Thoughts on the season so far

If you have been keeping up with the swampers so far this season then you have decided how you like it. Please share with all of us here on the Swamp People blog your thoughts. Whats been your favorite capture so far, who is your favorite swamper this season and why? And any other juicy little did bits you'd like to disclose. We would love to here everyone's opinion, good or bad. Personally I have loved the show since season one and have come to love each of these swampers. They are all amazing and capturing alligators is certainly no easy task. Happy Hunting!

Season 3 Is Here! Swamp Fans Unite!

The long awaited third season of Swamp People is finally here! I know anyone reading my blog was just as excite as I was about the new season airing. Now that it is here once again stay tuned to my blog for all the new going on's in the swamp land. Another fun and adventurous season is upon us. Happy hunting!



Gator Gold Rush
Premiere Date: 02/09/2012


It's day one of the thirty-day alligator-hunting season in Louisiana. This year prices are 30% higher, and with big bucks on the line, a Gator Gold rush is about to begin. Troy Landry has a plan to cash in; reuniting with 20-year partner Clint and running a second boat with son Jacob at the helm. With 430 tags, more than ever before, he's determined to retain his crown. Down in Pecan Island, Troy's helper from last year, Liz Cavalier, is running her own boat this season with 260 tags of her own. Joining her is helper Kristi Broussard, a born and bred Cajun woman who's eager to show what she's got. In Houma, two-time world arm wrestling champion R.J. Molinere and his son R.J. are back. This season he's taken on 500 tags, more than anyone else, with one goal in mind...to prove that he's the king of the swamp. Swamp legend Bruce Mitchell is gearing up with plans of his own. He's got a new secret weapon, former military sharpshooter Ron Methvin.

King of the Swamp Troy Landry Coming to Silver Slipper Casino

Live on the coast? Fan of Choot em' and the creator of the catch phrase? Then you shouldn't miss out on meeting the king and his son Jacob. They will be appearing Saturday the 29th, 2011 to draw for the grand prize, a Gator XUV 825i, to be given away in the Slipper’s “Gators Gone Wild” Giveaway. If you would also like to get in on that action its simple, there are 3 ways to win in the Slipper’s “Gators Gone Wild” Giveaway, with 160 winners and over $50,000 in cash & prizes.

Every Friday and Saturday, now through October 28 from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and on October 29 from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m., members of the Silver Slipper Players Club can play for entries into the grand prize drawing to be held October 29 at 9:00 p.m. Additionally, members can play for a chance to be one of two winners, every ½ hour during those same days and times, who will win a $100 Academy Sports Gift Card or $150 in Free Slot Play and an Official Choot ‘Em T-Shirt. And, all ½ hour winners will receive a special entry into a drawing for a Gator TX to be given away on Saturday, October 29 at 10:00 p.m., after the grand prize drawing.

Junior and Willie are coming to Biloxi, MS!

If you live on the coast or nearby and this Saturday is open you should head on out to Edgewater Mall October 21st,2011 from 10:00 AM to 3:00PM. Junior and Willie Edwards will be making an appearance to meet and greet all of their fans. They will be appearing in front of J.C. Penney's from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Come get an autograph from the alligator hunting stars!

How Much Do the Hunters Make?

This seems to be a wildly asked question since the show first aired. So how much will an alligator bring in? Anyone who watches Swamp People knows that alligator hunters care about how much money they make and how fast they can tag out. Sure, they hunt for their love of the land, but they do it for their living, too and I am pretty confident in saying that if they weren't getting paid for it, they more than likely wouldn't do it. With the exception of the easy going Guist brothers, the hunters featured on the show are quick to talk about what makes the difference between a profit and a loss during the one-month alligator season in Louisiana. As the show’s narrator often reminds us, many of these men make half their income for the year from the alligators we see them catch on the show, each one of those tags accounts for a paycheck and each one of the alligators is only worth as much as the weight and the size and quality of the skin. We hear about tags and maps and the quality of an alligator’s skin, as well as the all important question of its size. So how much are these guys really making?

