Also, popping it "between the eyes" isn't recommended because of the thick bone in the skull. You should pop it right behind the crescent moon-shaped plate (right in front of, but between the osteoderms) on the back of the head. The idea is that you sever the spine when you do this.
they consider it to be cruelty if the beast is only wounded. 22 is a bit light to insure a quick kill every time.
Apparently not if they're requiring you use a shotgun. Plus, Florida, for example, doesn't allow use of guns at all (assuming it's still current). I've seen many shot with a .22 and never one needing to be shot twice. A .45 doesn't gurantee a quick kill either. It's more about shot placement than caliber, trust me.
Alabama requires a bang stick or a shotgun #4 or above they say that a lot of people get hurt with ricochets off the skutes.
I'm missing something apparently cause I don't understand that shot size mandate. Seems like it would have to be buck shot. Must make a heckuva splash and they will sink even if they're killed instantly. They'll float up the next day. They're a dam nusiance around here. In people's ponds, yard ditches, etc. I have a friend who hunts pigs and lost TWO hog dogs this year- about a month apart. Talk about unlucky. After the first incident he went back the next day, shot gator, it came back up (and dead dog floated up too), shot again and it was two different 8 foot gators. He took the GPS colar off of the dead bloated dog. He told anyone who'd listen and game wardens paid visit to his house. He was completely honest with them and they said since he didn't take meat they opted to let it slide but later that day returned and said higher-up told them to ticket him. they had Long story short, it ended up getting dropped. I told them they had to or everyone would be shooting gators and saying they'd lost a dog. A month later he lost a $3,000.00 hog dog to a gator.
<--here's a thumbnail of one of my 10/0 snatch hooks and then my giant rip hook if we can't get the fuckin gator off the bottom
