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Swamp People - Season 17 - Episode 14: Tag Out or Bust
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TVTranscript
00:00:15It's the final day of gator season.
00:00:181, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
00:00:22And we will be a wrap.
00:00:24But with water levels at a record low.
00:00:27Let's go.
00:00:28Woo!
00:00:29Nothing comes easy.
00:00:31Woo!
00:00:33It's one of the roughest years we ever had.
00:00:35I just hope we can tag off the deck.
00:00:38It's the hunter's last chance to fill tags.
00:00:41Better rip, Willie.
00:00:43And slaying swamp giants.
00:00:45Whoa!
00:00:46Whoa!
00:00:47Dude!
00:00:48We got to catch these alligators and get the job done.
00:00:51Mustering every ounce of grit and determination they've got left.
00:00:55Get him up!
00:00:56Try him!
00:00:57Whatever happens, you got to keep going.
00:00:59Whoa!
00:00:59To hit their numbers.
00:01:01Dang!
00:01:01I don't care what it takes.
00:01:03I got lines to run and I got tags to fill.
00:01:06Oh, look at your buck.
00:01:08And cement their reputations.
00:01:11Well, can they get in there, man?
00:01:12I don't want to lose it.
00:01:13You're going to tag over.
00:01:14I promise you that.
00:01:15Dang!
00:01:16Or risk coming up short.
00:01:19Oh!
00:01:19Oh, damn, that's a good one, too.
00:01:20In the swamp's final clash.
00:01:23We got one tag left.
00:01:26Oh, oh, whoop!
00:01:28Oh, hold him, hold him, hold him, hold him, hold him.
00:01:31Oh!
00:01:33Oh!
00:01:37Oh!
00:01:38Run these back roads out of your life.
00:01:40All the pain through the struggle and the strife.
00:01:43Now there's just one thing you've got left to do.
00:01:46Light a mask, let it burn, and break on two.
00:01:50Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
00:01:54Like a wild horse, morning, you're out of control.
00:02:00Like a loaded pistol, like a raging storm, you got thunder in your veins.
00:02:06You won't start till your dying day comes your way.
00:02:26it's day 30 of the 30-day gator season and in pierre park king of the swamp troy landry and
00:02:34his partner pickle weed are in a no holds barred battle to tag out one two three four five six
00:02:41seven eight nine ten all right and we will be a rat earlier this morning troy broke the news to
00:02:50his
00:02:50teams that with water levels plummeting to a record low their final hunt will be their hardest with the
00:02:57water we all have to stay on top of your game we need to try to push ourselves push push
00:03:03push
00:03:04we have to it's one of the roughest years we ever had and fishing's rough today the water's
00:03:10real low but i just hope with everything that's been going on this year i hope we can tag out
00:03:16the
00:03:17let's roll let's get it done
00:03:21with 43 tags left for the landry's to fill
00:03:25trolley and pickle take 10 of them into the most difficult location they have lived we are dealing
00:03:31with a lot of fluctuation of the water and we got a lot of tags to fill so as soon
00:03:35as we could get
00:03:36these tags filled the better got a little pressure on my shoulders right now all right come on alligator
00:03:50we got something
00:03:52we got something
00:04:02bring them up
00:04:03oh yeah that's massage right there bring them up
00:04:18be we
00:04:20oh
00:04:24oh
00:04:26oh
00:04:27all right
00:04:28oh
00:04:32eat them up eat them up
00:04:46oh
00:04:47good job little girl
00:04:50this eight footer may not break any records
00:04:53but with the location and low water levels
00:04:56every gator is a welcome sight today
00:05:00that was a good little fight this is a good way to start our tag all day
00:05:04it wasn't big alligators but we got a few tags
00:05:07feisty
00:05:08uh
00:05:25across the swamp in prime hunting grounds
00:05:29jacob landry and his partner little willie are armed with 18 tags to fill
00:05:34the tall task for their final day
00:05:37get pumped
00:05:42willie hey willie
00:05:44yeah
00:05:46getting down to the end
00:05:47yeah
00:05:48we got about 18 tags left
00:05:53i know we ain't been catching that every day but
00:05:56we need to try
00:05:58well today's the last day of the season and to be honest with you i'm a little nervous
00:06:01we got a lot of work ahead of us but i think if we keep chipping away at it and
00:06:05stay persistent
00:06:06i think we'll go home with not a tag left in the box
00:06:09you good willie
00:06:10good we got our fingers crossed we're hoping we can tag out i know jacob got a lot on his
00:06:15mind
00:06:16and all and he's in the back of that boat his head's going out of the night he's thinking about
00:06:21i want to run as many lines as i can as fast as i can to fill these tags and
00:06:26we got to catch
00:06:27these alligators and get the job done
00:06:33some big bus water right there on the bank on the bank
00:06:43it's still alive
00:06:48yeah he's long
00:06:50oh look to the right over there head just went down in them lilies
00:07:08what do you look like willie yeah we got something
00:07:17what you got willie what you got willie
00:07:21oh
00:07:22oh whoa
00:07:25damn good gator
00:07:28what
00:07:30who
00:07:34hold on willie
00:07:37there you go there you go
00:07:59what is a good start on our last day willie where you want him right here yeah
00:08:03one two three oh yeah the 11-foot beast is a solid start but with 17 tags remaining the hard
00:08:12work is
00:08:13just beginning i'm a little worried if we don't step up our game season's gonna run out and we're
00:08:19gonna have a lot of ties left on our hands
00:08:25and that sure is a good gator to start out the morning huh
