On the final day of alligator season,
hunters gear up to tag out.
Last day, my baby!
Thank God!
We on the last day, we got a handful of tags.
I really think we not gonna have no trouble at all tagging out.
But the swamp still has some tricks up her sleeve...
Get him, girl. Show him who's the boss.
Balls to the wall, hard as we can go,
until we get the last tag snapped.
and a few surprises...
I hate to break y'all the bad news.
Be hard to tag out like this.
Man, that's gotta be the monster, man.
Can't pop the champagne yet. Still got work to do.
Come on, man, put a bullet in him.
Whoo! He is pissed!
...in one of the most challenging seasons
in history.
Don't let him get the gun, baby!
-Got him? -Yeah, I got him.
Watch your fingers, watch your fingers.
-Whoa! -Don't panic, don't panic.
I got him, I got him, I got him, I got him!
[blues guitar plays]
After a long, difficult season,
the final day of hunting has finally arrived.
In Pierre Part, the King of the Swamp Troy Landry
gathers his team for one final push.
All right, boys and girls, let's go get this over with.
-Last day. -Last day, baby.
We ain't got but a handful of tags.
-Hallelujah. -Boy, let me tell you something.
It's been a rough season if I ever seen a rough one, huh?
-Mm-hmm. -Curveballs every week.
Mother Nature threw everything she could throw at us this year.
-Everything. -Yup.
We're getting the job done, though.
Heck, yeah. Hallelujah.
Look like you got oil dripping out your batteries right there.
My what?
Oil! "O-I-Elya." L.
-O-I-L. [Don and Jacob laugh]
That's what I thought you said.
One more time. Oil?
Listen, oil your behind in the boat and let's go to work.
Fill these last tags.
We had almost 600 tags starting this season,
and with all the obstacles we had to fight through this year,
I find we still did good.
But now we on the last day, we got a handful of tags.
I'm thinking it's gonna be an easy day.
By the middle of the day, early part of the day,
we should be done, should be tagged out.
All right, Pee-wee, you know how many we got left?
-No, I stopped counting. -Eight, eight, eight, eight.
-Eight tags? -Eight tags left.
That's it? Eight tags. Dude, we got that.
In the bag. I'm so excited.
This is the homestretch right here.
Let's hope this day goes good and everything's clear
and we have a good day and fill our tags,
finish out what we supposed to be doing here.
You got something?
-Grab your pole. -Whoo-hoo.
Look like a good one, huh?
Whoo! It's a big one, it's a big one.
Watch him, watch him. Whoo!
It's a big one, it's a big one.
Uh-oh, uh-oh.
He's rolling, he's rolling.
Let him roll.
Bring him up, bring him up.
Show him who's the boss.
Don't let it go, Pee-wee.
Whatever you do, don't let it go.
Whoa!
Come on, you big bastard.
-Whoo! -Whoo!
Good job, Pee-wee.
-Mm-mm, One, two, three! -One...
This nine-footer is a great way to start their final day.
Right out the gate, the first line we got an alligator.
So I really think
we not gonna have no trouble at all tagging out.
Seven tags to go, Pee-wee.
96 miles east, in Violet...
Oh, yeah, baby!
Last day, my baby!
-Ronnie Adams... -Let's do it!
and Ashley "Deadeye" Jones...
Thank God!
...are also preparing for the end of their season.
And the captain is more optimistic than ever
about getting the job done.
The last day shuffle to the boat, baby.
I'm stoked 'cause we ain't got but a few tags left.
So this is you relaxed?
Yeah, because we got plenty lines out.
Plenty lines out,
and I know it ain't gonna be no problem to tag out today.
Dude, I'm so jacked up. It's the last day of the season.
It's been a long, excruciating season.
Mother Nature's been horrific.
I mean, between all the challenges
and obstacles we had this year,
I'm so ready for it to be over with.
It can't get here fast enough.
-Let's do it. -Let's go.
Let's get on outta here, baby.
Good morning.
Morning to you, my girl.
You ready for this?
Another blessed beautiful day, my baby.
Good Lord, put 'em on the line for us.
Amen.
I'm really glad today's the last day of the season.
We started out with 200 tags, and now we only have 11 left.
And we're just gonna hit it hard today
and try to get every single one of them filled.
This one's up there to the right, you see it?
-Think it's down. -See if it's up or down.
And it is down.
Come on, baby, be a big boy on here.
We're gonna have a big one.
Oh, yeah, you see him already, don't you?
Oh, yeah, baby.
Come to mama.
Come on, baby, give us something good here.
-Come on, be a big old gator. -Come on, baby.
Whoo, girl, give me that.
Get the gun, girl, get the gun, che.
-Oh, you hear him growling? -Yeah, yeah.
Ooh, baby, this is a nine-footer!
[gator growling] Oh, yeah.
I thought he was sleeping on me, but he's wide awake.
-Let me put him back to sleep. -Motherhumper, dude.
This is a big gator, che. That's a big mama there, papa.
Ooh, don't pull me in, big boy.
Whoa, whoa!
-Hold him. -I'm trying, baby.
That son of a bitch is strong, babe.
That's a big motherhumper. Golly.
Watch him, che.
-Oh! -Motherfreaker.
He's wearing me out. You got to shoot him, boy.
Yo, che.
