Photographic Proof

I now have photographic proof alligators in North Alabama. Unfortunately the photo isn’t mine.

That is a photograph sent to me by a commenter on this site, taken very near to my first kayak trip on Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. Here is the comment he left me:

“Runwolf, If you really want to see a pic of a North Alabama gator, I have a couple that my wife and I took of about 10 footer on June 25 of this year. I’ll gladly send them to you if you leave me your e-mail address.”

I wasted no time emailing Mr. King asking for the location and a copy of the photo. He sent me the above picture, credited to his wife. He also gave me permission to use the photo here. He was, however, not interested in giving me the location.

I can understand this. The Kings are nature photographers. And they jealously guard there locations like fishermen. I get that. So I asked him again, in a more general way, for information. Here is his response:

“Mike, I don’t normally give out specific locale info but you seem like a cool guy with a lot of enthusiasm. You can’t be too careful these days. They are magnificent creatures and I just want to be sure they are not harmed in any way. I hope you understand. I enjoyed reading your blog. Sounds like you have been in the right spots. I think some days they are probably more visible than on other days. I have definitely heard from reliable sources that the east side of Limestone Bay has a population of gators. Just keep looking. The two gators we have found personally have been a place this blog owner has redacted. One was in the creek that flows through there. The one we found a few days ago was actually swimming in that tupelo tree stand. We have photographed a lot of cottonmouths from there too, so keep an eye out for them. Just please don’t kill any. Did I mention we are snake lovers? LOL.”

Now my first trip via canoe into the Refuge was in Limestone Bay. I was in the Northwest, so I will be going east next time I visit. This is where I think I saw a year old gator but can’t prove it.

As for the place I’m not telling you about until I get a picture there, I was in that stand of trees not two days after the Kings took their picture! Two days! I very well could have been within hundreds of yards of that very gator!

***UPDATE***  I was NOT there two days after the photo.  I was there four days BEFORE the photo.  My mistake.  Two days after I was dealing with a different kind of wildlife in Tell City, Indiana.  I’ve been working on a post about that and will have it up sometime this year.  But it has very little to do with Alligators.  ***END UPDATE***

Mr. King estimates that gator at ten feet. I have a very good idea of exactly what ten feet looks like. It is how long my new kayak is. While clearly not a monster gator, it is nothing to mock. Let me show you what a ten foot gator looks like.

That’s my son sitting in my ten foot kayak on the floor of Gander Mountain just before we bought the kayak. I think it provides a nice image of what a ten foot gator looks like.

I have no doubt that the camera used by the Kings is far superior to my own camera. I keep my gear light, small and waterproof. I use a small Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP waterproof camera with a 3x optical zoom. (Mine’s that cool green color) At full zoom it is the equivalent of a 105mm lens on a 35mm camera. I suspect that I may have to get a bit closer to get a similar shot.

And gators aren’t just willing to wait around for their picture to be taken. Mr. King didn’t mention how they arrived at their spot but I suspect they hiked. As I am a paddler, I suspect my boat may be making my efforts harder. I’m sending vibrations through the water at speeds greater than sound warning gators of my presence long before I arrive.

In fact, this same gator may have heard me, submerged and been within a dozen feet of me and I wouldn’t have known it. And gators can remain submerged for a long time. 10-15 minutes is easy. 2 hours is possible.

So patience, Runwolf. Patience. Go slower, stay longer. Plan better. Your goal is out there.

And to Mr. King, I promise to leave your precious snakes alone. As long as they stay out of my boat. Then, all bets are off.

And thanks for the picture. Now to get one of my own.

Reading

I went into the bathroom last night to take a shower. Found my six year old sitting on the pot, reading. Six. Year. Old.

Reading.

On the toilet.

“Whatcha reading?” I ask.

“Instructions.” He says.

“Oh?” I inquire.

“Yes. I want to play a game, so I’m reading how to play. Want to play with me in the morning?”

“I’ll be at work when you get up, kid. So you’ll have to play with Molly.”

“I can’t. Molly’s not old enough.” he announces.

“Oh?” I ask.

“See?” and he points to the “Ages 8 and up” label.

“Um, you’re not old enough either, Sean.”

“Yea, but Mom said if I can read the instruction I can play the game.”

“Seems fair.”

“So I read them. Twice. Its an easy game to play. If she could read, even Molly could play it.”

“Well, Molly hasn’t gone to Kindergarten yet.”

“I know. Maybe I’ll teach her to read tomorrow. Then we can play.”

Maybe I’ll come home today, and Molly will be reading the stock quotes. Frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me.

