Swamp People

After a rough start to the season, Troy is back in the groove, and on pace to fill his 320 tags. His new sharpshooter Liz has been a large part of his success. But on the swamp, things can change in a heartbeat. During a capture, Liz is injured…and Troy’s momentum is suddenly in doubt. Bruce has always hunted solo in the swamp. That’s the way he likes it. But today, he’s not alone because he’s hired a greenhorn named Nick, a local kid who wants learn the craft from a master. But, learning gator hunting isn’t easy, and before long, the kid makes a mistake that could cost Bruce his season. So far, Joe and Tommy have had ups and downs this season. However, when the duo comes up against a massive cannibal, the team gels in its pursuit of the aggressive monster. Deep in the swamp, the Guist Brothers are busy making ends meet. With the food supply low, rabbit is on the menu. The brothers set out on the hunt, but they don’t have a hunting dog. Glenn decides to take the job.

As a severe storm nears Southern Louisiana, the hunters are preparing for the worst. With his sharpshooter Liz still recovering from an injury, Troy and Jacob pit themselves against the gnarly weather. Troy uses an old Cajun strategy, employing a special bait to lure the gators despite the storm. Joe and Tommy are not on the same page. Tommy is looking forward to a day off, but Joe has a different work ethic. Joe is determined to run their lines in any weather, and despite protests, he drags Tommy along with him. R.J. and Jay Paul hunt in territory close to the Gulf–which means the winds are blowing even stronger. But Jay Paul isn’t worried. Native Americans put a lot of stock in their dreams…and Jay Paul dreamed about catching a large gator in the storm. While the rest of the swampers head to their lines, Junior and Willie are taking theirs down. Junior is on pace to tag out in time, and he doesn’t believe that fighting the storm is worth the money or effort.

After being sidelined by an injury, sharpshooter Liz returns to Troy’s boat. An older Creole gentleman has reported that a monster gator–nicknamed T-Rex–has killed a dog and is threatening locals. To catch him, Troy and Liz must board their own pirogue, a rickety wooden contraption ill prepared to handle a large gator. Will their pirogue handle the hunt? Bruce Mitchell has his hands full with his greenhorn helper Nick. After a ton of rookie mistakes on Nick’s first day, Bruce puts Nick to the test and challenges Nick to show him what he’s learned. This season, Willie is captaining his own boat–as long as he keeps filling Junior’s tags. When Willie reaches his first line he realizes he’s brought along the oldest shotgun in the arsenal. Willie must find a way to bag gators and fill his tags before Junior ends his days as captain. Terral Evans has the day off and sets out to catch catfish by catfish noodling–jumping into the swamp and grabbing the fish with his bare hands.

Night in the Swamp is a time when danger lurks. Joe and Tommy are night scouting for a new honey hole, but while they’re looking for gators, another paycheck presents itself: the shrimp are running. They head off hoping to bag a boatload before sunrise. Tonight, Terral, his wife Dana and their friends are headed out in search of the fabled monster of the Honey Island Swamp. R.J. and Jay Paul have been dealing with a poacher that is stealing their gators. A dead engine foils their night plan to find the thieves and suddenly the duo is waiting for rescue in the dark. Willie Edwards can never work enough, and nighttime snake hunting helps him make money around the clock. In the Landry family, frogging under the full moon is a family tradition. On this night, Troy, Jacob and Troy’s dad Mr. Duffy head out in search of tomorrow’s dinner. The Guist Brothers know the swamps as well as anyone. But under the cover of night, even the most experienced swamper can get turned around.

Liz Cavalier has been a solid helper on Troy Landry’s boat, but with the season more than halfway done, Liz wants to prove to her boss that she’s more. Armed with years of experience captaining her own boat, she decides to step up, offering some of her own hunting ideas to Troy. Junior Edwards has trusted his son Willie with more responsibility. Today, Willie heads out on his own once again, and this time, he’s hunting solo. He’s on the lookout for the big gator that will make his reputation…but tracking it down won’t be an easy task. When R.J. and Jay Pau’s lines come under attack by a vicious cannibal gator, it becomes a personal challenge. R.J. will need to use every trick he’s got to catch this menace before it stalls his season. An infestation of feral hogs is plaguing Southern Louisiana, and one large hog is encroaching on Terral’s property. Feral hogs will charge humans on site–so Terral hopes to take care of the problem before someone gets hurt.