That's a monster there, baby.
Come on, big boy!
Come on, give me a shot. Come on, big boy.
Watch him, che. Come on now.
He's gonna rip my arm off!
Get him, girl.
[gunshot]
-Go to sleep, baby! -Whoa! Yes!
Unh! Unh-uh!
One, two, three.
There we go, baby.
Lord, that's a 10-footer all day.
Yeah, it is.
With their first gator in the boat,
the last day of the season is off to a good start.
You know, we got a good solid gator off the jump.
But being the last day, you don't know what to expect.
You don't know what other challenges
are gonna get thrown in front of you.
You just gotta finish out the day strong,
and hopefully at the end of the day,
all the tags is in a tail.
All right, Ronnie, 10 tags left. 10.
That's what I'm screaming, girlie.
Knock 'em out, baby.
Meanwhile, in Pierre Part,
with only 12 tags left,
the last day of the season
should be a slam dunk for Jacob and Don.
But so far, they've got nothin'.
-No, it don't. -Not a damn thing.
Damn.
What we got going on?
-Not at all. -Feels even worse.
That's one way to keep our average up.
Just don't catch any more.
You know, we passed line after line after line,
and not one alligator was sitting there on the lines.
And after passing the first five lines
and seeing them just hanging there,
it feels like it's gonna be a hard day.
But at the same time, no matter how bad it gets,
just stay persistent.
There's always a way out of it.
God's not gonna give you something that you can't handle.
Just stay with it and roll with the punches.
Don't look good again.
You can say that again.
Gonna be hard to tag out like this.
Yes, sir.
Oh, look up on the bank.
Oh, yeah, I see him up in there. Look, look, look.
Well, he got his eyes open.
That's a good'un, though.
-Is he alive? -I don't know yet.
-Looks dead, huh? -Yeah, kinda.
[gator growls] No, he's alive, heh heh.
Oh, man, he is wrapped around everything.
You got to get off the boat to shoot this one.
All right.
Don't you miss that son of a bitch.
Oh, yeah, he's--
Oop.
Better watch it.
I can't shoot straight on like that.
I gotta come around back here.
-I can't get-- -Let me get far away.
I can't shoot.
In case you miss,
so it don't ricochet and hit my fat ass.
-Aah. Ooh, ooh!
Oh, he's-a pop that line! That line's popping!
He is pissed!
[gunshot]
Look at that line, how frayed it was.
I thought sure he was getting away.
Ooh. [laughs]
...where we can just slide him on in.
Let me straighten up the boat and I'll come help you.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
There ain't no beeping on this.
-There we go. -Come on.
We got to ask them to start getting on the bank
-more often, huh? -Right.
Pretty damn easy.
After a slow start,
getting this 11-footer in the boat
is just what Jacob and Don need to get on track.
It's always a gamble going out there
because some of them lines might not produce.
So catching that first alligator on the last day of the season
is always encouraging
because you know you're one step closer
to tagging out and being done with.
Soon as we find one, I'm ready.
35 miles north, in Bayou Sorrel,
Willie Edwards and his son Little Willie
are setting out on their last hunt of the season.
How many tags we got to fill today?
Think we got 12 to fill today.
And Willie has a plan to tag out in style.
We don't need no lines.
We gonna treble hook everything.
Get 'er done.
Gonna be a hard thing to do.
I mean, the clock's ticking and last day.
...and do what we can do.
Load the boat.
Yup. It's the last day of the season.
We going out with a bang.
We gonna be strictly treble hooking,
and for that reason, I'm going straight for big ones,
and I'm gonna fill out these tags today.
And that's a big chance I'm taking.
I set a goal for nine foot and up the average,
and I ain't goin' no less.
See him right there.
-That him? -Yeah, that's him.
A big one.
That's a big gator.
[gunshot]
This nine-footer
fills the first of their last 12 tags,
and Willie is feeling good.
Right off the bat this morning,
I mean, catch a big alligator in open water.
and, I mean, with treble hook and everything,
already filling tags, just left the landing.
Can't ask for no better day.
Gonna fill these tags right quick.
-That's what I'm talking about. -Knock these 12 out.
11 more.
Yeah, at this rate right here, we'll be done by noon.
I hope. I hope, son. I hope you're right.
41 miles south, in Flat Lake,
Leron Jones and Anthony "Porkchop" Williams
prepare for their final hunt of the season.
Getting down to the nitty gritty, buddy.
-I know what today is. -Tag-out day.
Boy, look at that, cuz.
Oh, man.
Boy, look at that. Ha!
I'm feeling so good right now.
It's awesome. It's an awesome feeling
knowing that it was a rough season.
You know, all these tags we had to fill,
we gonna get this job done.
I was feeling pretty confident about that.
We got this. We got it.
Damn, Porkchop, that don't look good at all, man.
Be all right.
When I see a lot of lines hanging with nothin' on 'em,
it feel like, you know, it just ain't workin' for me.
You know, it just-- We was in a situation.
Getting stressed because I didn't have--
You know, I just had lines hanging all over.
-See it? -Yeah.
Oh.
Looks like we got something, too, boy.
All right.
I don't know yet, cuz, I don't know.
See what we got there.
Oh. Oh!
Look like a fight to me early this morning, Porkchop.
That sucker was playing possum.
