Got a 6.5 ft gator last week and looking to get a pair of boots done. Anyone have a tannery they have used? I am in the North Texas area but don't mind shipping either.

TIA

I've used North Texas Tannery in Denton for a few things in the past and had good luck. I assume they are still open but I haven't been there in a couple of years.

OP I think you could have built a little story out of that one, for those of us(most?) who aren't gator hunters. A certain level of embellishment would be fine too IMO.

If you've got gator, and you want boots, the best tannery is in Georgia. I think it's called American Tannery, or something like that. Ask your bootmaker what he recommends. Most tanneries will require the hide to go through a taxidermist or bootmaker, or something with a tax ID number.

+1 on the AmTan recco.

https://www.amtan.com

A good friend, who has taken 100+ gators, recommends this place.

Not a quick deal-- took 6 months+ as I recall but this is a big shop.

Whole deal... tanning and custom boot making took much longer and cost much more than I ever imagined but I ended up with some nice boots, a belt, money clips and a few other things.

Good luck!

As for stories ... my experience was kinda like the gator boys/guys show but not nearly as dramatic.

Attach a large hook to super thick mono and tie on a cooler to the end. Take a stinky old chicken and bate the large hook. Oh yeah, and have some haz mat gloves. I can't express how badly that bird smelled.

Tricky part ... the line is coiled up and attached to the end of a giant cane pole that is stuck back in the reeds ... hanging the chicken high enough off the water that a small gator can't get it and a bigger one can.

That's the set up. Of course you debate where to put this pole sort of like you discuss what blind to hunt out of or what part of the dove field is best to set up on.

Clean up and go have yourself a good meal, drinks and get some sleep.

Next morning, after a good breakfast, you get in the boat and go find the cooler.

Once, you've found it the next step is to float the gator to the top of the water and shoot them. It does not take a lot of force to float them up-- just a little tug. You want them to come up close to the boat where you can get a good kill shot in --- back of the base of the skull. It's a bit of a guessing game and you don't get a whole lot of floats before it takes off and swims across the lake. Fortunately it just took a couple of tries to get it to come up in the right spot and I filled it with a few 22 cartridges at the base of the skull. I think we did that one more time, just for good measure, before hauling it up to the side of the boat and motoring it to shore.

I don't know if that's how everyone does it but that is my buddies plan and he's taken a lot. My gator was just under 8'. Pucker factor would go certainly go up if you floated a larger one up to the surface.

Caught a 12'er several years ago - big pucker factor. We used a little different setup. Massive hook with rotten chicken, steel cable leader (dont remember how long) tied to a thick rope maybe 100', tie rope to tree on shore. Hang over the water as you described. If you come back and line is down give a tug. Got a little spooky when that massive head popped up about 20' off the bank! What we didn't know was that the rope was wound around some underwater fence posts, which turned out to be a huge PITA. We used a 30-30 most times - fun fact gators tend to sink when you kill them and dragging that dead weight to a spot where we could use the truck to drag it out was a couple hour ordeal. Fun times.
The value of gator hide was way down that year so i got the entire hide tanned whole - had to pick a color so chose black. Intend to make boots etc. out of it but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
My daughter is an elementary school teacher (K or 1st grade) and she invites me in to read to her class every year. One of there favorite books is about a little girl that brings a alligator to school with her. I read the book then roll out the hide - the kids freak out and love it.

When i decide to have it made into boots etc., who is the go to in Houston area?

aad03 said:

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If you've got gator, and you want boots, the best tannery is in Georgia. I think it's called American Tannery,

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we have used them on multiple occasions.

if i recall correctly, they are one of the few than can/will do a hornback tan.

AgTech88 said:

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Caught a 12'er several years ago - big pucker factor. We used a little different setup. Massive hook with rotten chicken, steel cable leader (dont remember how long) tied to a thick rope maybe 100', tie rope to tree on shore. Hang over the water as you described. If you come back and line is down give a tug. Got a little spooky when that massive head popped up about 20' off the bank! What we didn't know was that the rope was wound around some underwater fence posts, which turned out to be a huge PITA. We used a 30-30 most times - fun fact gators tend to sink when you kill them and dragging that dead weight to a spot where we could use the truck to drag it out was a couple hour ordeal. Fun times.
The value of gator hide was way down that year so i got the entire hide tanned whole - had to pick a color so chose black. Intend to make boots etc. out of it but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
My daughter is an elementary school teacher (K or 1st grade) and she invites me in to read to her class every year. One of there favorite books is about a little girl that brings a alligator to school with her. I read the book then roll out the hide - the kids freak out and love it.

When i decide to have it made into boots etc., who is the go to in Houston area?

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Parker Custom Boots gets lots of favorable comments. Here's some help.

Custom Boot Maker in Houston?

Custom alligator boots

Custom Boots in Houston

Thanks

Highly recommend Parker Custom Boots. Zephan is a good friend of mine, and he has made boots for lots of TexAgs guys. Mention TexAgs and he'll throw in a matching belt.

My opinion-

I would absolutely use the American Tannery.

Jimmy Morado (832) 364-893seven in Houston has been making boots for a long, long time. He's also a good guy, and will treat you fairly. As expensive as custom boots are, no reason to tip a maker with more hide than is actually required. Good luck OP

Where did you guys hunt gators?