North Dakota Deer Hunters You Never Know What’s In The Woods

You never know what kind of critter you could run into when you go into the woods.

Well, it was definitely shocking.  Just a few years ago, Cory Klocek of Zimmerman, Minnesota was hunting deer on the Minnesota opener near East Bethel.  East Bethel is in Anoka County and not far from the Wisconsin border in southeast Minnesota.

Cory was hunting a slough area when a big buck came prancing by his tree stand.  He took a shot and he believed he had hit the deer.

He followed the deer over the hill near a pond and began looking for antlers in binoculars.  As he was gazing across the pond when something caught his eye.  He had to look three times because he couldn't believe it.  It was an alligator.  Here's what he saw.

At first, he thought it was a rubber gator and that one of his friends was playing a prank on him.

Then, the reptile moved.  He didn't know what to do, so Cory called his friend who works for the DNR.

He told him to shoot it because it's an invasive species.  So, that's what Klocek did and now I'm sure he'll be telling this story at deer camp for the rest of his life.

He eventually found his 10-point buck as well. 

Klocek's wife wanted the gator to be made into a purse.  Instead, Cory planned to have both the deer and alligator mounted together.

Klocek told me on the phone he has no idea where the alligator came from but suspects it came from a nearby home. 

He's guessing somebody was raising it as a pet and then it got too big and they released it into the wild.

This sure goes to show you, that you never know what you could run into when you hit the woods.

Keep that in mind as you head out for the opener this weekend in North Dakota and best of luck.