Well its a bit complicated. As it turns out, the Alligator business is pretty volatile. The market fluctuates wildly, and the alligator hunters’ fortunes come and go with it, if they’re not careful. The Louisiana Alligator Advisory Council has all the information (and more!) that you would ever want to know about how to lawfully hunt wild alligators in Louisiana and sell their hides and meat for a profit, but they tell a little bit sweeter of a story about the industry. According to their site, alligator hunting has become steadily more profitable over the years. While skins went for $6/foot in the 1960′s and $9/foot in the early 1980′s, they rose to over $40/foot in the late 1980′s.

What the Louisiana Advisory Council fails to mention is that prices have come down since the late ’80′s, WAY DOWN! One Louisiana newspaper, Vermilion Today, reports that in the 2010 season
“A wild gator that is seven feet or longer sells for around $12 to $15 a foot. A 10-foot gator at $13 per foot will be purchased for $130. When the price was $40 per foot, that same gator was purchased for $400.”

So, according to these estimates, when Troy Landry pulls a 12 foot monster alligator out of the swamp, risking his life and straining his body, he might get up to $180 for a perfect hide. If the gator has lived hard and has the scars to show for it, he’ll get less. And, if there’s a little alligator on his line, he has wasted a precious tag on a hide that won’t bring in enough to cover the cost of catching it.

Hunters can harvest as many alligators as they have alligator tags, but the tags are also regulated and if they don't tag out one year they will lose those tags the following year. So when you hear them being so adamant about tagging out before the end of the alligator season. When you catch a gator, no matter what the size, you have to put one of your tags on it. You can’t cut the little ones loose and save your tags for the big boys. That’s why the hunters get a little disgusted when they put small alligators into the boat; each one takes a tag that could’ve gone on a monster (and earned them a lot more money).
Alligator tags don’t cost anything if you own your own hunting grounds. All you have to do is prove ownership of a piece of land deemed sufficient to sustain alligators, get a $25 Alligator Hunting license, and make an application. The number of tags you’re assigned is based on the size of your land and (if applicable) the number of tags you filled the previous year. So a bad alligator season one year also means fewer tags in the next. Which means a dwindling paycheck for any hunter.

While we’re on the subject of the costs of alligator hunting, don’t forget the equipment, the help you have to hire (or raise), and the time you have to take off of work to be out on the swamp for a month every year. When you add it all up, there’s not much of a margin in Alligator hunting.
But, let’s do the math. The alligator season lasts 30 days, but serious hunters stretch that to 37 days by owning land in both the East and the West regions, since the Western region’s 30 days starts a week later than the Eastern region’s. Troy Landry, who is the big daddy tag-rich King of the Swamp got 320 tags in 2010, but most professional hunters have far fewer. Let’s say our hypothetical hunter has a healthy allotment of 200 tags and property in both regions (for a 37 day season). So, that means, he needs to average 5.5 alligators a day. Let’s also assume that he’s a really skilled hunter and that 1 out every 10 alligators he catches is a 11+ foot monster. Hunting is hunting, though, so we’ll say that 2 out of every 10 is a baby 5-6 footer. Everything else (7 out of 10) is 7-10 feet.
Here’s how that would look: 20 monsters, 40 babies, and 140 respectable gators.
Pricing is also tough to estimate, but I’ll go out on a limb and take an educated guess. The average price for a respectable gator in 2010 was $11-$12 per foot, but monster gators went for $15/foot or more and babies went for a touch less, say $9/foot. So, more math . . .
20 monsters @ 11 feet each x $15/foot=$3300
40 babies @ 6 feet each x $9/foot=$2160
140 respectable gators @ 8 feet each x $12/foot=$13440
That’s a grand total of $18,900. Which isn't too shabby for a month on a boat in the Swamp Lands of Louisiana.
This is the profit off the hides, alone. Besides frying up into a nice dinner, the meat has some value that could also be added to the alligator hunters’ profits. And, of course, the more big gators you get, the more this total goes up. On the other hand, you have to pay for all your equipment and all your help out of this total. I’m guessing you have to pay normal income taxes, too.
The swampers shown are incredibly tough men (and a woman or two) throwing themselves at an incomprehensibly hostile world and wrestling with it until it gives them a living. But the more you watch, the more the similarities evaporate. Alligator hunters,have to either have some other gig or have to live very simply in order to stay in the hunt. RJ Molinere fishes for shrimp and hunts for every sort of game that will turn a profit that lives on his family’s 500 acres. The Landrys own a gas station and buy crawfish from local fisherman. The Guists? Well, they go the “live simply” route and seem to really enjoy their way of life.

