Alligator Creek overnight

[Michael Palozzola]

I am looking to get my feet wet for camping by kayak. I was looking at possibly doing this site but the comments I read on Everglades Diaries about many gators and crocs present makes me hesitant. I was wondering possibly a stupid question. How do you keep the gators away from the site at night safely?

[daniel]

i think you're misunderstanding, at least my post. i love them, i love sharks too. i never said, or would say that they are indiscriminate killing machines. what i'm saying is basically exactly what you're saying. except that i'm suggesting that they might not be able to differentiate a person from prey, or a canoe or kayak from competition, close to dirty, brackish water, in a split second. 

 

much in the same way that a shark might bite a person (as is typically the case) mistaking it for prey... a seal, a turtle, a tarpon. 

what my post is saying is, they are there, it is their domain. tread lightly around them, they are huge apex predators. 

[Michael Palozzola]

That is just the thing I was getting in my original query.

they might not be able to differentiate a person from prey

They may not be able to ... or care to. If you lying on the ground immobile, as far as I would assume they were concerned your an easily scavangable chunk of meat. The same as people aren't attacked by sharks as a food source, but a dead person floating will be scavenged nearby sharks (has been documented in shipwreck scenarios from history).

 

I know that my hesitation is based on my inexperience in the wild with them specifically. Much the same way I was hesitant about shark before I started diving regularly. The media teaches you to fear these "monsters" which in all reality if respected are absolutely beautiful to behold in the wild. I have done hikes into big cypress at dusk with gators around in thigh deep water and I have paddled with 8 and 10 footers, both with no issues. I just have never spent a night on a beach where they regularly bask.

[daniel]

the only thing i can add is that they are supposedly nocturnal feeders. when i sleep out there, i usually put my canoe across the waterline. 

[Swamp Hunter]

 Its the one you dont see that will get you. 

[Ross Hancock]

If they snatch you on the shore, don't let them get you into the water.

[toofaraway]

Between the swarms of bugs and the reptiles I can't imagine a less hospitable place to camp.  A great place to paddle and explore but why not spend the nite on the nearby chickee and have a relaxing evening instead...

Unless you time it after a really good cold front that knocks the bugs down.

Of course we all have our own interests so if you go I hope it works for you.

 

TFA

 

[Keith W]

Unless you're being a total idiot (feeding the gators, leaving a trail of food leading to your tent door at night, swimming with them, etc.), you don't have much to worry about from the gators at backcountry sites. The problem gators are the ones that get fed regularly by the idiots. They tend to hang around for awhile looking for a handout, and eventually go away disappointed. Most gator-human interaction that goes bad is the fault of the human. Be respectful, don't feed them, and they will avoid you. One thing I will say: don't clean your dinner dishes while hanging over the shoreline (or chickee) with your hands in the water rattling the pots and pans. Looks too much like a struggling fish. My biggest objection to Alligator Creek as a campsite is the thick marl mud that cakes up on your boot soles and makes you about 3 inches taller while you get your camp set up. Nasty stuff.

[daniel]

i agree with keith. that said, there are certain places (alligator being one of them) where idiots have (likely) repeatedly fed reptiles... so there may be a critter that associates people with food. i once had one, years ago, that actually bit the trim tab of my skiff... not far from alligator. i realised she figured a skiff equalled breakfast, someone in a skiff had probably thrown her a fish at some point... she was not scared of me in the least... i had to hit her in the head with the push pole for her to leave... 

[Gary M]

I too, have had a particularly bad experience with a nuisance gator at that camp site.

 

I was fishing from the "ramp" on the shore at the site, hoping for an edible species for dinner.  The gator approached within a few feet and attempted to intercept any fish I hooked (mostly catfish).  To deter it, I threw my canoe anchor (with rope attached) at its head a number of times.  It eventually retreated out of sight.  A while later, when I stooped down to unhook another catfish, I heard a noise... it was the gator charging me across land from somewhere down the creek to the west.  I think my reduced profile from stooping and the recessed ramp made me appear smaller and less intimidating.

I stood and yelled at it but it kept coming, so I held the catfish at rod length and let the gator eat it.  I'm sure the catfish had its spines locked out, and I wondered how that felt.  I retreated to where I'd set the tent and sat on the far side of a fire for the remainder of the night.

I have had a number of experiences with gators over the years that changed my attitude toward them. 

[toofaraway]

holy _ _ _ _!

[Sarah Orman]

Please don't flame me for my inexperience, but how can you tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile when they are hanging out by your boat? I think if I saw them side by side I could differentiate, but not if I just see the one. Also, do you behave differently with them? My experience is with bears. Grizzly bears you curl up and protect your vitals, black bears you make noise and try to scare them away. Any advice of this nature?

[vivian]

I am no expert but simply look at the snout and if round at the tip it is an alligator. If the nose is pointed it is a crocodile the longer 4 th tooth is also a clue.. They do not hang around your boat so do not worry about this. I have found that both gators and crocs to be quite afraid of us and tend to dash into the water when you approach unless human habituated near popular camps, golf courses and residential canals.


I fish and that attracts gators to me in some areas of the backcountry so I have to be vigilant. They are not looking to attack me just are attracted to the noise of the splashing and want a free meal. At the campsites and chickees, bring a collapsible bucket with a rope to get water to wash dishes so you don't put your hands in the water. Please do not take a swim anywhere near a campsite! People dump fish, dinner, etc and gators listen for splashes as they are habituated to human activity.

Just paddle on and they will leave you alone.