Oh, watch out now.
Where you at?
Get ready. Gimme a shot now.
What you waiting on?
Give me a good, clean shot, Porkchop.
All right. Whoo.
-Yeah, he gonna fill up a tag. -Come on.
With this seven-footer,
the hunters are down to just five tags.
You know, you be wanting to just be like,
all right, it's over with.
But it's not over with until you get a tag
into your gator's tail.
Can't pop the champagne yet. Still got work to do.
All right, cuz, on to the next one.
22 miles north, in Pierre Part,
after a slow start, Jacob and Don are on a roll.
Now with seven of their last 12 tags filled,
they're feeling cautiously optimistic.
Should have no problem today.
I mean, we only got a few tags left.
It should be fairly easy to tag out today.
But until we hear that last tag snap,
we're gonna be just like we did the first day.
Balls to the wall, hard as we can go
until we get the last tag snapped.
-Look tight. -Tight, tight?
What you got there, Big D?
I see him right there.
[chuckles] He a good'un.
-Huh? -???
-Bob? -Big Bob.
-It's coming up. -It's on a log?
-On a damn log or something. -Need the pole?
Oh, [bleep]. It's right here.
Big old Bob.
-It's a log. -God!
-Damn raised-up motor. -Living log.
Whoa-whoa-whoa. Whoa.
It's a big boy there, my buddy.
-Ooh, that's a Bob. -Whoo!
-Aah! -[Jacob laughs]
That's a good'un.
Aah!
-Come on! -Gonna pop that line.
Tell me we ain't frickin' lucky, huh?
-I'm gonna sit down. -You all right?
-Have a seat for a little bit. -I'm gonna sit down.
My pride's a little busted.
With this 10-foot behemoth in the boat,
Jacob and Don can almost taste the end of the season.
Damn it, boy.
We'll gladly put a tag on this one.
You know, there's no better feeling
than to know that you're catching alligators.
You ain't got but a handful of tags left in the box,
and you know ahead of you
you got plenty enough lines to tag out
and you're gonna be done for the day and for the year.
Gol, we were lucky to save that joker.
Man!
97 miles east, in Violet,
Ronnie and Ashley are motoring through their remaining lines.
And with six tags left,
the end of their season can't come soon enough.
I'm kind of sad it's our last day.
Yup.
But happy, too. Ooh, Lord, am I happy.
Oh, yeah, baby.
Yes, indeed, I'm ready for it to be over with, too.
It's very hard to try to keep your energy up
because it's been a long, tiresome season.
And you gotta keep safety in the back of your mind.
Because even though it's the last day
and you only got a few tags left to fill, you're tired,
you're exhausted, and you just gotta finish out strong.
This line looks downtown, baby. Here we go.
-Come on. -♪ Here we go again ♪
Yeah?
Come on, baby. Find that for me, baby.
It's under the boat.
Be careful, che.
-It's a good gator. -Let me see.
Hand me the line right here on the side.
I got him. Get the gun, huh?
Whoo-whoo!
Come on, girlie. This is a good one here, papa.
That's a good gator there, baby.
-Come on, big boy. -Pull him up here.
I'm trying to get you a shot, my baby.
I'm trying to get you right there.
Come on, bring him up here.
Come on, big boy. Whoo!
He's trying to get the gun from you, che.
Hold him.
That's a good one, my baby. That's a good one.
Ooh, girl, he's biting the gun!
Pull that trigger, che.
Give me a shot.
Right there, pop his ass.
-Whoo! -He went to sleep.
Girl, he's sleeping tight tonight.
Nightie night.
One, two, three.
Golly.
This seven-footer is another tag down,
but for Ashley, it's also a reminder to stay focused.
This gator about pulled the gun out of my hand.
It got a little too close.
I think when it's the last day of the season
that you kinda let your guard down.
You're confident that it's almost over.
But at the same time, you know,
letting your guard down can be dangerous.
Wow, Ronnie, all we got is five left.
That's what I'm screaming, girlie.
Five tags left, my baby, huh?
We worked hard this year, dude.
Yeah, you worked me hard.
I worked you hard, huh? [laughs]
Back in Pierre Part,
Troy and Pickle are making their way
through their last few lines
and are relieved to be close to tagging out.
Between the hurricanes and the heat waves and the cool snaps,
I mean, Mother Nature
threw everything she could throw at us.
Insane.
We're very fortunate, very fortunate.
Pee-wee and I are hunting in an area today
with the last few tags we got,
and we not that far from Jacob and Don.
They not far down the bayou from us.
And we only got each a handful of tags,
and this is a good area,
so, you know, we shouldn't have trouble.
Whoa, what we got?
Got something.
In the water.
Look and see what we got here, Pee-wee.
All right, Pee-wee, show him who's the boss.
Yeah, he's pretty good.
Trading places with you.
-You all right? All right? -Yeah.
Bring him up, bring him up, bring him up!
Whoo! Bring him up, Pee-wee. Bring him up!
Whoa, watch him!
Oh, man.
[gunshot]
Cool.
With this eight-footer hauled in,
Troy and Pickle are one gator closer to tagging out.
We had a long, hard season,
but I'm looking at our couple tags we got left,
and we in a good position right now.
I am so just at ease
and the weight is lifted off my shoulders.