I am pretty sure however they are getting a nice cut from whatever History Channel is paying for their appearance on the show.

The Production Company behind Swamp People- Original Media

Original Media is the production company behind the genius show Swamp People on History Channel. So When you want to learn more about Swamp People, New seasons, New Swampers, you get it by now,everything Swamp People basically. All you have to do is follow them on Twitter or on FaceBook. Along with my blog and Original Media you are sure to know everything there is to know about Swamp People.

Blood Is Thicker Than Water

What an episode last night of Swamp People! I hope you all got to see it and if you didn't, skip on over to History.com and watch the full episode real quick, you'll be glad you did.
The Guist brothers found their meal right off their back porch and made squirrel and dumplings which was their fathers recipe. Sounds delicious doesn't it? Okay, okay... Maybe it isn't for everyone (especially me), but the Guist brothers seem to love it. I still kind felt bad for the one squirrel they shot out of a tree who was eating starting to eat a nut when he met his maker.

We also got to see and alligator rip a gun right from Joe's temporary helper Tim. When will these gators learn... Don't bite the hand that feeds you, or in their case, don't bite the gun that kills you. Poor Tim had to take one for the team and get in the murky waters of the swamp to retrieves Joe's fathers gun.

Troy started out thinking it may be a bad day with water lilies over running his sweet spot but it proved to be untrue and his day turned around quickly and he ended the day with a boat full of gators and if you saw most of the gators he had weren't babies one topped out at 12 foot 7 inches. What a gator! It must have been that lucky blue shirt he is always wearing. Keep up the momentum for this season Troy!

Tommy learned being the captain of his own boat and being left to catch alligators alone was no easy task. After the motor in his boat over heated he admitted defeat to Joe and Joe gladly accepted him back in the boat with him. I hope Tommy can become fully dedicated to the task, in return he will become a better alligator hunter if he does.

All in all it was a very eventful episode. I know it's ending soon but you know they will be filming for next season here shortly. The September alligator season is closely approaching!

Swamp People At It's Core Guist Brothers Glenn and Mitchell

Glenn and Mitchell Guist have more fun than all of the Swamp People cast put together. While everyone else is pushing to fill their tags before the end of the one month September alligator season in Louisiana, the Guist Brothers are fishing for gar, hunting for rabbit, throwing back a cold one, and cracking jokes. Or is it giggling? Chortling? Whatever they are doing, it is pretty humorous and they sure make it a true joy to watch. Is it possible to have as much fun as they do and being siblings at that?
You might not guess it by looking at them, but the Guists have been in the swamp all their lives, never mind I'm sure by looking at them you could tell that already. They live in the house on Conway Bayou that used to be their grandparent’s place, right on the spot where their father taught them to live off the land, literally. All of the alligator hunters on Swamp People talk about living off the land, but Glenn and Mitchell take that to a whole new level.

While segments of Swamp People are devoted to other alligator hunters like Troy Landry, Junior, or RJ Molinere are often framed by sequences featuring normal looking homes or a local bar that they might stop by after a long day on the swamp, that is not at all how the Guist brothers are portrayed. Instead, we see them digging through an old freezer, finding that it is practically empty, and deciding to wander the woods all afternoon looking for a rabbit or whatever pops up, to shoot for their dinner.

