The heat was on in more ways than one during the February 25 episode of History Channel’s Swamp People. Scorching temperatures in the Louisiana bayou added to the issues the gator hunters have faced over the season. With a heat index of over 100, time was of the essence in getting their catches to buyers or risk losing product and profit. Troy Landry enlisted the help of an outside crew member Tony to focus on rebaiting and lines without gators. This allowed him and deckhand Cheyenne “Pickle” Wheat to get their reptiles on the boat and keep them cool.
Their day started out strong with a 12-footer, but the sun beating drained the energy out of them. Troy went after a gator off the bank at one point. “That was pretty damn scary,” he declared. They had to drag the 10-footer back onto their vessel afterward. Tony went missing for a bit. Thankfully, Troy and Pickle found him stuck for 45 minutes due to issues with his boat fuel line and motor. Tony headed home to repair his boat, which left Troy and Pickle alone. They pulled through. Troy went to Duffy’s for the offload while Pickle enjoyed time at home with her children. She appreciated her mom watching the children while at work. Pickle wanted to stay on the job to show the kids that she can be a Superwoman in their eyes.
Joey Edgar knew he needed to take care of himself and his daughter Kallie just as much as the catches. They had to stay hydrated and move at a feverish pace. Kallie got a nice shot in to bag a nine-footer and continued on a hot start. The high temps made the gators active, but also caused them to cook in the sun if unprotected. Joey turned to a unique way to keep their load cool along with the burlap. He topped the gators with lilies as they were known to hold moisture. Kallie was excited to learn a new technique in these types of situations.
Bruce Mitchell (History Channel)
Elsewhere, Bruce Mitchell and Anna Ribbeck were looking to move like lightning. They began their day with a seven-footer. With blistering conditions, the two knew there would be no breaks knowing they’d put their gators and potential money at risk. Bruce had his own idea to keep the precious cargo from spoiling. He tied the gators up and left them in the shady water area. They’d run the rest of their lines and go back to pick them up when done. Though Anna knew this move would be risky since it opened up the potential for poachers to steal them. After bagging one last 9-footer, the two returned to find the gators safe and sound.
Daniel Edgar and his right-hand man Zak Catchem only set 10 lines as a back-up plan. Their approach was to spend more time with the rod and reel and treble hook. Things worked out for them, but there were casualties as they lost two gators. Before going back, the duo spotted one more potential catch. However, they ran into issues with their boat engine and were stuck. After more than an hour, worried all the gators would spoil, a fellow boater answered their call for help. The code of the swamp remained strong.
Ronnie Adams
Related‘Swamp People’: Cheyenne ‘Pickle’ Wheat Tries Her Hand as Boat Captain
Ronnie Adams and Timmy Aucoin got a nice seven-footer to begin their hunt in the morning. Feelings of accomplishment turned to worry when Ronnie realized he never put the burlap back on the boat after cleaning it the night before. They were 40 minutes from camp, but without it, the gators could start cooking and peeling. When the gator skin separated from the meat, it made it hard to sell. There were a few more lines needed to run before heading back.
Among their catches was an 11-footer. Ronnie and Timmy were able to get back to land to get the burlap and save their load. With the heat index reaching 114, the environment started to wear on them. A scary moment happened when Timmy shot a gator to where a piece of bone fragment nailed Ronnie in the eye. Ronnie felt better after a while, grateful because things could have been worse. He could have lost an eye.
Swamp People, Wednesdays, 8/7c, History Channel
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