The natural

PINE PRAIRIE -- Brogan Jones is becoming quite the decorated alligator hunter.
Proudly wearing a necklace of alligator teeth draped around his neck, he helped his Paw (grandfather Bobby Nacio) and his Noc (uncle Johnny Robinson) bag several sizable gators at Millers Lake on opening day of the season this year.
And he is not just along for the ride. The youngster helped his grandfather and his uncle set out the lines, helped pull the gators -- even though each one caught outweighed him by several hundred pounds -- into the boat and even helped haul them off the trailer.
Starting a little more than two years ago, Jones is now a seasoned gator hunter at the ripe, old age of four.
“He was two when we first took him with us,” Nacio said. “This year he has been looking forward to it. He always says ‘when I get old I am going to catch some by myself.’”
“It’s hard because they swim around,” Jones said. “They are heavy … like one pound.”
His contagious enthusiasm and his desire to learn all he can about alligator hunting help to persuade his grandfather and uncle to go back out this year, and to take him along with them
“We contemplated not doing it this year,” Robinson said. “But he brought it up so much that we had to go.”
According to family members, Jones is a naturally-gifted outdoorsman.
“He’s an animal freak,” Nacio said. “He likes to fish and hunt. At two-and-half he was casting a rod and reel just like a grown-up. He’s just not big enough to shoot a gun yet.”
Robinson agrees, saying, “I could get my tackle box out right now and he would be able to name everything in there.”
The pint-sized hunter has always been fearless, even when he first saw a gator thrash along the boat.
“At first he was a little scared but his curiosity got the best of him. He is so eager to learn and he is quick to pick things up,” Nacio said. “He is up every morning ready to get out there.”
Being able to share alligator hunting with his grandson brings a smile to Nacio’s face. He grew up around hunting and trapping, even having to come home from school and skin the nutria rats and raccoons that his father caught that morning.
“It’s not about money,” Nacio said. “I miss work to go do alligator hunting. It’s about teaching my grandson about it and spending time with him.”
His outdoor-loving grandson echoes that sentiment.
“I like it because it’s fun and I get to spend time with my family,” Jones said.