Because we going through these last couple tags
that we got here like butter.
And it's going good, it's going easy,
and we're gonna finish up real nice.
Whoo, it look good. I think we're gonna tag out early.
20 miles away, in Flat Lake,
with only three tags left,
Leron and Porkchop are close to tagging out.
But the hunters know it ain't over till it's over.
Playing hard to get now.
Yeah.
Ain't got nothin', cuz.
I'm feeling confident because I only have three tags left.
But also, it's been a rough season,
so I don't get excited because we just have three tags.
The job ain't over.
See them bubbles, cuz?
See them bubbles?
He a nice one, Porkchop?
Can't really tell right now, cuz. I'm all tangled up.
Whoo!
Think that's another beast on there?
I don't know. Got a little--
Got some fight with him.
Oh, yeah.
I got it, don't worry about that. I got this here.
Come on up. Come on, get up.
Leave the rope, boy. What you holding the rope for?
Come on, pull the damn gator up, Porkchop.
Give me a good clean shot, man, give me a clean shot.
Come on here.
That's what I'm trying to tell you.
Because you gotta move around me.
Porkchop, you don't have a loaded gun in your hand, man.
Whoo, man.
I ain't gonna let you hurt yourself,
and I ain't gonna let you hurt me.
You gotta get in the game, man.
I'm in the game.
You about to tag a gator you already tagged.
With this eight-footer,
Leron and Porkchop are two away from tagging out,
as long as they can keep it together.
Your mind be like, oh, man, you just got three tags left.
That's gonna be easy.
But in reality, it's always more of a struggle
because you're tired from catching gators.
You're stressed from not having gators on your lines.
You get frustrated.
You know, like with Porkchop,
any little thing I do is gonna piss him off.
We gotta do what we gotta do, cuz.
41 miles north, in Bayou Sorrel,
the Edwards are relying on their treble hook
to catch only big gators.
And with seven tags left,
it's a gamble that Willie is willing to take.
Whatever we can see, catch or don't catch.
Treble hook and do all we can do to fill these tags.
Yeah, today's the last day. Didn't set no hooks out.
Don't have no hooks over the water,
and we're going strictly treble hooking.
And I ain't goin' for no less than nine to 10-foot,
big alligators, bull alligators,
and I gotta have that to keep my average up.
I don't back down from no kinda challenge.
I mean, the bigger they are, the harder they fall and...
I'm ready for it.
Seen one right over here.
-Right there. -Oh, he's coming.
Right here. Throw it!
[gunshot]
-That's talking. -Whew.
With another 10-foot giant hauled in,
the father-son duo are on a roll with their treble hook.
I mean, we working so good today and everything
and getting stuff done.
And it's like everything's going well.
Can't ask for no better morning
than to catch gators back to back
and to catch the size I set a goal for.
Ain't no ifs, ands, or buts.
Only six more.
Over in Pierre Part,
Jacob and Don's spirits are running high
as one of the most difficult alligator seasons in memory
is almost over.
♪ We getting closer ♪
I'm ready. Made a little bandana.
Kind of cute, ain't it? [clicks tongue]
So we got one tag left, all we're doing is grinning.
I mean, it's like a possum eating [bleep],
both of us just grinning at each other.
One tag left.
I mean, we still got four or five hours of daylight.
Make lunchtime, tagged out,
feet kicked up, rubber boots off.
What a golden day.
I am ready.
Uhh, I see movement, Jacob.
Whoa.
He's sure turning the water up.
That looks pretty good.
Just hit him.
Watch. Trim up, trim up.
Why the hell you didn't grab the line
when it passed right by you in front of your face?
If you'd have pulled up to the tree,
I wouldn't have missed the line.
Well, the line was way out here.
I know, but it was underneath the water.
No, it wasn't. It was right there on top of the water.
-I could've grabbed it. -But you didn't.
But if you'd have pulled to the tree, I'd have no problem.
I couldn't pull up to the tree. The gator was running this way.
All right, I got the line now.
I'm glad this is about over.
I think you're kinda getting a little bitchy.
You want me to shoot it and hold it, too?
Oh, he's a good'un.
He's rolling, he's rolling!
Gonna pop it!
God dang.
Good job, home slice.
This monster didn't go down without a fight,
but he's in the boat, and the boys have tagged out.
Hey, you wanna come put the last one?
-Tell you what. -Or you want me to do it?
-I'm gonna watch you do it. -Okay.
I've been doing every damn thing else on the boat.
[chuckles] You know, there's no better feeling
than putting that last tag on a good quality alligator,
you know, solid nine, maybe 10-foot gator.
And you're going out with a good bang
and, you know, your confidence level's up.
You feel like you've accomplished the world,
you know.
Look at that. Last flag. Bam!
Pull it down.
It's not the biggest one we caught of the season,
but it's a good quality alligator and we're happy.
That's a good'un for the last one.
Let's go find Dad and Pickle.
Let them know we're done.
Get the hell outta here.
Sit down and hold on.
For once, the last day of the season,
for once, pay attention to what I tell you.
Two miles down the bayou,
Troy and Pickle are down to their last couple of tags.
And after a long, difficult season,
the end can't come soon enough for the King of the Swamp.
Today is a relief because we catching good.
And we just got two tags left and it's early.
So we should have an early day today.