00:08:27absolutely buddy we'll take that all day
00:08:45over at the six mile lake
00:08:48you ready yep let's get it swamp veteran bruce mitchell and his partner anna rebeck are starting
00:08:55the last day of the season with 11 tags left
00:09:00moon's all up that means you get to swim all night
00:09:04that full moon we used to do good good hold on
00:09:11the other alligator season bruce and anna could all but guarantee 11 gators on tag out day
00:09:17but this season has been unlike any before and this was a different kind of season with the water
00:09:24one day it's up one day it's down you never know where it's gonna be i mean if it comes
00:09:29over your
00:09:29bait you don't catch gators if it drops out too low the gator can't jump up and get it you
00:09:35got to
00:09:35really pay attention to your water first line don't know what's gonna happen
00:09:44yeah i do know what's gonna happen
00:09:49they're not biting i really thought we'd catch one there boy that's a good spot you got the little
00:09:54runs coming off the side dang
00:10:01i'm a little bit concerned because we need to tag out but the water's so low so that's not really
00:10:06good for gator hunting the tide didn't come up but it didn't drop back out i don't know our chicken's
00:10:12too
00:10:12high ah that gator jump up get that i'm so thankful i'm hunting with mr bruce he's an experienced
00:10:21veteran in gator hunting and so i really rely on him and trust him in these types of hard situations
00:10:26but even for him this is proving difficult it looks down
00:10:40what you see oh it's straight down the water
00:10:52oh oh get the gun get the gun get the gun get the gun get him up get him up
00:11:16get him miss bruce
00:11:35he ain't big but that's another tag bill how many we got left once we tag this gator we got
00:11:4010 gators
00:11:41left then we'll be through it this year catching a six and a half foot gator is a decent start
00:11:47to the
00:11:47day but with the challenging conditions it does little to ease the hunter's concerns
00:11:54i'm hoping today it's just something you worry about every day to you have no more tags and it's
00:12:01going to be tough today because the water is low low low but uh we're going to tag out hopefully
00:12:07ain't big as i want it but he's in the boat and that's the main thing hold on
00:12:13we keep on going we keep on going we're going to get through today all right let's get it done
00:12:37over on bell river optimistic is the word of the day
00:12:56i want to prove who i am to troy and jacob to show them they did not mess up by
00:13:01putting me in a boat
00:13:02so last night i went out and i put 20 new lines out because i need to make sure i
00:13:07catch these gators
00:13:07for troy make a break today big boy make a break there's more pressure on on don rather than me
00:13:14he feels as if he gotta make sure he proves himself every day even though he's done already in the
00:13:21past
00:13:22and i understand in a way but i don't feel as much pressure as he has
00:13:32there's one right here in front of us pretty good over here in the shallow cross
00:13:35well we got 15 tags that'll be what you want to try to get on them get your triple hook
00:13:54oh god hold him hold him
00:14:07hold him
00:14:10hold him hold him
00:14:11hold him
00:14:17no way
00:14:42look at that
00:14:46filling their first to 15 tags with a 10-footer helps ease the pressure on don
00:14:54hell yeah in the boat
00:14:57this is the first alligator i ever trouble hooked i'm gonna cloud nine right now i can't like i just
00:15:02can't fathom that this just happened it all happened so quick and it was a great feel
00:15:09and to see the excitement on don's face pump me up even more what's the word of the day optimistic
00:15:16optimistic optimistic don't ask me how to spell
00:15:19how to spell it out in a million
00:15:37and that's the ron jones and anthony pork chop williams have eight tags left to finish their season but so
00:15:44far they've come up empty
00:15:49look at that
00:15:50look at that kuzak another one hanging bro
00:15:54can't catch no alligator like that car pulling up to the line bro with the chicken
00:16:00still swinging got my spirit lord and the best one in hell right now kuz we just can't get right
00:16:06man
00:16:07now press on us bro
00:16:09now we might not tag out kuz
00:16:12the landowner he would not be happy if we don't tag out on these gators i know it's been a
00:16:18long
00:16:19difficult season down to the nitty-gritty everybody won't go home to their family but it's extremely
00:16:25important that i get these eight gators today y'all about them smiling bob because i have that
00:16:30but that pressure on us bro oh what the hell she got that but that's a prayer in mentions man
00:16:37praying mantis yeah you're almost free on me oh that was a praying mantis look you see
00:16:45oh we need prayer we need brother we need brother we should have been on top of one of them
00:16:51tags
00:16:51praying that we can't go praying mantises are native to north america including the louisiana bayou
00:16:59many traditional communities believe their presence is a sign of good fortune to come
00:17:07so we got to put him back at his home you know i'm gonna put him back i ain't gonna
00:17:11hurt him
00:17:11you know it's a good sign or what yeah man out here in nature a spider could have fell out
00:17:16the tree
00:17:16i hate spiders snake could have fell out you know what fell out what fell out a praying mantis that's
00:17:22a sign you might be saying don't give up bro we ain't gonna give up that prayer that everything go
