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Swamp People Make Appearance

My very special son (because all my kids are special) has been counting the days since the ad came out in the paper saying that two of the popular History Channel series, Swamp People, would be signing autographs at a local motorcycle shop in nearby Houma.

Saturday was the big day, and when we got there, it didn’t take long for Miah to spot one of his two favorite Swamp People – Trapper Joe, walking through the parking lot.

A local band, which The Captain played with years ago, was setting up and when they saw us, came over to say hello.  When they thanked us for coming out to see them, I couldn’t let it go.  “Sorry guys, we’re not here to see you today.  You’ve been upstaged by the Swamp People!”

MIah with his just-purchased photo of the alligator hunter

Once inside, Miah and I got in line for him to buy a photo of them.  I tried to get him to buy a T-shirt, too, but he had to have a visor just like his new hero, Trigger Tommy.  (See both visors in photo above!)

Talk about make a teenager happy.  Those were two of the nicest guys!  The reason they are so special, is because they are from our bayou, even though they hunt alligators in another area.

Miah meets Trapper Joe
Miah with Swamp People - Joe & Tommy

I’m really glad to see that the Swamp People are getting some profits from the merchandising.  It would be a shame for these guys to be exploited for nothing in return.  They truly are hard-working wetlanders.

Everyone has their own opinions about the show.  I say just watch it for entertainment, and you might lose yourself in the accents, the action, and the possibilities of learning something new.

And lastly, just remember that you read about Swamp Dwellers here and alligator hunting here before you ever watched an episode of Swamp People.  These episodes are bringing more attention to the wetlands of Louisiana and her people.  That has to be a good thing!

You can catch the show on Thursday nights on the History Channel.  At 7 p.m. central is a rerun of the previous week’s episode, followed at 8 p.m. with a new one.

And now one of the hunters, Troy, has a woman shooter!

Go girl power!  Go Lizabet!!!  (Nope, that is not a typo.  There is no “th” blend in the French language.  Don’t you know dat?)

Next on Miah’s agenda is to meet R.J. and J.Paul, from Houma, and get their photo and autographs.

Waiting on the water,

(Where did it all go?)

BW

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38 Comments

  1. That’s so cool! I’m glad he got to meet them all, and I’m a LOT jealous!!!!

    Just wanted to check in and let you know we are all ok, Joplin, MO is 20 miles east of us and if you are watching the news just wanted to let you know we are all ok. There were about 6 tornado touchdowns within 8 to 30 miles of us yesterday. Got to love Oklahoma.

      1. Now we are flooding. I’m at work and only way out now is the Interstate if it stays open. I’ve worked here 15 years and I’ve never seen the water up in the complex like it is. Any rescue efforts are not happening now for the tornado victims. It’s going to be a long recovery.

          1. Yes, made it home and through the severe weather last night too. I hope it misses y’all and your readers too. I’m ready for just the hot weather of summer and skip the rest of this nasty mess.

            1. Are you closer to Joplin than OK city? I’m sorry I could not check on you yesterday as I was busy with customers from early until late.
              But I am glad to see you are safe and sound once again. Thanks for letting me know. I haven’t even been on FB in three days.

  2. Aiiieee! Always great to see a lad grinning ear-to-ear like that…a bit like a Gator…

    Swamp People is indeed a fun show and certainly does draw attention to the wetlands of S. Louisiana and some of the culture that is struggling to hang on. It’s also an education for folks about how tough Bayou folk are and their l;ove for the area – and why they have lived there for generations!

  3. Enjoy watching Swamp People program. Good family entertainment. Many young people watch the program. Was very disappointed to hear Troy use God’s Name in vain (GD word) while capturing T-Rex . Think this is uncalled for. Many are offended by this language.

    1. Hi Frank, and welcome to the bayou where we talk about things like alligator season for real!!! I guess I missed it . . . and surprised it was not “blanked out”, since it is a family show. However, I guess at times they do talk like that, but it was poor judgment for the producer to not edit it out. Again, thanks for the visit here and for your nice comment. BW

      1. He did say “God-dang”, but I guess they didn’t censor it because it was “dang” and not the other… Sounds close wit dat accent! Maybe they should have considered bleeping it out to be on the safe side.

  4. I read in the Courier this weekend about this. They said everyone was surprised at the turn out. Said they ran out of Jambalaya and fried gator in less than an hour and had over a 1000 folks show up. Thats kewl, and the smile on Miah’s face is too kewl!

    I never mention watching the show to most folks, they just wouldn’t understand. Its like why I was drawn to BW’s pictures, its like a step into the near past for me. Every one of the hunters, you’ve known someone exactly like them. When she said to call her “T-Liz” I laughed out loud. The Guise brothers always get me laughing.

    I never had shoepick patties like Junior cooked, but I have ate my weight in garfish balls. Unless you live here I am sure no one else would ever go to the trouble of making ’em. My very first garfish balls was my reward from my very first attempt at bowfishing in the bayou behind the house.

    AND right after reading about this in the Courier I happened upon a great 1 hour TV documentary on the Louisiana wetlands, the oyster, the nutria, the whole delta ecology and what is happening to it. It was a good one and it was one I had not seen.

    Odd how things roll together.

    When ya meet RJ, remove his cap, check to see how that hair is attached and let us know.

    1. There is/was a name in cajun for the fried balls (crawfish, garfish, shrimp, etc), that I can’t remember from the old festivals along the bayous was it Boulle?

          1. Typical old fart thinking, I did purposely watch the ending (since I missed the actual start), I was going to write down the Dr.’s name which was credited, but figured I could remember it till I could post about it. Sadly I have now slept since then. I could explain what I remember, but that’s usually always the same things. It was an hour in length.