You see it?
You see the line, Pee-wee? Oh, yeah, I see it.
Yeah, stretched right out. Look how tight.
That's good. He's big. He's a good one.
Oh, yeah.
-You got him? -Yeah, I got him.
Show him who's the boss.
Whoo! Don't let him bite me.
Bring him up, bring him up, bring him up, Pee-wee.
[gunshot]
Lord have mercy.
All right, Pee-wee.
This 10-foot gator
leaves Troy and Pickle with just two tags to fill.
But the hunters are about to be surprised.
Should have two left in there.
Okay.
Almost done, baby girl.
Dude, you got more than two tags in here.
What the hell? What is that?
We got five tags in here.
I thought I only had two. Where you found the other three?
They in here. You didn't see them.
Oh, what the hell?
I was all excited.
I mean, I was so pumped up and happy.
Now she found three more tags.
It's like it just let the wind out my sails.
I'm so disgusted now and pissed off and mad.
You know, that bucket's by me in the back of the boat.
I should've noticed that.
But, you know,
it's the way this season's been going all year.
This is nothing unexpected.
I thought we only had two, now we got five.
We don't have that many lines out, though.
I know.
20 miles away, in Flat Lake,
Leron and Porkchop are down to their last tag.
And with the end in sight, spirits are high.
This is a beautiful view,
riding in this boat and looking at those gators
pointing towards you, Porkchop.
-[laughs] -I love it.
We gonna tag out in no time the way we going, cuz.
That's what I'm talking about.
Man, I'm feeling so good right now.
It was a rough season, you know,
all these tags we had to fill.
And we have one left, one left.
We got this one.
Man, that's gotta be the monster, man.
What happened? Come on, where he at? Where he at, huh?
God, go over there, man. Go over there.
Let me show him with the treble hook.
Come on, man.
Cuz, you swear to let me throw that treble hook, man.
-Your blind ass wasn't to see. -I seen him.
You don't never see him no other time.
You shooting five miles from the damn--
I got trigger happy.
Yeah, right. Trigger happy.
I had to slow the boat down.
I spot the gator, slow the boat down,
I'm drifting, I got excited.
For some reason I don't understand,
when you see the alligator, why you just can't
go up in there, ease up in there.
You ain't gotta shoot him.
Just skirt on over there.
You know what I'm saying?
You over there in the middle of the canal,
and you want me to throw the treble hook.
By the time I get over there--
I didn't ask you to throw no treble hook.
Yeah, yeah, you tried to shoot him.
I didn't ask you to throw no treble hook.
The hunters missed a golden opportunity
to fill their last tag.
And with only five more lines set,
Leron knows his mistake could be costly.
Trying to do two things at one time,
that's normally a recipe for disaster.
I could've get closer to the gator, but I chose not to.
That was a stubborn move on my part,
something I don't feel too proud about doing.
But I'm not perfect, you know, and I missed it.
Porkchop, next time I see a gator on the bank, buddy,
I'm not gonna get so excited.
Just get prepared. How that sound, buddy?
-Good job. -You know?
So we can be on the same sheet of music.
We gonna get him, cuz.
41 miles north, in Bayou Sorrel,
the Edwards are attempting to tag out
using only their treble hook.
But with only four tags left,
Mother Nature throws them yet another curveball.
They disappear.
Hey, boy.
Yeah, the wind's picking up a little bit now,
and for treble hooking, that ain't a good thing.
The wind blows the bubbles out
before it gets to the top of the water,
and you ain't gonna see his bubbles.
He'll be like a ghost you're hunting.
Right there where the hole's at. Underneath that tree right here.
Luckily, few know the swamp better than Willie Edwards,
and he has a plan.
[boat engine revs]
Yeah, when it gets tough to find alligators,
to spot 'em in open water and everything,
you just kinda think like an alligator.
Alligator, he'll go try to find some cover and lay up.
And I'll push up against the bank on one corner,
and push against another corner,
wash all that away from the bank,
and that washes that alligator out into the bayou.
Just stir him up, and you can catch him then.
Hold on, let me pull up.
Don't stop your rope. Let your rope go out.
Easy to you, Willie. Easy.
Right here underneath the boat?
-You got him? -Yeah, I got him!
That's a bull, that's a bull.
-Aah! -Backing up on it like that.
-He's big, too. -Aah.
Coming up, coming up.
Come on!
Pull it up, pull it up.
Yes, indeed.
Yeah, that treble hook done did his job this year, huh?
Yes, indeed.
We pulled in some giants this year.
Boney.
He's boney, but he's good and long.
Landing this nine-footer leaves only four tags left,
and in these conditions, Willie has his work cut out for him.
For this wind to be blowing,
it's gonna be a close call on filling my tags.
Last couple hours here,
and I gotta put four more alligators in the boat.
I'm gonna get 'em filled, though.
I mean, they ain't getting turned back in.
This season been the longest year ever, I believe.
I mean, it's been the most aggravating ever.
We getting it done, though.
Ain't nobody fish like us.
Back in Pierre Part,
Jacob and Don pulled up their lines after tagging out,
and they can't wait to share the good news.
I don't how Dad and Pickle's doing, but we doing our share.
You know, after tagging that last alligator,
there's just a relief of being done with,
and can't wait to go catch up with Dad and Pickle
and let them know we done and see how far along they are
and how many tags they have left.