00:17:27true and we tag out cuz it's been a rough season man but we got to suck it up got
00:17:32to put it a little
00:17:32harder you know but we got eight more to go man we gotta buckle down man and do what we
00:17:37gotta do
00:17:37because if we don't feel the tag back the landowner have to return the tag back to to the wildlife
00:17:43fishery and he losing money and we ain't making money come on cool dad i gonna see what that prayer
00:17:48man man you're telling us that rule
00:18:06over on lake barrette midway through the day the team is off to a slow start in one of the
00:18:13hardest areas
00:18:14they've hunted all season with only two of their ten tags filled troy needs his trusty deckhead to get
00:18:21them over the finish line every year i'm getting old and older and you're gonna have to do more and
00:18:27more oh i know you're already bitching that'll make you do a lot i don't care it's all part of
00:18:34it
00:18:34i had a lot of helpers come through my boat in the last 40 years okay a lot of help
00:18:41i think you're
00:18:43about the best i ever had
00:18:48she just had a baby a few months ago and man you know you didn't know what i didn't know
00:18:53what to
00:18:54expect this year out of what she's doing looks like she's doing better than ever she's more determined
00:18:59than ever i love watching her because she gives it a hundred percent do you see the line yes i
00:19:05do see the line
00:19:17talk to me
00:19:21talk to me little girl
00:19:23talk to me little girl
00:19:25yeah we got one oh good
00:19:36whoa watch him please watch him
00:19:48oh bring him up bring him up
00:20:01oh
00:20:01shoot him
00:20:01shoot him when you can
00:20:03no
00:20:05i will i will as soon as i get a shot
00:20:08shoot him
00:20:18oh
00:20:21thanks to pickle's iron grip on the feisty eight footer the team is finding their mojo despite the
00:20:28low water
00:20:30you know there's a lot of women that go to the gym to exercise that's my workout right here
00:20:35you come in the boat and fight alligators i'm this little bitty petite girl i started out as this like
00:20:42naive firecracker and he's taught me a lot over the years we clash a lot you know but it also
00:20:49it it
00:20:50works at the same time look at here baby what we got one two three four five six seven girl
00:20:56whoo
00:20:57whoo
00:20:57whoo
00:20:59getting close
00:21:01next
00:21:18across the swamp jacob and little willie still face a hefty number of tags to fill with time quickly taken
00:21:26away
00:21:35we got 16 tags left it's a little more than what i want to have here on this set i
00:21:39really
00:21:39don't want to go back to the ramp or to the dock with just one or two tags in my
00:21:43box i want to be
00:21:43done with so we're going to be on the lookout we're going to fill every tag we can in any
00:21:48means
00:21:48possible we got to get some more gators in the boat we got our fingers crossed we're hoping we can
00:21:54tag out if not we got our secret weapon i made a special trouble hook in memories to pay respects
00:22:01to my papa and all he's the first to ever do it and it's been blessing me all season and
00:22:06i'm just
00:22:06going to continue blessing me
00:22:10come on willie keep you in the eye out
00:22:16i don't know what it is they got a pile of bubbles coming up over there
00:22:21it's going north towards the bank huh yeah that's an alligator because it's still bubbling
00:22:28need that trouble hook in the water
00:22:35better rip willie make your pa proud
00:22:56coming to the boat hell yeah they pull so hard in that shallow water
00:23:06feel good
00:23:21come on willie little willie is using his treble hook to try and pull in a monster
00:23:30good gator
00:23:32watch it willie
00:23:36go get away come on willie
00:23:49take him buckwheat
00:23:53in the freaking foot no wonder he was pissed
00:23:57one two three
00:24:00hell yeah
00:24:02nice little addition
00:24:04hauling in this 11-footer on willie's treble hook gives the team some much needed momentum
00:24:10and put some 15 gators from their gold good job willie good job yes sir i've been doing trouble
00:24:19hooking all my life and the trouble hooking is the one way that we know how to put alligators in
00:24:24the
00:24:24boat you give me tags and you turn me loose and i'll trouble hook every single one of them i
00:24:28just do what i was taught
00:24:30my papa taught my dad my dad taught me it's kind of like a tradition that keeps going and i'm
00:24:36gonna
00:24:36teach my kids someday it's one of the best papa taught me how to make them curve them hooks in
00:24:41right
00:24:41and you got a good hook you don't miss everything you throw the hooks on is there
00:24:48down willie that's what i'm talking about
00:24:51down willie that's what i'm talking about
00:25:06several miles southwest on six mile lake
00:25:10and i'm talking about it
00:25:11bruce and anna have struggled all morning with only three gators in the boat
00:25:27this is frustrating we're not having a very good day the gators aren't really biting very well
00:25:34getting really worried nothing is on our line empty hooks hooks being knocked in the water we don't know
00:25:42what to do
00:25:51line's down down yeah
00:25:56what you got out oh it's straight down i ain't too impressed with that
00:26:09what you got
00:26:11i don't know
00:26:26nothing
00:26:28we still have eight tags mr bruce what are we gonna do it ain't over yet hang that bait we're
00:26:36gonna go catch more i hope we do we gotta finish with only three tags filled bruce decides to keep
