Issue: February 2012

Alligator Alley

You don't have to go too deep into America's biggest swamp — the Atchafalaya Basin — to have a close encounter with its biggest reptile. The alligators are everywhere. There are so many in Louisiana, in fact, that hunting them for their hides is legal. The people around Houma, LA (43 miles from New Orleans), even earn a modest living from this niche industry, hunting gators with bloody scraps of bait and 9MM pistols. Freelance photographer Matt Eich (matteichphoto.com), a founding member of LUCEO (luceoimages.com), takes us behind the scenes in the bayou.