And by now, they should be tagged out also.
We got good news.
Y'all got good news? What good news?
-We tagged out. -What?
Threw the hat in, huh? [laughs]
-Finito! -We're tagged out.
Look at that.
Guess what. We not tagged out.
What you mean, you ain't tagged out?
We thought we was tagged out.
We finished picking up all the lines.
And Pee-wee was digging in the bucket.
What the hell is that?
Oh, Lord.
She found three tags under there.
-Frick. -Yeah.
You're not going back to Oklahoma yet, Don.
Sorry, y'all.
I was depressed when she found them.
Yeah, I think we both turned white.
We gotta go and try to fill them last three tags.
I hate to break y'all the bad news.
I'd rather find out about it now, though,
than if we get back home and find them this evening.
Yeah, we might be able to luck up
and fill three tags on the way home.
Give us one of them for sure.
See what we can do.
Don, here. I'm not a cowboy.
Put that thing back on, dude.
Hurry up, give him his hat. Give him his hat.
-I'm not a cowboy. -Where we at?
-I can't see. -I can't see.
Oh, whew.
-What are you, a DJ now? -Took the glare off.
[all laugh]
Sideways, huh?
There's no worse feeling
than thinking that you tagged out for the season,
and then they pull three tags out of their pocket
and surprise us that we actually not done.
-All right, let's go. Come on. -All right, let's go.
All right. Don't find no more.
Let's go try to fill them last three.
If you find more, don't tell us about it.
I won't.
Meanwhile, in Violet,
Ronnie and Ashley have a pair of tags left.
And with only a handful of lines remaining,
the hunters are focused on reaching the finish line.
Two more tags to fill, baby, we done with for the day.
We gotta make it happen, though.
-Whoo! Dude, I'm stoked. -[indistinct]
Imma tell you, there's no slacking
or no coasting on the final day.
You gotta push through it.
It don't matter how worn out or how tired your body feels.
You got to push through it and make it happen.
If not, you're gonna wind up with tags still in your hand
at the end of that last day.
What it's looking like, baby? What it's looking like, girl?
Give it to me, baby.
It's down and on the right.
Oh, dude, it's a hot one, baby.
I hope he's out of energy and a quick shot.
Come on, big boy. Be a big boy here.
Come on, baby, be a big freaking monster on here.
Grab that for me, let's see.
Dude, it's way over there, dude.
Damn, I wish I wouldn't have made this thing so long.
Here, Ronnie, take this pole with you.
Pull on that rope.
I wanna see where it's tugging at over here.
[gator growling]
Oh, yeah, dude.
Get back in here and let me get the gun.
[gator snarls]
Now, come on, Ashley, come on, Ashley.
-Come on, che. -You got him?
[growling]
Man, these gators are mean, che.
Aah. Oh. Sinking!
Yeah, everywhere we at is water.
[hissing]
Watch him, che!
Ash, I'm gonna need you to sneak around me.
And Imma keep him over here by me.
Oh.
Motherfreaker!
Go ahead, right there. Right there, che.
Wait. He's all tied up. Hold on.
Get him, girl.
Show him who's the boss.
[gunshot]
Dude, dude!
This seven-footer brings Ronnie and Ashley
one step closer to tagging out.
Man, I'm telling you, of course it's the last day,
Ashley's gotta deal with a real aggressive land gator.
She don't want no part of it.
But to have the gator lunge at her and try to get her,
feel like the poor girl needs a break.
But it's the last day. We gonna keep on pushing.
One more to go. Can you believe it?
Oh, I'm ready, baby. One more, baby!
Over in Flat Lake,
after missing an opportunity to fill their last tag,
Leron and Porkchop
are struggling to land another gator.
And with only two lines left to run,
they're running out of time.
Hopefully, we got one on one of these, cuz.
Nothin', cuz.
A lot of these lines, cuz, they're tangled up.
Nothin' on them. I mean, come on now.
You can't count on anything being easy this year,
because nothin' has been easy this year.
And at this point,
I don't care if it's a lizard on there.
If that tag can fit in the tail, I'm tagging it.
So we got one tag left.
Let's just get this over with.
We had a long day. Don't mess this up.
One shot, one kill, make it happen.
He's pulling rope, Porkchop.
Yeah, he got a little movement, cuz.
Might be my 11-footer I'm looking for, buddy.
Last one, cuz.
Whoa. Watch out, cuz.
-Hoo-hoo-hoo. -You see that?
That bastard went airborne just now, man.
Get him, get him on this side.
Get him on this side right there.
Come on, cuz.
Whoo!
Whoo! Boy, we got a mad one. Whoo!
-Get ready, cuz. -I ain't got him yet.
Come on, baby. Come on up.
Hurry up. Come on.
Come on, man, put a bullet in him.
-Good shot. -Whoo!
Last one right there, cuz. We got him, cuz.
That's what I'm talking about, Porkchop.
Yeah, we got him.
-Our last tag. -Come on, come on.
Look at the size of that gator!
For Leron and Porkchop,
the only thing better than tagging out with a 10-footer
is tagging out with your best friend.
It been a rough,
not just season hunting alligators,
it just been a rough couple of months together.
We had our problems, but we did it together.