00:26:43their bait hanging to maximize their chances but it also means they have to run every line twice before
00:26:51the season ends at sunset it's gonna be a long day today you just can't stop till you have no
00:26:57more tags
00:26:58you can't quit you just got to push your way through whatever happens you got to keep going
00:27:03when the bags empty then you go home hold on i hope we get our last ones
00:27:11why don't we go catch some alligators that's a good idea we need one mr bruce we gotta tag out
00:27:31on bell river down ain't it yeah i see the line but i don't know oh it's still up
00:27:37hit it yeah after a hot start with their treble hook don and calum's lines are ice cold
00:27:47oh you got chicken hanging boy this might be a rough day today man we ain't doing
00:27:53worth of crap on fish and the water's so damn low and i mean line after line after line i
00:27:59mean these
00:27:59lines ain't even down i still got chicken on the line so i'm sitting back here scratching my head
00:28:04you know all we can do is just keep running lines cross our fingers and hope for the best
00:28:12and damn chicken is still hanging that is not a good sign no not at all i mean it really
00:28:17don't i mean we're seeing the gators they're here i don't understand that straight to the back
00:28:26all i see is stretch the left ain't it yeah
00:28:31hopefully they ain't all tangled up sure
00:28:43well if we don't start pulling some gators off these lines we might not tag out today
00:28:48i mean i only started off strong but boy i mean we come to a halt quick well
00:28:53i don't know what's on this line yet but let's back it on now and see all right you ready
00:28:58watch your
00:28:59minds okay i'll hammer it
00:29:12i see a bear hook at a bridge
00:29:17ain't no gator huh
00:29:20i don't think troll would be too happy for a tag on this huh
00:29:23no no probably not after coming up empty on this pass
00:29:29the pair will need the extra 20 lines don set to pay off if they hope to tag out we
00:29:35run about a dozen
00:29:36lines and i mean nothing this is terrible man these things just blowed up with them huh yeah i don't
00:29:43care what it takes that's what i'm gonna do i got lines to run and i got tags to fill
00:29:48hard to stay optimistic
00:29:50like this it's not looking real good
00:30:06over in amelia the ron and pork chop continued to struggle without a single tag filled on the dag
00:30:15ain't looking good man no it ain't looking good
00:30:18with that cut you sweating boy i tell you if i go do a number two i might poop out
00:30:22a diamond right
00:30:23now how long that pressure's been on me we got eight more to go man we gotta buckle down man
00:30:29and do
00:30:30we gotta do so we hunting and hunt you know hustling and we got the first couple of lines we
00:30:35ain't had
00:30:35nothing we got to fill these tags or we ain't gonna be to get no more tags for next year
00:30:42who's that what up car lying down boy yeah look like the old praying mantis and change our luck
00:30:49can't car yeah we need this car yeah we need it to be a gator man
00:31:01we got something
00:31:02we got that car oh you got something
00:31:29i don't want to get in there man i don't want to lose them
00:31:34we got something
00:31:35get ready cut
00:31:36come that's up
00:31:37fuck
00:31:37i got it cut
00:31:40dang cut
00:31:42ready crew that mess up
00:31:44fuck
00:31:44yeah
00:31:53good job
00:32:09With seven tags remaining, the team still has a long way to go.
00:32:24It wasn't a spectacular gator, but guess what? He was bigger than a lizard, and I put the tag in
00:32:29the tail. Anything goes, man. You know, we gotta make it happen.
00:32:33Oh, that praying mantis? That's a good sign, cuh. You know? We went from nothing to something, cousin.
00:32:39Oh, yeah. Told you that.
00:32:55Across the swamp, the end of a long day and brutal season could be within reach as Troy and Pickle
00:33:03are down to their last four tags.
00:33:07I'm ready to get back home to my baby. I was worried having a baby when I got pregnant for
00:33:14my girl. I was worried about being away from it and all of that, but I think I kind of
00:33:20got my head on the street.
00:33:21I want my kids to grow up and be proud of me, you know? And I don't want them to
00:33:24turn back and say, why'd you quit because you had me, you know?
00:33:28I want them to turn around and say, I'm glad you kept going and you didn't let me stop you,
00:33:35you know?
00:33:36Well, of course. I want them to be proud, you know? Yeah, they got a lot to be proud of.
00:33:40This season is a rough one for me, to be completely honest. Leaving one baby at home was hard enough.
00:33:46And here I am, two seasons later, leaving two babies at home. But I want them to grow up and
00:33:54say, she didn't let us stop her from doing anything she wanted to do.
00:33:58Like, just keep being Superwoman, at least in their eyes, you know?
00:34:01I hope you can come back next year and help me some more.
00:34:05Maybe one day I'll get behind the motor, huh?
00:34:08Oh, Lord.
00:34:10Oh, Lord, let it not go there.
00:34:13Whoo!
00:34:15Well, I don't know what you'd have did right there.
00:34:20Talk to me.
00:34:23I don't see anything. I just see the flag.
00:34:31Do we have John?
00:34:32We will see.
00:34:34My best judgment says, there ain't nothing on here.
00:34:37But, sometimes I'm wrong.
00:34:44Oh, I'm wrong! Come here!
00:34:49Oh, yeah, he's a big one.
00:34:50He's a big one.
00:34:55Ooh!
00:34:55Bring him up! Bring him up!
00:34:57Yeah!
00:35:03Woo!
00:35:03Bring him up, Kiwi! Bring him up!
00:35:08That's a good one.
00:35:11I came to call...