A kayak conspiracy

It’s a conspiracy I tell you! Stores put their kayaks on sale in the summer! There is no water in the summer! God how I complained of spring rains, now I’d love a week of rain so I could kayak again!

I went out early early Saturday morning. I was at the put in on the Flint before sunrise. There was no water, despite going far south on the river.

I made it a quarter mile upstream before snags made the river impassable. It took me an hour to get that far, searching for ways around blockage. And ten minutes to return. If that.

For those that float the Flint, I don’t suggest the stretch between Little Cove Road and 431. And the quite aweful landing on Hayse Nature Preserve is even worse with the low water.

Guess I’ll be going back to Wheeler for the rest of the summer. The gators should have hatched and the warm June should mean lots of males came out of the eggs.

If I can find them.

No hunting allowed

I can’t go hunting this weekend. Seems I’m too far north to look for gator. I’m in Tell City, Indiana at Ironstock. For those that don’t know, Ironstock is a Hauntfest where I can get together with other Halloween geeks and learn better ways to give trick or treaters a good scare.

So while I’m not hunting my local cryptic monster, there are plenty of crypt monsters here! I’ll have more photos later, but for now here is a taste of the fun:

A few of my favorite things

Looking at pictures on my iPhone today.  Realized that I had a picture of two of my favorite birthday presents on there.  So although I’ve already shown them to you once, I’ve decided to show them again.  Because, well… today IS my birthday.

So, here it is, two of my favorite all time presents:

Two birthday presents for the price of one.

There they are.  And yes, I’m including the boy as one of my all time favorite birthday presents.

Surprised?  Well here is the story.  Five years ago today, in the offices of the Madison County Probate Judge’s office, the judge banged down a gavel and the boy in that picture, much much younger at the time, became mine.  Sean’s adoption was finalized on June 23rd, 2004.  I turned 34 the same day.

I’m now 39, and in seven more days, Sean will turn 6.  He was just shy of turning one when we got him.  Of course, he had been living with us for a while by then, but five years ago today it became official and I became a dad in the eyes of the law, even though I’d been the kid’s father for several months by then.

Since then my family, and my boats, have grown.  But it all started with that little boy.

Sean shortly after adoption

Lots of things have changed, but little about the last five years would I give up.  We missed the first 7 months of this little buggers life, but I hope we’ve made up for that in the last 5 years.

Next week we take him to a special place for his 6th birthday.  But I’ll keep those plans under wraps till we get back.

Happy Birthday to me, but more importantly – Happy Adoption Day Sean!

Clown Car of Canoe and Kayak Goodness!

Here is the clown car of canoe and kayak goodness!

First, the Clown Car of Canoe:

The Clown Car of Canoe

And now, the Clown Car of Kayak:

The Clown Car of Kayak

I don’t know why it rotated like that.

It’s too funny, I’m not changing it.  Tilt your head already.

Seriously, I love this little car.  It’s my father-in-law’s ancient Ford Festiva.  It’s indestructable, gets great milage even with a canoe/kayak on top, and just works great hauling my gear around the county.  I wouldn’t take a long trip in it, and I wouldn’t double haul both the canoe and the kayak on it, but on the whole it might work funny, but more importantly it works!

This just in from Cryptomundo!

One of my favorite blogs, Cryptomundo, just had this in their batch of stuff for the day:

Screaming Fishermen Confirm Gator Sighting

Seems some poor chaps fishing from a floating platform on a lake in Indiana saw a gator and refused to come off the platform for fear of being attacked.  This post caught my attention for two reasons.

One, it is in Indiana.  Far north of my hunting grounds and if it isn’t a pet, then I’m convinced gators are more elusive and successful than many people think.  But I bet it is a pet.  It was four feet long and I doubt an alligator could live in such a peopled place for long enough to grow that big without earlier sightings.

Two, is gators don’t attack.  They aren’t hunters.  They don’t chase prey.  With their cold blooded systems and anarobic muscles they can’t afford the energy.  Gators just don’t randomly attack.  They lurk.

Okay, a ticky tack difference.  If you’re the unlucky recipiant of a gator lurking, you don’t really care that it didn’t “hunt” you.  But its still true.  A gator isn’t going to hunt you down, but if you’re unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the right time, a gator might just get you.

But a four foot gator would be more likely to silently watch you pass than attempt to take out prey that much larger than itself.  Not saying it won’t, but it is less likely.

I’m counting on this in my hunts.  I’m hoping my 10 foot kayak or my 14.7 foot canoe is large enough to keep even 12 foot lurkers from thinking of me as oppertunistic prey.  Maybe I’m the one with the foolish concept of gator hunting techniques.