Whew! Ain't no such thing as I did it.
Ain't no such thing as you did it.
We did it together, and that's what I really wanted.
That's the last one. So we finished.
We did everything we had to do.
-Love you, boy. -Love you, too, man.
What a way to end this damn season, man.
-Yeah. -Look at that monster.
It's just two feelings you'll never forget,
the beginning and the end.
And it was like a big relief
that came off of both our shoulders.
And I could tell from the look in Porkchop's eyes, too.
It was an emotional wreck, the whole season.
But, you know, I wouldn't trade that Porkchop for nothin'.
-We did it, cuz, we did it. -Yes, sir.
[bleep] to the swamp, man.
We outta here, buddy!
Let's go to the launch, Porkchop.
Get on out.
Back in Pierre Part,
with no lines out and one tag left to fill,
Jacob and Don have only one hope left.
Nothing yet, D?
Not yet.
One more tag to fill, Don. Here we go again.
This one tag might get rough.
Aw, we're gonna do it.
We got old red, white and blue ready.
Gonna make it happen.
When he says make it happen,
that doesn't mean Jacob Don snipe here.
That means Don's gotta snipe a gator.
So a lot of pressure on old Don.
If I don't put another gator in the boat
to where we can slap this tag in it,
it's all Don's fault.
Well, we ain't gonna have that.
You see, okay, you see the two little stumps right there?
-Next to that cypress tree? -Yeah.
Straight behind them stumps.
Get your gun ready.
Got to make this one count.
Well, now you're putting pressure on me.
Right now he's at about 2 o'clock.
I got him.
Can't lose this one.
Boat's going up and down.
Give it a little gas?
[gunshot]
Nope.
Got one more.
There you got him.
-I'm pumped up. -About damn time.
-There you go. -There he is, right here.
Got it?
-[chuckles] -Hell, yeah!
Last one, baby. We done.
Things may not have gone according to plan today,
but thanks to Don's kill shot,
the hunters can finally call it a wrap.
Wanna do the honors since you're back there?
Hell, yeah.
The last one.
That's a good one, too, boy.
[snap] You hear that snap?
Ooh, you darn right I heard it.
-Make sure. -Bam!
Thank you, my buddy.
This season has been one for the books.
We've got curveballs thrown at us it seems like every week.
And to have a day like today, it just fit right in, you know.
Tagging out once, tagging out twice,
it just fit the storybook
'cause everything could be thrown at us this year was.
You know, I'm happy to be tagged out for real this time.
Let's get outta here
before your dad finds another tag, Jacob.
Do not get close to them.
Back in Bayou Sorrel,
Willie and Little Willie are struggling
to fill their last tag with the treble hook.
Over there behind that boat, huh?
Right over here, Willie.
-Oh, man, that was him. -Too close on top.
I don't even see bubbles.
Yeah, I mean, we should've set lines out but,
hey, we gonna fill 'em with the treble hook.
Here it is getting late in the evening,
and we been out here a while.
And I'm kinda thinking if I made a bad decision or not,
but it's gonna work out.
I'm hoping and praying he's gonna be a big one,
the last tag.
Hoping and praying.
Trying to see where he touch bottom.
It's [bleep] deep right here.
Right in front of us.
Look at them bubbles on that thing.
Throw it like way out across him.
Last one of the season.
Here, grab that.
Whoo, we got a big one.
Oh!
There he is.
Shoot him!
[gunshot]
Tag him, son, and we'll be done.
This 12-foot beast
marks the end of a very long year for the Edwards.
Tagging out this year
felt so much better than the last few years.
I mean, it was just one thing after another.
And, I mean, tag out on a big one,
that's just a little icing on top of the cake.
And can't ask for no better season,
and that's how we ended it.
Yup, we're done.
-We did it. -Done for the season, boy.
-We did it. -We got it.
-Another season down. -Yup.
Tagged the last tag on a monster.
One tag left.
Let's go look for some bubbles.
I've caught a couple of big ones right here in this canal.
We might be able to treble hook one right now.
Over in Pierre Part,
with the sun setting and one tag to go,
Troy is counting on Pickle and her treble hook
to save the day.
I hate to come down to the last minute
and be in a bind like this.
You know, I like things to go smooth.
I took my time with Pee-wee this year
to try to teach her how to treble hook,
and now I'm depending on her, the last day of the season,
to pull us through.
And now we got one tag left, and I'm hoping she can fill it.
Look, right here, right here.
I see him.
He's sitting on the bottom. He ain't moving.
-Look, he's bubbling right here. -Yeah.
-I got him! -Got him?
I got him, I got him, I got him, I got him!
Hold on to him, Pee-wee.
Hold on to him!
It's a big one! Don't let him go!
That's just the one we need. You got him?
It's the last tag, dude.
-The last tag of the year. -Yeah!
He's pulling so hard.
-You want me to take the line? -Uh-uh.
-You got it? -No, I'm gonna fight him.
It's a big one!
Whoo! Don't panic, don't panic.
Nobody panic.
-He's rolling. -In Pierre Part,
Troy and Pickle are battling to fill their last tag.
Whoo! Pee-wee, it's a big one.
Man, he's gonna make us work
for that last tag, Pee-wee.
Holy crap, dude.
Let me get you a little pole.
-All right? -Yeah.