00:35:16Bring him up, Kiwi! Bring him up!
00:35:21Ooh!
00:35:25Ooh!
00:35:27Good shot.
00:35:29I did it again.
00:35:31Sometimes I mad myself.
00:35:35Good job, little baby.
00:35:42Right that way you stand it.
00:35:44This nine-footer brings the team closer to tagging out.
00:35:48But the king of the swamp never counts his chickens
00:35:51before they hatch.
00:35:53Phoebe and I are almost done,
00:35:55but anything can happen when you're out there on the water.
00:35:58So you just, you never know.
00:36:01This is it, Phoebe. One, two, three.
00:36:05Three tags left, baby girl.
00:36:10Getting close.
00:36:26On Six Mile Lake,
00:36:28Bruce and Anna's decision to run their lines twice
00:36:31might save their season.
00:36:33But the extra workload is taking a toll on the hunters.
00:36:38I'm exhausted, Mr. Bruce.
00:36:39Me too.
00:36:40We got a lot of work to do still.
00:36:42I'm about out.
00:36:43I'm about shot.
00:36:44But I don't have the option to be tired.
00:36:47I just got to tell myself, keep going.
00:36:49Keep going, because it's tough out here.
00:36:52And no matter what, I got to push through this.
00:36:54I got to get these gators today.
00:36:56Not tomorrow.
00:36:57Today.
00:37:06See anything?
00:37:08Line's down.
00:37:10That's a good sign.
00:37:13See it?
00:37:13I can't see nothing.
00:37:15Oh!
00:37:16There's a gator on the other side.
00:37:18It's moving.
00:37:19He's here.
00:37:21Hurry up, Mr. Bruce.
00:37:23He's here.
00:37:24He's coming.
00:37:29Get him up.
00:37:30He's up.
00:37:31Oh!
00:37:38Game over.
00:37:40Well, that was nice.
00:37:42I wish he was all like that.
00:37:43Okay.
00:37:44Can we get him up?
00:37:45Ready?
00:37:46Watch him.
00:37:47Watch that mouth.
00:37:48Watch that mouth.
00:37:49I am.
00:37:49Okay.
00:37:51Huh!
00:37:51This seven-footer brings Bruce and Anna's total to nine.
00:37:55But the hunters aren't the first to tag this gator.
00:37:59Hey, Mr. Bruce, look.
00:38:00What you got?
00:38:01He's got a tag on his foot.
00:38:02Oh, yeah.
00:38:02This is an arm-raised gator.
00:38:04Cool enough.
00:38:04We're going to have to take that tag and turn that number into wildlife fisheries.
00:38:08In 1986, the Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife started an alligator ranching program.
00:38:16Licensed farmers collect eggs, hatch them, and then release the gators into the wild with a tag,
00:38:24allowing biologists to identify them later.
00:38:28Stick that in the hole.
00:38:30Two more gators, we out of here.
00:38:34Go get some more.
00:38:36What about those?
00:38:37Two left, Mr. Bruce.
00:38:53Across the swamp, Jacob and Little Willie have been loading the boat with monsters, but
00:38:59they still have half their tags left.
00:39:04Getting closer and closer.
00:39:07Think the last day is going to be a good one.
00:39:09One foot of books.
00:39:10We've got nine tags left.
00:39:12Let's get it done.
00:39:13There we go.
00:39:14We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but I think if we keep chipping away at it and
00:39:17stay persistent, I think we'll go home with not a tag left in the box.
00:39:27Oh, we've got a tree shaker.
00:39:29Oh!
00:39:31Might have them on the line, Willie.
00:39:35We've got a crime scene, Willie.
00:39:37It's a big gator that's on the line, too.
00:39:39We've got a pretty gator, man.
00:39:43I like to see.
00:39:50Uh-oh, uh-oh.
00:39:52We've got a big one!
00:39:59Oh, whoa, whoa!
00:40:02Watch!
00:40:02Watch it!
00:40:04We're out!
00:40:07We're out!
00:40:08I know you're out.
00:40:09We're out!
00:40:09We're out of here!