In another episode, they go fishing for alligator gar when they get hungry, and then show us how to cook up gar patties for a perfect swamp people approved meal.
On the latest episode we see them catching 100 pounds of catfish (yeah you read that right) for a dinner they plan to cook up for family and friends. In the same episode we also see their engine on their boat die 4 miles from home so they are stuck rowing home with one paddle, but that never seemed to dampen their spirits, they just go about being themselves and giggle and go about getting home the old fashioned way, with hard labor and determination.

So, the Guist daily schedule looks a little something like this : lounge about, get hungry, go kill something, cook it, eat it, drink a beer, lounge some more. If we are to take the History Channels word for it, the other alligator hunters might make a living off the land, but the Guist brothers really LIVE off it in every way they possibly can.

In some of their photos, Glenn and Mitchell can be seen wearing “Alexander Concrete” work shirts, so we guess they must go into town for work every now and then, but we don’t mind the show focusing on their life in the woods. We like the Guists in their natural habitat. And we like to think about them rambling into the concrete company every now and then just because they’re in the mood.

After all, Guists just want to have fun! True brothers to the end and even truer Swamp People!

Choot Em Gear Retail Locations

Looking for some new gear for you, your family or your friends? Below is a list of retail locations to buy all your cool gear.

Store Locations:
Pierre Part Store
3421 Hwy 70 South, Pierre Part, LA

Duffy’s Shell
4030 Hwy 70 South, Pierre Part, LA

La Maison De Fleur
3235 Hwy 70 South, Pierre Part, LA

Cracker Barrel Convenience Stores
Store #3, 3135 Nicholson Drive, Baton Rouge, LA
Store #56, 4243 Nicholson Drive, Baton Rouge, LA
Store #58, 2020 Millerville Road, Baton Rouge, LA
Store #23, 2602 South Range, Denham Springs, LA
Store #30, 25797 South La Hwy 16, Denham Springs, LA
Store #51, 34000 Hwy 16, Denham Springs, LA
Store #55, 8811 Florida Blvd, Walker, LA
Store #59, 32150 North Walker Road, Walker, LA
Store #32, 6967 U.S. #61, St. Francisville, LA
Store #26, 2031 West Hwy 30, Gonzales, LA
Store #28, 102 Lobdell Hwy South, Port Allen, LA
Store #52, 6383 Hwy 182, Morgan City, LA
Store #108, 1700 North University Avenue, Lafayette, LA
Store #109, 3201 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA
Store #218, 3332 West Pinhook, Lafayette, LA
Store #216, 1806 St. Mary Street, Scott, LA
Store #219, 3900 Verot School Road, Youngsville, LA
Store #42, 200 Brownswitch Road, Slidell, LA
Store #43, 4656 Ponchartrain Drive, Slidell, LA
Store #19, 18696 Magnolia Bridge Road, Greenwell Springs, LA
Store #25, 18390 LA Hwy 16, Port Vincent, LA
Store #27, 8141 False River Road, Oscar, LA
Store #57, 5550 Bluebonnet, Baton Rouge, LA
Store #13, 4504 Hwy 19, Zachary, LA
Store #6, 15940 Tiger Bend Road, Baton Rouge, LA
Store #37, 1303 North University, Lafayette, LA
Store #12, 352 North Airline Hwy, Gramercy, LA
Store #31, 9530 Hooper Road, Baton Rouge, LA
Store #1, 14520 Old Hammond Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA
Store #29, 11450 Airline Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA
Store #53, 18149 Highland Rd., Baton Rouge, LA

Cajun Florist & Gifts
2625 Hwy 1, Labadieville, LA

Robert's Food Store
2719 Hwy 1, Labadieville, LA

Stazione
1220 Victor II Boulevard, Morgan City, LA
6602 Hwy 182 East, Morgan City, LA
2599 Hwy 70 South, Pierre Part, LA
4899 Hwy 182, Berwick, LA