-Ooh! -Damn.
Whoa-ho-ho!
Aow!
-One, two, three! -Okay.
Things didn't go smoothly today,
but Troy and Pickle still managed to tag out
with a 12-foot titan.
I'm gonna push him.
Whoa-hoo-hoo-hoo.
Good job, Pee-wee.
Tagged out, dude.
Tag out, baby.
Worried about them three tags for nothin'.
-Come put the last tag. -Oh, yeah.
It feels so good to be tagged out.
Thank God I had Pee-wee with me. She did real good.
I'm so proud of her this evening.
She saved us.
I would've had to turn a tag or two in
if it wouldn't have been for her and her hook.
Not many people get a tag-out like that.
That's awesome, that's awesome.
No, no, that was awesome, huh?
I am very proud of myself right now.
I mean, I'm looking at Mr. Troy,
and the way he's looking at me.
I think he sees me
doing everything that he's taught me,
and I'm good at it.
And he's proud of me for it,
and I see that all over his face.
And that to me is just amazing.
Good job, Pee-wee!
Back in Violet,
with evening rapidly approaching,
Ronnie and Ashley are down to their last tag
and their last line.
Why does it always have to come down to this?
You know, we got one tag left.
I'm just hoping and praying
we got a gator on the line to finish out strong.
Because right now, I mean, I'm all clammed up, nervous,
wondering if I'm gonna go home
with this one tag still in my hand.
Come on, be a Big Boy McCoy.
Yes, last tag.
Last one, baby.
Whoo.
Ronnie has entered the building.
-Ooh-hoo. Yeah, baby. -Straight out.
Get the gun, baby, get the gun.
That son of a bitch is heavy, baby.
-Ooh-ooh. -Look at those swells.
I'm telling you, boy, this is a big one, girl.
Oh, my God!
This is a good one.
I don't want him to get behind the motor.
Golly, this is a monster, che.
Hoo-whoo.
-Dude, this is-- -Jeez!
This is a 12-footer maybe.
-He's barely hooked, too. -Oh, my God.
Don't let him get the gun, baby.
-I got it, I got it. -He's barely hooked, che.
Come on, shoot his ass soon as you can.
You're gonna lose him, you're gonna lose him.
He's about to get off. Come on.
Oh, my God, dude.
[gunshot]
Dude, he is barely hooked.
Jeez.
Golly.
What a way to go for the last tag.
One, two, three.
God, what a hammer.
[growling] -Whoo-ooh. He's still mad.
Roll his ass in.
-Nothing is easy. -Hell, yeah.
-Good job. -Huh?
Whoo! What a gator.
Look at that, dude, and he bent it.
That was our last line, che.
If we wouldn't have caught him on there,
we would've had to turn in the tag.
Ronnie and Ashley managed to tag out at the last minute,
but the final day has one more surprise for the hunters.
-What a blessed year we had. -Look at this dude, boy.
Imma put another one in him for good measure, che.
[gunshot]
-There we go. -Yes!
Tagged out, baby. Tagged out.
That's what I'm screaming.
Finally, we just put the last tag
in the tail of the last gator.
I'm so stoked.
It's just been a long, dreadful, exhausting year
with nothing but challenges, and we done.
I'm ready to get outta here, baby, and head to the house.
Whoo! That one was for you, Dad.
There you go, my baby. Yes, sir.
Over in Pierre Part...
-You got it, Pee-wee? -I got it.
One of the most difficult seasons ever
has finally come to an end.
And to celebrate, Troy's brought the whole gang
to one of his favorite spots along the bayou.
Look at this view, huh?
This is beautiful.
Look. Look, look, look, look, look.
I go almost every day,
and I stay out there right till dark.
It's so pretty and peaceful.
They got cypress trees out there that's 2,000, 3,000 years old.
They been there forever.
Isn't this beautiful?
What is this, Look-Out Point?
I get aggravated sometimes.
It gets so hot and the mosquitoes get so bad,
I say I'm moving outta here.
I'm getting the hell outta here.
I ain't goin' nowhere.
I'm gonna stay until I croak.
This is the prettiest place
in Pierre Part and Belle River, right here.
DON: One of these days, I'm gonna buy a place like this.
All right, listen, boys and girls.
I wanna thank y'all very much
for the hard work y'all put out this year.
Nobody got hurt. We filled a lot of tags.
And not only did we fill the tags,
but we had to fight against Mother Nature
the whole monthlong season.
I mean, we got everything threw at us this year
that could be thrown at us.
Definitely a doozy of a season.
I appreciate you having me back.
I do. I've enjoyed it.
It's been a straight-up bitch,
but I tell you what, I enjoyed it.
I love the challenge.
I love being down here with y'all.
Thank you, Don.
-We enjoyed having you. -Just like family.
It was a rough, rough year, but it's behind us.
Believe it or not, in the next two, three weeks,
we gonna start getting the game plan for next year.
But we gonna relax for a couple of weeks
and enjoy not having to go run lines and fight big alligators.
I'm gonna miss it, but I need a rest.
I need a rest bad.
For the next 11 months,
I think I'm gonna try to teach Pee-wee how to drive the boat.
Hey, give me five. [laughs]
I'm down for that.
What a sunset, huh?
What a season, huh?
How nice is this, huh?