00:40:11and we're gonna have a good average today my boy let him cut that line with that tail
00:40:21that's what i'm talking about my boy that is a hammer
00:40:27gonna sink the boat today will it son there we go now we got him right
00:40:40that's what i'm talking about got a monster jeez louise one two three
00:40:55come on you big sucker
00:41:04with this massive 12 footer
00:41:08the team is firing on all cylinders good job willie good job jacob it's a blessing fishing
00:41:16with jacob for the second year in a row he treats me good mr jacob is a hard-working guy
00:41:22he's a
00:41:22hustler man i just can't ask for no better we're down to our last gator and i know we're gonna
00:41:28get
00:41:28it done about to be tagged out and get hit quick enough
00:41:50across the swamp the low water continues to give loran and pork chop fits as they still only have one
00:41:58tag
00:41:59filled on the day another empty line keep checking all them dog on empty line
00:42:08we don't tag out somebody pocket will be empty too
00:42:14ain't looking good cousin no it ain't down to seven tag left i'm a little worried
00:42:22we're down to the nitty-gritty so i hope we pull it through you know it just just gotta try
00:42:28to figure
00:42:28it out lying down cousin yeah
00:42:42oh look at y'all buck oh yes sir
00:43:01whoa damn buck all right we gotta get it through that
00:43:05cut he rolled it up on me guy i know cut watch yourself
00:43:07i mean y'all either now cut
00:43:12cut i'm gonna need you to push up on him
00:43:28good job cut you got it man let me put one yeah yeah you got it i tell you you
00:43:33got it
00:43:33oh yeah i got it hey cut let me help you bro
00:43:35yeah come on y'all see that's what i tell you man let me help you cut drop it with
00:43:41that
00:43:41drop it drop it be that cut oh let me show up with a nine-footer the team may be
00:43:49turning
00:43:50the corner but to tag out they'll need a miracle comeback
00:43:54the lady ain't sung yet you could feel my heart beating through my shirt things are getting
00:43:59good but good got room for improvement i would like it to be going great finish line right
00:44:05there i can see it but i just gotta get it so i can cross it
00:44:09yeah cool man another tag down another tag down baby yeah we need a different one bro
00:44:29over on lake for red troy and people are down to their final tag looking to close out one of
00:44:35their
00:44:35toughest seasons on record all right we got one tag left and we only got i think maybe three lines
00:44:43there
00:44:43getting down a little wire every year i don't know if it's my age but it looks like every year
00:44:48gets a little harder and a little harder and this year it's like it jumped up to another level
00:44:55you'd adjust all your sets and all your lines for your water level and then two days later it was
00:45:01total opposite and it made it hard
00:45:12is that one over there yeah
00:45:36oh my oh it's a good one it's a good one it's a good one it's a good one yeah
00:45:40back up back up
00:45:41pull it out of there yeah
00:45:49what we got three weeks a good good one wait don't make me let it go
00:46:02you got him you got him
00:46:05you got him
00:46:08oh my god
00:46:09oh my god
00:46:11you're dancing
00:46:15pick it up hurry up
00:46:26hold on
00:46:27shoot him
00:46:33you
00:46:34you
00:46:40you
00:46:48Woo-hoo-hoo! Yeah! That's it, dude. We done. What a freaking tag out, huh?
00:46:57This massive 12-footer is their biggest on the day.
00:47:00Come on up. All right, right there.
00:47:04And ends their year on a high note.
00:47:07You're putting them here?
00:47:07Yep, right here. I'll get me.
00:47:10Let me come tag it. You always get the fun part.
00:47:13We had to think out the box this year. We struggled. It was a rough year.
00:47:18But that's what's making it so enjoyable to be finished.
00:47:21Now the season down. This evening, when I'm gonna be home, relaxing...
00:47:27It's gonna hit you, huh?
00:47:28It's gonna hit me. I'm gonna be sad.
00:47:30I'm gonna go from being happy to being sad.
00:47:33Not enough.
00:47:47Over on Bell River, Don and Calum continue to struggle.
00:47:53And with gator season nearing an end, the pair still has plenty of work to do.
00:47:59Eat more.
00:48:01I don't know. We'll tag it out.
00:48:02Liam will change the word of the day to foobar.
00:48:06I think we should change it to disappointment.
00:48:08Usually, I'm already back in and checked in.
00:48:11And I'm starting to get a little worried.
00:48:13But I got to get these gators.
00:48:19Lines down, ain't it?
00:48:21Yeah, I don't see the chicken hagging.
00:48:23Oh, we ain't got a gator on this. We ain't gonna tag out.
00:48:26Yeah, it almost looks like it's going all the way to the right.
00:48:28I see a tail right there, right in the edge of the lilies.
00:48:31Oh, yeah.
00:48:34You alive?
00:48:36Oh, yes, he is.
00:48:38Woo!
00:48:40Dang!
00:48:43Got the gator, bro.
00:48:45Dang!
00:48:48Dang it.
00:48:49Ah, dang it!
00:48:58I can't get no shot like that.
00:49:04Oh, wonderful.
00:49:08Oh, give me a shot! Give me a shot!
00:49:17Wow.
00:49:21That's a gun, Donna.
00:49:22Shh, shh, shh, pow, pow.
00:49:24Hey, look.
00:49:25Hey, one more tag, baby!
00:49:26That's a good gator, too, bro.
00:49:27Oh, yeah.
00:49:28Hey, we're getting there.
00:49:29Catching this nine-foot gator
00:49:31puts Don and Kalem past the halfway mark
00:49:34and brings a little optimism back to the boat.
00:49:38Them tags got to be filled over that paper.
00:49:40I mean, it's not a good deal.
00:49:42So I'm gonna keep running lines,
00:49:44I'm gonna keep tagging them,
00:49:45putting them in the boat,
00:49:46and try to get this going.
00:49:47It started off good.
00:49:49Went to crap.
00:49:50Now it's starting to build back up.
00:50:03Over on Six Mile Lake,
00:50:05for Bruce and Anna,
00:50:07the extra effort to run their lines twice
00:50:09might push them over the finish line.
00:50:12But it's not over
00:50:14until they click their last tag.
00:50:17Got one more.
00:50:18We only have one tag left,
00:50:20but everything's difficult right now.
00:50:22And I just kind of send up a little prayer,
00:50:25like, please, God, we really need one.
00:50:31What you got, Anna?
00:50:33I see the line.
00:50:34It just kind of goes straight down.
00:50:37I'm hoping we can tag out right here.
00:50:48Oh, I feel something, Mr. Bruce.
