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Alligators in south Georgia
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by croc18 on September 5, 2005
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Hi,
I'm planning a trip to south georgia this month in hopes of finding some alligators. I havent come up with an exact place yet and was hoping someone could give me some ideas. The trip will be for the weekend so wherever we go we will be camping overnight.
Any ides would be great.
Thanks
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RE: Alligators in south Georgia
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by bush_viper17 on September 5, 2005
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If you are just wanting to look and take photographs a definete...a 110% positive place to see one or a hundred is anywhere in the Okefenokee Swamp. Also if you happen to get in touch with CottonmouthKyle or Trevor(members on this site) they can show you some good spots most likely. Okefenokee Swamp,St.Marys,Ware Co.,Waycross, anywhere in that area. The Okefenokee is definetly an experience. Last time I was there I found a yellow rat snake,Eastern Glass lizard,florida green water snake,florida cottonmouth,eastern indigo snake,another indigo snake shed skin,saw some gopher tortoises,and more things and the alligators where everywhere..crossing the roads,on the "rain ditches" on the sides of the roads. They are protective of all wildlife in the actual swamp but the alligators are quite approachable down there. Good Luck.
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RE: Alligators in south Georgia
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by Cro on September 5, 2005
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Brandon: Jeremy`s suggestion to go to the Okeefenokee is right on. You will see many `gators there.
On the West side of the swamp is Steven C. Foster State Park, where you can rent a boat and motor, and go out into Billys Lake and over to the Suwanee River Sill.You will see tons of gators, and most can be approached very closly before they dive under, thus giving the opportunity to take some great photos.
Just remember that alligators are as dark as coal and ``suck up light``, as do the dark, peat stained waters of the swamp. And your camera is going to assume you are taking a photo of a nutural grey scene, and meter the scene for that exposure. If you have a camera that allows you to overide the automatic settings, adjust your exposure before taking your photos, just as you would for other dark animals like bison, or in the opposite direction, for things like snow scenes, so that you get the correct exposure.
On the East side of the swamp, about 7 miles South of Waycross, there is the commercial Okeefenokee Swamp Park, where you can take a guided boat tour out into the swamp, and where you will see a bunch of gators. It costs some money, but it is a fun place to visit.
Further South is the US Fish and Wildlife area known as Camp Cornelia or Suwanee Canal. There you can rent boats also, or hire a guided tour. If you take the Wildlife Observation Road there, you will drive about 7 miles and have a chance to see some `gators in the roadside ditches if you look closely, and if you take the boardwalk out to the observation tower over Seagrove Lake, you will see many gators out in the lake if you are patient and watch for a while. (most folks do not see gators in Seagrove as they only stay a few minutes, and really do not know how to look for them). I have counted over 35 gators there at one time.
Like Jeremy said, these areas are all State Parks or Federal Wildlife Refuges, and are for observation and photography only. If it is your intent to `mess` with a gator for some reason, that would have to be in one of the rivers in that area, outside of the Park and Refuge, and is still very illegal, and not reccomended at all, as they can easily chew you up. Hope this helps some. JohnZ
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RE: Alligators in south Georgia
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by Cro on September 5, 2005
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Brandon: You mentioned wanting to camp. There is camping at Steven C. Foster State Park, and on the East side of the swamp near Okeefenokee Swamp Park is Laura S. Walker State Park, which has many good camp sites. It is on the other side of the road from the swamp park. JohnZ
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