Buying A Kayak

For Father’s Day, my kids got me a kayak.  Which means, since my kids are little, I picked out and got myself a kayak.  But it sounds better to say the kids did it.

This involved much research on my part. And by research I mean I went to the outfitters and took pictures of boats I could afford on my trusty iPhone.

My Son tries out a Perception Sundance.

I had basically narrowed my search down to the two kayaks I could afford that were big enough that my 6′4″ frame felt comfy in.  It was either going to be a Swifty or a Sundancer, both by Perception.

Really, they are the same boat.  The Swifty is a big box standard sold at Dicks Sporting Goods and REI, among other places, and is a solid boat.  The Sundance is basically a Swifty with an upgraded seat and deck.  I found the Sundance at Gander Mountain.

The Sundancer was about $30 more than the Swifty, and ultimately that was the deciding factor.  The nicer seat and better deck rigging was worth the $30.  So off I went to Gander Mountain last night to pick up a new Perception Sundance.

Only I didn’t.  My price point was around $300, and the kayak I wanted was $379.  I couldn’t justify the $79, even though I was justifying $319 for the Sundance.  I gave up on the one I really wanted, and was pulling out a Sundance to take to check out when, in passing, I mentioned to the guy helping me that I really wanted the other kayak.

“Why aren’t you getting it then?  It’s cheaper.” he said reasonably.

“No it’s not.  This one is $399 with a 20% off sale, so its $319.  You’ve not included that one on the 20% off sale, so its $379.” I explained to the dimwitted salesman.

“What do you mean it’s not 20% off?” he said.

I pointed to the sign that said “All Kayak’s 20% through Father’s Day” and the fine print that clearly said the kayak I wanted wasn’t included.

“Oh yea,” the salesdude said.  “Well the flyer that we sent out on the sale was misleading.  The two kayaks featured for the sale weren’t included in the sale.  So we decided to include them.  So yea, it’s 20% off.”

I was stunned.  I REALLY wanted that other kayak.  It was longer (longer means faster) had a better seat, had knee pads, a bigger rear deck for gear.  The only thing it didn’t have was deck bungees, but it didn’t need them since the cockpit was huge and roomy.  (It’s practically a sit-on-top, even though it is a sit-inside)  And the reviews on the net were extremely positive.

I pointed to the kayak of my desire and said “That kayak is on sale?”

“Yes.”

“That one there?”

“Yes.”

“The one that EVERYONE on the planet is selling for $379, you’re going to sell to me for 20% off $379?”

“Only if you stop asking me about it and buy it before tomorrow.”

“It’s on sale?”

He didn’t answer me that time.  Instead he put the bright red Sundance back in the shelf and said, “Do you want the blue or the orange?”

About that time the kids had caught up to me.  “Kids,” I said, “do I want the blue or the orange?”

Much crying and discussion later, the two kiddos agreed (after a bribe of ice cream) to the orange.

My son and the Old Town Vapor 10 I ended up buying.

So I walked out of Gander Mountain the proud and quite surprised owner of an Old Town Vapor 10.  And at $303.  That’s LESS than the Sundance and a mere FOUR DOLLARS more than the less equiped Swifty.  Plus it’s a half foot longer, tracks better and, well, just rocks!

I am a very happy kayak owner.  And apparently an Old Town Canoe and Kayak loyalist.  My canoe is an Old Town Guide 147.  Heck, Old Town Canoe should be paying me to advertise for them or something.

Ya hear me Old Town?

Why won't Old Town sponsor me?

First Attempt At Gator Hunting

This post is about a week late.  No, it’s exactly a week late.  This is the story of my first attempt at hunting for the elusive North Alabama Gator.  It took place on Sunday, 14, 2009.

As I said in a previous post, I’ve decided to track down the North Alabama Gator.  Rumor has it that the gator can be found in Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, but there are few pictures available, if any.  And no pictures of active nests.  In fact, since the gator release in the 70’s, only one nest has been found and that was in 2001.

Limestone Bay at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

So I went looking.  My first attempt at finding the gator was to try the backwaters of Limestone Bay. I put in at Arrowhead Landing, but that may not have been the best choice.  Everyone claims the gators are in the various backwater swampy sections, so that’s where I wanted to go.  Arrowhead Landing, however, is a long paddle to the backwaters.  Over a wide bay that can be quite windy.  But I made it to the backwaters and explored as far as I could after the long slog.

