That is a decent sized gator in Southwest Louisiana. When legal trapping was allowed again back in the mid-70′s in SW Louisiana (no where else) that was the average size. Most trappers get at least one that size annually.

The old way is the hit them with a sledge hammer or axe handle on the head to knock them out cold. Then throw them in the flat bottomed aluminum boat (usually 16 to 18 feet with a wide bottom), run all of the traps then kill them when you get ashore before skinning them. However, sometimes they could come to and the boat ends up looking like an aluminum beer can after being run over by a lawnmower.

Traps are basically a large fishhook on a stainless cable tied to an auger type stake in the bank. A bamboo pole with a clothespin holds the bait (usually a chunk of raw chicken) around 4 feet above the water (that way only legal sized ones can reach it). When the trapper checks his traps he will easily see which ones have been sprung. You pull the cable and shoot the gator in the head before hauling it into the boat.

I’ve seen more than one 16 footer trapped.