After twenty days, exhaustion is setting in. For Joe LaFont, weariness is only half the battle. On a day when he needs to keep momentum rolling, his stepson Tommy’s a no show. As he tackles the job alone, his luck turns from bad to worse. Weather is coming off the Gulf, and Joe will need to muster the resolve to face every obstacle the swamp has to offer. Troy Landry is focused on keeping morale and production high, but his crew is showing signs of fatigue. Jacob shows up late, and on the water, Liz is ready for some lively debate. Bruce and Nick turn to a new territory, hopeful it will provide a surge of big gators late in the season. They’re after one gator in particular–nicknamed Lucifer–who dwells in an area known in Cajun lore as The Devil’s Swamp. R.J. and Jay Paul are also turning to a new territory to avoid a slump. They are hunting the 3000-mile Intracoastal Waterway. It’s an area known for big gators…but, it’s also overrun with boat traffic.

With only eight days left in the season, the old hot spots are completely fished out. To stay in the game, hunters venture into new grounds. Troy is the “King of the Swamp” because he always hunts with strategy. To keep ahead of the big gators, he moves his lines every 3-4 days to a new area of the swamp. Junior and Willie are headed to a new pond that is teeming with big gators. But the waters in this canal are now only three feet deep. With time running out, Junior decides to risk his boat and his engine. For Joe and Tommy, the day begins with tension on board, because Tommy didn’t show up for work yesterday. As they run their lines, all are empty, and Joe believes had Tommy been at work, they would have already run these lines and moved to more populated waters. Glenn and Mitchell are always on the hunt for something the swamp has to offer. The boys are in the mood for a squirrel supper tonight–so they head into the swamp to bag a mess of squirrels.

With only days left in the season, one team could let personal differences derail their season. After more than twenty years working together, Joe and Tommy have decided to part ways. To fill Tommy’s shoes, Joe hires an up and coming hunter named Timmy. Meanwhile, Tommy decides to hire his old friend Steve. Together, the laughs are frequent, and the mood is a lot looser on board. After spending most of the season fishing apart to fill their tags, Junior and Willie are reunited on the same boat. They’ve decided to again join forces…and for good reason. Last night, Willie spotted a monster gator on the bayou. Nicknamed “Moby,” the beast could be bigger than any they’ve bagged this season. When R.J. and Jay Paul head to a favorite honey hole, they discover they’re not alone. Duck season has begun, and this area is a favorite among duck hunters. Gunshots are ringing out all around, spooking the gators and presenting a real danger to all.

After starting the season with more tags than anyone, Troy’s ahead of the game, and on pace to tag out by season’s end. But as Troy’s crew approaches today’s hot spot, things don’t look promising. The landscape has changed drastically and water lilies are now clogging the entire area. Across the bayou, Joe’s hunting with his new helper, and so far, the team is working well. Timmy is a pistol marksman, and his work ethic is steadily impressing Joe. Only a few miles away, Tommy is again captaining his own boat, trying to fill Joe’s tags and prove he’s an elite hunter. Today Tommy is intent to get down to business. But soon, engine troubles threaten to derail the day and Tommy’s tenure as captain could be in jeopardy. Deep in the swamp, Glenn and Mitchell have a little time on their hands. For these brothers, that means one thing–they’re ready to hunt. They’re intent to cook up their Dad’s Famous Squirrel and Dumplings, so they’ll need to bag a mess for their pot.

In the race to the finish, Troy is on pace to tag out early. But engine problems suddenly stall the hunt. Troy has no choice but to return to the dock for repairs. As Junior and Willie head to new hunting grounds, they’re hopeful momentum will continue to be on their side. But when it’s time to bag a beast, Junior realizes he’s forgotten the guns. With little room for error, the boys now have to scramble. Bruce and Nick are down to a handful of tags. At their first line, they’ve got a gator hooked, but when they pull it up, they see it’s been mutilated. With so few tags to waste, Bruce has to find the cannibal before his last catch is ruined. R.J. and Jay Paul have an ambitious plan to finish on time: using 2 boats, fishing 150 lines over more territory. To tag out by season’s end, they’ll need to catch a boatload in a hurry. Joe and Tommy have spent the last few days apart–fishing separately after a fight split them up. Today, the duo is reunited for the final push of the season.

It’s the final day of the season, and hunters are in a hurry to fill their remaining tags before time runs out. As Troy and Junior head to run lines for the final time, the bayou is buzzing. Locals are reporting sightings of a giant gator in the area. Both men set their sights on the beast, to win bragging rights in a bayou showdown. Just a few miles away, Junior and Willie are equally determined. As the only crew that uses treble hooks to hunt in open water, they believe they have the advantage. Across the swamp, Joe and Tommy are feeling a different kind of pressure. A storm blows in off the Gulf…and rain soaks their supply of bullets. To make matters worse, they’re too far out in the bayou to head back to the dock for more. They will have to make every shot count. Down the bayou, R.J. and Jay Paul are focused on only one thing: tagging out. The boys are in good position to finish by day’s end, with sunny skies and smooth water ahead.