            It was very critical of man, Seems was broken down into three divisions for man’s arrogance, the river control, the oilfield cuts through the marshlands, and the loss of the delta. Everyone loves to show the map of where the coast will be by 2047.

            It had some really old film segments, it showed some of Audubon’s works, it showed the old trappers, the different inventions used to “tame/destroy” the delta. It talked about muskrats instead of nutria and the fur trades, the Croats and the oyster trade, the “BIG hurricane” before mass communications.

            Held my short attention span for the entire show.

    2. Well, let me tell you about R. J. We go to the same “beauty shop”!! And it is definitely a one-of-a-kind hairstyle. He has that long pig tail down his back (long braid) but he keeps the top cut very short. I guess that’s why he ALWAYS wears his cap!!!

      About the show, my friends who alligator hunt for real know a few of these guys on the show and they always laugh at how they make a big show out of pulling up the gator. In real life, you and I know they don’t mess around like that. They shoot ’em and get ’em in the boat quick as they can. But hey, it’s for TV entertainment, right?

      Now, those Geist brothers? That’s a different story. They got me thinkin’ Bayou Fabio has them beat by a mile as a real bonafide marsh dweller. One of these days, I am going to tell these producers about him, and they won’t believe the gold mine they hit with that one. I’m just trying to figure out how to line my own pocket when I promote him, LOL!!!

      And speaking of garfish balls, I did a feature article for the La. Conservationist a couple years ago (before you started reading, I think) about the Art of Jug Line Fishing. It was all about Bayou Fabio and gar fishing. And I did a lot of searching trying to find a restaurant that served garfish balls. The only place I found (on the net) was a little place on the River in Vacherie. And they served “Garfish Pattie Burgers”. Ever had one?

    3. I loved watching Swamp People. Glad Miah got to see his heros. He looks so happy in the photos.

      Foamheart, I am a Texan born and bred but, I have eaten garfish balls, garfish patties, fried garfish, canned garfish and a lot of soups, chowders, etc. that had it in it. My mom was and still would be if she was able, a born to fish Cherokee/Irish woman!! I never saw a fish she didn’t know how to clean or cook.
      I don’t fish anymore but, I have been craving the eggs from crappie or bass. I love to roll them in cornmeal and fry them. The only family member who still fishes a lot is a nephew who fishes in tournaments and I don’t know what they do with their catches.

      1. I learn something new about you every time you post, Cammy! I had no idea Texans ate garfish that much. I know you have them there, just as we do here, and that bowfishing for them is a great sport there! But of course, everyone knows you don’t eat garfish eggs!!! The last few batches of trout I cleaned were FULL of eggs. Now, every time I throw the eggs away, I will be thinking of you.

        1. I would bet most Texans don’t eat garfish unless they had a mom like mine! I have been fed turtle, drum, garfish, crappie, bass, bream, trout, catfish, rattlesnake, coon, possum, squab, dove, pheasant, squirrel, rabbit and I have no idea what else. She certainly didn’t always tell us what was in the pot. LOL!!

          And if it wasn’t illegal to fire a gun in town, my husband would be getting “plum stealing” squirrel for dinner one night.

  5. Very nice. Beats my run in with Sonny Barger…

    Naptime. 4 days of rain coming maybe some twisters too. I thought I knew where Joplin was guess not though.

    Shopping for tomatoes and pepper plants later.

      1. Glad you’re ok. I’ve spent a good bit of time in Joplin – I started staying there when I was driving Houston/Kansas City on a regular basis. And my favorite LaQuinta was on Rangeline just north of 44.

        As a matter of fact, I ate at a Wafflehouse for the first time in Joplin. And bought my very first Route 66 souvenir there, back in the day. Used to have some kin there, but they moved on to Tulsa, and I’m sure they’re thanking their lucky stars just now.

        I don’t know if you’re interested, but here’s an online link to the live audio feed of law enforcement there. It’s essentially an on-line scanner. It was pretty useful last night when we were trying to figure out where the worst damage was.

        Glad you escaped. It sounds like they’re in the middle of it again, and tomorrow doesn’t sound any better. Stay safe!

        1. Thanks for the link! We have more storms coming in this week, I’m sure it will be helpful. I think the LaQuinta and Waffle House are just south of the worst damage.

  6. It’s a great show and about time we got some recognition 🙂 wish we would have gone now.

  7. I got so caught up in thinking about Joplin I forgot to write down how cool I think your experience with the Swamp People was – and what great pics of Miah!

    I’ve seen a couple of episodes. I watched them with Mom. She said, “Is that what it was like when you went to Louisiana?” I was so tempted to say yes,but I knew if I did I’d be grounded for the rest of my natural life. 😉

    1. Chucking at the fact your mother would not let you come back to see me and go back to the Mauvais Bois and see the gators, there!
      I’ve been working on finding my own lease for a a couple years now so that Termite can fulfill that part of his heritage. However, we
      have not had any luck. Still waiting.

  8. Buckets of rain falling here. Better add some sandbags and days to flooding. Hoping kayak doesn’t float in garage. Knees telling me low pressure system from Hell so guess tornado somewhere today too. I ain’t fishing today.

    1. So, does that mean they don’t have any egg on their faces? For the basin residents I say better safe than sorry, and even though it was costly to prepare for the worst-case scenario, I’m very relieved most of the people who evacuated will be going home to dry houses. However, I fear next time they will not be so willing to pack up and leave based on this episode. We depend on the expert engineers to predict the most likely scenario, not a multiple choice approach, which did not increase the integrity and reliability of the ACE, in my opinion. Thanks for the link. It’s always easier to explain something after the fact, right? But to give them a break, they could not anticipate the break at Greenville or how much it would lower water levels.