Just grab that leg, and I'm gonna grab this hook.
One, two, three, there we go.
Look at that, che.
I got your treble back, baby.
Oh, my god!
Oh, yeah!
I had a feeling it was the alligator.
But it confirmed it when we pulled this gator in the boat,
this son of a gun still had the treble lodged in his tail.
I couldn't believe it. Great way to close out the day.
Meanwhile, back near lake verret,
troy's new deckhand is proving her worth.
Mr. Troy, look, look.
- What? - Back there, there he is.
Look at that big one. You see him?
Get your gun, get your gun. Come shoot.
I think that's a little too far for you to shoot, huh?
Come get on the motor right here.
- Watch up. - Get on the motor.
I see him.
If you hit him, right there's shallow, we'll find him.
- See him over there? - Yeah, I see him.
Take your time.
Listen, right behind the eyes,
and shoot right underneath the eyes.
[gunshot]
good shot, good shot. You got him, you got him!
I think you nailed him.
Hold on, pickles, hold on.
- I don't see him. - Pickles, grab my gun.
Grab my gun in case he's not dead all the way.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's him, that's him!
Oh, that's him! Watch him, watch him!
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Whoo-hoo!
Watch him, pickles.
He's coming up.
Oh, shoot that sucker.
Put one in him. Put a good one in him.
Hurry up! Shoot him, shoot him!
[laughs]
whoo!
Whoo!
Boy, that's a nice-- that's a big alligator.
That's a big old gator there, buddy.
- Oh, look at that thing. - That's a big boy there.
- That one's dangerous. - Oh, no, look.
You made a good shot the first shot.
You made a good shot.
Thanks to pickle's sharpshooting,
the hunters have landed a monster 11-foot gator,
and the king of the swamp is impressed.
Oh, that's what I'm talking about.
Whoo!
She got him on the first shot. It was very impressive.
And I think she was putting out more than big t.
She wasn't scared to grab the line,
she didn't sit on her cushion all day.
You know, she was on the ball.
She was on top of things.
So I was happy to fish with her.
It worked out good.
Hey, mr. Troy, you still regretting
having that pink gun case in the boat or what?
Can't make fun of that pink gun case no more.
That pink gun case done proved itself today, huh?
After the shot I just saw you put on that damn thing.
[pickle laughs]
20 miles northwest,
willie's headed back to bayou sorrel
to see how his son and father made out.
In a way, no news is good news.
I hope they having a good day, though.
I just hope and pray to god
nothing went wrong and nothing happened,
and hope they get the day done and catch a lot of alligators.
Putting these ropes all in this bucket.
Straighten it up.
What the hell's going on over here?
Sounds about right.
I find I could teach you a little bit.
[laughs]
three or four more years.
I'll scuffle you up.
[all laugh]
me and my dad and my papaw,
it may look like we butting heads,
but really, I mean,
that's how we show our love towards each other.
Nice little time spending time with papaw.
Spending time with family and papaw and stuff.
Hey, can't ask for no better.
Talking about.
My family is very tight
and, I mean, there ain't nobody or nothin'
can come between them.
And that's all that matters in this world.
Have fun with your family
and have a good relationship with them
and cherish every moment.
Let's get them onto the landing.
On to the house.