Water Lillies in the Backwaters of Limestone Bay

Actually, I was willing to explore more, but my GPS wasn’t working at the time, and I came to a point where I wasn’t sure I could find my way out if I continued.  So I turned back instead.  Quite disappointing for the first time out.  But the trip wasn’t wasted, as I learned quite a bit about myself and my abilities.

One of the interesting things I learned is how and why eyewitness testimony in the search for cryptids isn’t the best of evidence.  I was on a channel where I’d heard rumor that gators had been seen.  I was coming up on a log, and thought I saw a turtle sunning itself on a branch.  As I reached for my camera, the “turtle” jumped off the log.  Only as it left the log and I got a better, if fleeting, glimpse of the creature I realized it wasn’t a turtle.  Now I can’t swear it was a gator, but it sure looked like one.  It had the typical markings of a young gator, with the yellow bands found on the very young.  But it could have just been a typical turtle and I could have had “gator on the brain” and seen what I wanted to see.  Without the picture to identify the critter, I basically have nothing.

Take a look at this picture of a young alligator:

Yes, these two cuties are on the back of an adult gator, but you can see the color difference between the big one and the very young.  You can really see the yellow stripes in this picture.

Now look at a common turtle in the refuge:

I know what you’re thinking, how can anyone confuse these two critters.  They are clearly different.  But think about a quick glance as it slips off a log to disappear into the water.  Add to that the fact that you’re looking for a gator, and trust me, you can get them confused.  So I don’t know what I saw.

(BTW, I shamelessly pirated those pictures off the web.  Bad researcher!)

This is the area I think I may have seen a baby alligator. Maybe.

Now I do know this, if it was a gator I saw, Momma wasn’t far away.  The American Alligator is one of the very few reptiles to care for their young.  It is thought this is a throwback to the dinosaurs, which really the American Alligator is a modern version of a dinosaur.  So if it was a gator, I was damn close to my ultimate goal of seeing and photographing a North Alabama Gator.  Frustratingly close.  I didn’t see momma anywhere, so I’m leaning toward believing I saw a turtle.

I didn't come up completely empty. I managed to anger this momma mallard.

But I clearly had gator fever.  Every splash, every rumble and every log was thought to be a gator by my brain.  It was completely infectious, I was convinced I’d see one around the next bend.  It got me to wondering about field research into mystery animals.  I can see how someone could easily get Big Foot Fever when out in a camp for the purpose of finding Big Foot.  How ever sound, every falling acorn, could become the creature you’re looking for and how hard it would be to stay objective and watch for real signs of your quarry.

So I learned alot about this project of mine.  Not all of it just about looking for Gators.  I learned using a kayak paddle in a canoe isn’t a good idea.  There is a reason canoes use canoe paddles and kayaks use kayak paddles.  I got that.  And I got to test out my new waterproof digital camera.  I’m pleased with the results, and the video isn’t half bad.

And now, I’ll leave you with a video of the point where I decided it was time to return to my car and slog back across Limestone Bay!

Gator Hunting In North Alabama

The Big Foot Hoaxers at the nationally televised press conference

It’s a little embarassing to admit this in public places, but since the big flap over Big Foot last August, I’ve been somewhat interested in the idea of cryptozoology.  For those of you who missed the flap, a couple of goobers from Georgia got swirled up in hoaxing the finding of a big foot body.  Their press conference announcing the find ran on most of the cable news networks and was quickly proven to be a hoax.

I’ve always been facinated by mystery animals, and in 2001 when I took a trip to Europe with friends I insisted, to the point of giving up the “right” to pick any other destination or activity, that we go to Inverness just so I could take a ride on Loch Ness and look for Nessie.  I got that trip, and spending time in Inverness is still one of my favorite memories, right up there with my wedding, the arrival of my son and the birth of my daughter.

Scotland's famous Loch Ness

Other than that fruitless cruise on Loch Ness, I’ve never done any “searching” for any type of weird animal.  In 1994 I did do a search for, and eventual found, a nesting pair of Bald Eagles near Winchester Tennessee.  That was more an accident than a mission, I saw a bald eagle land on a telephone on my way to work at the newspaper in that small community.  I was told I must be mistaken, since there were no bald eagles in that area.  I saw it again the next day, and managed a fuzzy picture of it.  Next thing I knew biologists from the University of Tennessee wanted to know more and they found the nest.

Since then, my interest in animals has been as an observer.  I’m not the field research type of guy, prefering to watch animals from the comfort of my sofa.  But if you’ve read my blog, you know I like to paddle about in a canoe so I’ve recently been up close to wildlife more than ever before in my life.

A snake sunning on a log I found on one of my trips.