Mabile Corner Pharmacy
100 Gulf Street, Coushatta, LA

Margie Ellen's Decor
127 North Avenue E, Crowley, LA

Savoy Drugstore
1415 7th Street Ste C, Mamou, LA

Big B's Supermarket
7101 Hwy 1, Belle Rose, LA

Daigle's Supermarket
32845 Bowie Street, White Castle, LA

Gordon's Drugs and Fine Gifts
2716 Lake Street, Lake Charles, LA

Jenny Claire Creates
8354 Hwy 1, Mansura, LA

Stine Lumber
2950 South Ruth Street, Sulphur, LA
1335 North Pine, Deridder, LA
4501 Nelson Road, Lake Charles, LA
110 Fred & Ruth Zigler Memorial Drive, Jennings, LA
101 West Hwy 90, Iowa, LA
235 Odd Fellows Road, Crowley, LA
5690 Hwy 1 Bypass, Natichitoches, LA
2401 Veterans Memorial Blvd, Abbeville, LA
29200 Walker South Road, Walker, LA
6501 Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Broussard, LA
108 Hwy 61 South, Natchez, MS

Pat's Home Center
7666 Hwy 61, St. Francisville, LA
9933 Plank Road, Clinton, LA
13533 Hooper Road, Baton Rouge, LA

Wreaths and More
211 East Main, El Dorado, AR

Parkside Mini Mart
942 Hwy 47 East, Troy, MO

Chirsty Luxury Under $20
488 Corporate Drive, Suite 4, Houma, LA

Big River Food & Fuel
Store #4, 15723 Airline Hwy, Norco, LA
Store #5, 15255 US Hwy 90, Paradis, LA
Store #11, 1008 S. Burnside Ave., Gonzales, LA
Store #14, 482 Belle Terre Blvd., LaPlace, LA
Store #15, 1779 Hwy 3125, Gramercy, LA
Store #16, 13470 River Road, Destrehan, LA

Troy Landry Fans!!!

If you have been waiting to get the chance to meet and greet the Troy Landry team you are in luck! According to their website they have several close approaching opportunities to meet with them.

So now is your chance to be able to get an autograph and hear his famous "choot em!" catch phrase in person.



Below is a list of their upcoming meet and greet dates. If you get a chance to go and meet them on any of the dates below come back to my blog and share with readers your experience with Troy Landry and pictures don't hurt either ;-)...

ON THE ROAD!

July
July 8th
Big River Food & Fuel #11
1008 South Burnside Avenue
Gonzales, Louisiana
Join Troy and Jacob Landry to meet, greet and get their autographs at Big River Food & Fuel in Gonzales, Louisiana from 12 to 4 pm.

July 8th
Celebrity/Sorta Celebrity Softball Game
Cypress Mounds Complex, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Join Troy Landry and a cast of other celebrities at the "Celebrity/Sorta Celebrity Softball Game" benifiting "Support Our War Heroes" and "The Blue Star Mothers of Louisiana" charities at 6:30 pm.

July 16th
Bass Pro Shop
Denham Springs, Louisiana
Join Troy Landry to meet, greet and get his autograph at Bass Pro Shop in
Denham Springs, Louisiana.

July 29th
Simmons Sporting Goods
Bastrop, Louisiana
Join Troy and Jacob Landry to meet, greet and get their autographs at Simmons Sporting Goods in Bossier City, Louisiana

July 30th
Lafayette Outdoor Expo
Lafayette, Louisiana
Join Troy Landry to meet, greet and get his autograph at the Lafayette Outdoor Expo in Lafayette, Louisiana.


August
August 6 & 7th
Gander Mountain
Lakeville, Minnesota
Join Troy and Jacob Landry to meet, greet and get their autographs at Gander Mountain in Lakeville, Minnesota.

August 13 & 14th
Gander Mountain
Madison, Wisconsin
Join Troy and Jacob Landry to meet, greet and get their autographs at Gander Mountain in Madison, Wisconsin.

August 19- 21st
Buckmasters Expo
Montgomery Convention Center
Montgomery, Alabama
Join Troy and Jacob Landry to meet, greet and get their autographs at the Buckmasters Expo in Montgomery, Alabama.