00:50:50Sure.
00:50:50Here, I want to come down there.
00:50:52I don't want to fall out.
00:50:53It's slippery up there.
00:50:54It's heavy.
00:50:55You don't need to fall out the boat
00:50:56on the last gate.
00:51:01There he is!
00:51:02There he is!
00:51:03Come on, get him up.
00:51:04Get him up.
00:51:11He's still.
00:51:12Come on, get him up.
00:51:13Get him up!
00:51:14He's trying!
00:51:19He's got him.
00:51:21I got him.
00:51:21I'll get him.
00:51:22Be still.
00:51:23Get him up!
00:51:28Watch out!
00:51:29Whoa!
00:51:31Get him up and I'm going to shoot him.
00:51:33He keeps going down.
00:51:39Get ready, Mr. Bruce.
00:51:47Nice shot!
00:51:48Tag out better.
00:51:49That's it, baby.
00:51:50We're going home.
00:51:50I told you we'd tag out on a big one.
00:51:53Yeah.
00:51:54Here we go.
00:51:56A massive 12-footer is a perfect end to a difficult season, and despite all the challenges
00:52:02this year, the team shows no signs of slowing down.
00:52:06Final gator.
00:52:07Mr. Bruce, you ready?
00:52:08I am very ready.
00:52:09Me and Mr. Bruce, we always have ups and downs, but he's always got a plan.
00:52:13He has my back, and he's always teaching me something.
00:52:16You know we work smarter, not harder.
00:52:18Amen.
00:52:19Good?
00:52:20I love learning from an experienced swamper, and I hope to be as good as him someday.
00:52:25And he told me, maybe one day you'll be running your own boat.
00:52:28And I hope that, but I also really like being his deckhand.
00:52:33Oh, that felt good.
00:52:34Yes, yes.
00:52:35We did it.
00:52:36Phew!
00:52:37That's coming up.
00:52:38I was four years old, and I got pictures of me and my grandpa with gators.
00:52:42He said, my blood, as long as I'm alive, I will be gator hunting.
00:52:47So what about next year?
00:52:48Next year?
00:52:49Yeah.
00:52:51You're going to need a bigger boat, because I'm going to catch more gators.
00:52:53I'm okay with that.
00:53:04Across the swamp?
00:53:06With one hour left in the day, Jacob and Willie are riding a hot streak, and only need one
00:53:12more gator to tag out.
00:53:15We ain't going back to Duffy's with one tagging his boat.
00:53:18I guarantee you that.
00:53:19Yeah, last couple lawns has been good.
00:53:21I was just down every one of them in a row.
00:53:24But we got one more alligator to catch.
00:53:27It could change in a blink of an eye.
00:53:29You never know.
00:53:38Oh, we got something right here, Willie.
00:53:40A tree shaker.
00:53:41Oh, that's good.
00:53:54Oh, a good gator.
00:53:57Good gator.
00:54:00I'm talking about Willie.
00:54:03Come on, Willie.
00:54:04Hold on to him.
00:54:06Feisty, son, huh?
00:54:08Oh, yeah.
00:54:12I'll gladly click the last tag on him.
00:54:15Oh, oh.
00:54:16There he is.
00:54:17Come on, Willie.
00:54:17Bring me a last one.
00:54:19Right there.
00:54:23Come on, Willie.
00:54:24Shoot him.
00:54:25Shoot him.
00:54:26Shoot him.
00:54:32Oh, that's it, Willie.
00:54:35Woo.
00:54:36Tagged out.
00:54:37Hallelujah.
00:54:38With this 11-footer, Jacob and Willie finish their 18th tag of the day, and the team closes
00:54:45out on their second successful season together.
00:54:49Right.
00:54:50Right, Willie.
00:54:52You know, this year was one for the books.
00:54:54We were dealt with some tough conditions with the high waters and the low waters.
00:54:57But at the same time, it's all about the traditions.
00:55:01Carrying out what we were taught throughout the years and doing things that we feel will
00:55:06live on forever in our families.
00:55:07You know, like little Willie with his grandpa, junior.
00:55:10You know, he's carried on a lot of traditions that he's taught him, and he really shined this
00:55:15year with that.
00:55:15We just hope that we continue to do this for a long time to come.
00:55:19Click.
00:55:20Let me see your last tag shuffle.
00:55:22Let me see how you do it.
00:55:27That's all you get unless you start throwing dollar bills at me.
00:55:31So this year, I mean, with losing my papa, me dedicating the season to my grandpa and all,
00:55:36this season's special to me.
00:55:37We didn't give up.
00:55:39Clipping that last tag was a big weight lifted off our shoulders, and I looked up, and I
00:55:44knew papa was looking down on us.
00:55:46Yeah, take this good old load back on the duffies, huh?
00:55:49Let's do it, baby.
00:55:50Home season has finally come to an end.
00:56:03In Amelia, the Ron and Porkchop have made steady progress late in the day, and they're down
00:56:09to their last tag, but they only have two lines left to check.
00:56:15We got to tag out.
00:56:16You're tagging out, boy.
00:56:18I don't know where you find to keep a lifted spirit.
00:56:21You might be no something I don't know.
00:56:23Oh, boy, but nothing cool.
00:56:24You might be Nostradamus or somebody.