I’ve seen some weird things, such as muskrats diving in deep pools and blue herons skimming the water in front of my boat.  I’ve tipped over in snake infested waters and have been scared out of my wits by large fish jumping next to the canoe.  I’ve developed a healthy respect for wildlife and the world we share with it.

In the 4 years I’ve been paddling, I’ve never gone looking for anything.  Well, occasionally a snake or two, but I’ve been focused entirely on the trip and not the sights.  But something has been brewing in the back of my mind and I finally acted on it.

There have been rumors of alligators living successfully in North Alabama for a while.  Most biologists will tell you that it isn’t possible for Alligators to survive our occassionally harsh winters and lack of suitable habitat.  Yet sightings continue, including a recently captured gator in DeKalb County this year and a gator found in a pond in Morgan County last year.

Ultimately it was a post to Loren Coleman’s blog, Cryptomundo, that prompted me to action.  Coleman is one of the premier cryptozoologists, and he writes on all things weird and wonderful.  He posted about out of place gators found around North America, and it included the following:

On Friday, June 5, 2009, The DeKalb County Animal Adoption Center in Alabama got quite a surprise when someone dropped off an alligator (above). Director Leslie Johnson told the local paper it’s the first exotic animal the center has received.

“A man brought it in the back of his truck,” Johnson said. “He said he found it on U.S. 11, and that’s all we know.”

Johnson said she is unsure where the 2-foot gator came from. Little River Superintendent John Bundy said it is unlikely the gator is from the area. State Lake Supervisor Jack Turner said there are gators native to central and South Alabama but not North Alabama.

“It’s a bit too far north and a bit too high in altitude for alligators in North Alabama,” Turner said. Turner said the reports of alligators in North Alabama are sporadic and there is no reason for him to believe there is a population of the reptiles in the area. Lt. Michael Casalini with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said if alligators were breeding in DeKalb County, there would be more sightings.

–Loren Coleman, Cryptomundo

Is State Lake Supervisor Jack Turner correct?  Perhaps, but there are plenty of sightings in Madison and Morgan county indicating that there may be a breeding population there.  And there is at least one KNOWN alligator living wild in North Alabama in Madison County.

“Stumpy” lives on Redstone Arsenal, the area’s primary employer.  Stumpy crawls out onto one of the test ranges at the army base and gets his picture taken now and again.  He’s a big fellow, and missing part of his tail, hence the name.  If you work on post, you’ll see his picture in the Redstone Rocket now and again.

So if Stumpy is real, why can’t these other sightings be real?  Where would a breeding population of Alligators live in North Alabama?

If the rumors are true, the perfect place exists between Huntsville and Decatur, in the Wheeler Federal Wildlife Refuge.  If you visit there page, you won’t find alligators listed among the regular inhabitants, but buried on the FAQ’s page is this little tidbit:

Although seldom seen, American alligators do inhabit the Refuge. In the 1970’s, the alligator population had been reduced drastically, so 50 alligators were released here in an effort to help restore the species which at that time was federally listed as threatened. An estimated 40-50 alligators currently inhabit Wheeler NWR and at least one active nest was located during the summer of 2001.

—Wheeler Federal Wildlife Refuge website

My First Trip Gator Hunting in Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

An active nest in 2001?  Now since 1980, we’ve had several harsh winters.  And yet the population has stayed stable?  I’m not sure I buy this.  In fact, I believe, with nothing to back me up, that the population is larger than this and that they are breeding successfully.  Our summers are warm enough, our winters are typically mild enough and the American Alligator can survive up to two years without food, and can go dormant for long periods of time without moving, a sort of hibernation.

If you see this rig running around North Alabama, it isn't a clown car. That's me looking for gators!

Now I’m not suggesting that the refuge is teeming with alligators, but I do think the population is growing and spreading.  And besides, no one around here believes the alligator stories.  Everyone looks at me like I’m nuts when I mention the possibility of seeing a alligator from my canoe in North Alabama.

Well this is my birth month, and the presents came a little early.  I got a new paddle and a waterproof digital camera.  I’ve got a GPS system, thanks to my nifty iPhone, and it all seems to have come together.  I could go look for these gators on my own, take a picture, record the GPS data and possibly find a nest.  Or two.  Or three.  Prove that the Gators are growing.

So this past Sunday I started the project.  I went out to Arrowhead Landing, put my canoe in the water, grabbed my new paddle, and headed out in search of alligator.  But I made a lot of mistakes, most of them before I ever put the canoe in the water.  So while I had a wonderful paddle, I didn’t turn up any alligators at all.  Well, one possibility but that’s another story.

Stay tuned for an update on the first trip out and about on Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.