00:56:26You done went looking at a few chancuse, huh?
00:56:28It's been a long season, man.
00:56:30I know we getting out at the end.
00:56:32We don't have that many lines left, but we're going to tag out, bro.
00:56:34I promise you that.
00:56:43Oh, man.
00:56:44Come on.
00:56:44One tag left.
00:56:46Lying down.
00:56:46Oh, man.
00:56:47Come on, huh?
00:56:51Hold up.
00:56:51I got him from right there.
00:56:52Hold up.
00:56:52Hold it there.
00:56:53Let me see what we got.
00:57:00That damn cool down.
00:57:01Oh, that's a bully in there.
00:57:04I'm here.
00:57:04What's up?
00:57:04We gotta make quick work at this place in that shop, okay?
00:57:15Oh
00:57:33Oh
00:57:33With some cool that tango book, ah
00:57:42With the capture of this hardy 10-footer,
00:57:45Leron and Porkchop fill their eighth tag,
00:57:47and the team's hard-fought season comes to an end.
00:57:53Put your tag on.
00:57:54We ain't tag on yet, because I got to put it in me now.
00:57:57Me and Leron, we family.
00:57:59And when you can do something that you love with a family member,
00:58:02man, that's a blessing.
00:58:03Man, love your family, because at the end of the day,
00:58:05that's all you have.
00:58:06You know what I call this, cousin?
00:58:07What's that, cut?
00:58:08The kiss of death, baby.
00:58:10Put the tag on, baby.
00:58:11That's what I'm talking about.
00:58:12I done told you.
00:58:12Oh, man.
00:58:13It's bittersweet for me, gator season.
00:58:15The bitter part, I'm away from my five kids.
00:58:18The sweet part, I'm out here doing what I love.
00:58:21And not only that, we catching gators to help lower the population.
00:58:26This stuff is bigger than, you know,
00:58:28we just come together one month for a paycheck.
00:58:31I love you, man.
00:58:31I love you too, cut.
00:58:32Let's go and lower these gators.
00:58:33Let's get to duffing, cut.
00:58:34We'll see y'all gators next season.
00:58:45On Bell River, Don and Calum's extra line started producing at the last possible minute.
00:58:53And tag out is finally within reach.
00:58:55But Mother Nature is not making it easy.
00:58:59And that water fell, all the lilies come from out of the swamp.
00:59:02Right back out in the middle here, ain't it?
00:59:04It has been a rough season.
00:59:05The water's up, down, up, down.
00:59:08It is so hard to fish this.
00:59:11But we got one tag left.
00:59:13I cannot wait to feel it.
00:59:26Big old stump.
00:59:27Hang on with a stump.
00:59:32Hang on, tell you what.
00:59:33I got an idea.
00:59:34What?
00:59:34Let's tie the whole thing to the ballot vote.
00:59:36We're going to tie it right here.
00:59:37I'll back it out of here.
00:59:38And we'll pull him out of there, huh?
00:59:52Now we got a place of working, don't we?
00:59:59What do you got?
01:00:00Boy, you got the bubbles, don't you?
01:00:08Oh, yeah.
01:00:14Come on, come on, give me a shot.
01:00:15Give me a shot.
01:00:17Oh, big boy.
01:00:18Oh, look at him go, look at him go.
01:00:23Don't losing, don't losing, don't losing, don't losing.
01:00:25You don't want to come up, huh?
01:00:29Come on, big boy.
01:00:31Oh, big boy.
01:00:42I'm talking about baby.
01:00:44Tie-up!
01:00:45Done!
01:00:46That's a live pass.
01:00:48Tie-up.
01:00:49Good job.
01:00:49Number 15.
01:00:50Good job.
01:00:51One, two, three!
01:00:54It came down to the wire.
01:00:57But catching this massive 11-footer marks the end of a challenging season for the hunters.
01:01:03It's been Don's second year together hunting, and it was just rough with the high and the low water.
01:01:11But I didn't know each other better.
01:01:13We know how to work with each other now.
01:01:14Now it's over.
01:01:15And I'm looking forward to next year.
01:01:18That's a damn good gator.
01:01:19Yeah, he's been working out.
01:01:21Hey, gator season is done.
01:01:23Done.
01:01:23How am I sleeping in the morning?
01:01:26Oh, I'll death go a bit.
01:01:39Over in Pierre Park.
01:01:41Y'all ready?
01:01:42The Landrys invite all the swampers to celebrate the end of gator season with a Cajun-style feast.
01:01:51This is ours.
01:01:53Yeah.
01:01:59Listen, we want to take a minute here to thank everybody for putting out as hard as y'all did
01:02:05this year.
01:02:06Everybody worked hard.
01:02:07And look, we lost two old pros this year.
01:02:11We lost Mr. Junior Edward and Mr. Sterling Friu.
01:02:18So let's just think of them and move forward and thank y'all for everything y'all done.
01:02:24Thank you for having us, my patrol.
01:02:26I'll be with you more.
01:02:27There's nothing better than a big cookout, especially at the end of alligator season.
01:02:31You're working seven days a week, you burn out, and then you just sit down and relax with your family
01:02:36and friends.
01:02:37That's what life is all about, really.
01:02:39I love that sauce.
01:02:41I could eat good that.
01:02:43Good job, Jacob Landry.
01:02:45Good job.
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