Heavey’s Politically Incorrect Memorial Day Video

Heavey’s Politically Incorrect Memorial Day Video by FieldandStream

“Hey, buddy,” Thomas Shurgar says to the overly inquisitive little gator approaching our boat while brim fishing on Yellow Creek in southwest Arkansas.

“Thomas, I’m not kidding you,” says Hayden, his wife. “He’s going to come into the boat.” Thomas has been leading the gator in circles and figure eights around the boat with his bobber.

There are children in the boat. And, of course, men. And, being men, we can’t resist playing with the little gator. He is small enough that he would have trouble swallowing a child. Whole, at least. And, of course, there’s a mom, whose job since time immemorial has been to protect her children from gators and her husband (not necessarily in that order).

The kids—Will, 9, Gibb, 8, Amelia, 6—love it.

“He’s gonna come into the boat,” Hayden repeats.

“He can’t get up,” Thomas replies.

“Baloney,” says Hayden.

“This is the closest I’ve ever been to one,” says Thomas. This, by the way, is saying something. Thomas has been fishing these waters for more than 20 years. He knows gators, poisonous snakes—we saw a copperhead, a timber rattler, and a cottonmouth over the course of the weekend, none of which fazed Thomas. Besides, what kind of man is going to pass up the opportunity to mess with a gator?

The next voice you hear is mine. “Put it out in the water and let him chase it.” What I want to see is the gator accelerating and snapping at the bobber. Luckily, Hayden misinterprets this as me trying to keep everybody safe. Thomas repositions the bobber and the gator goes after it. One of the boys giggles in delight.

“Here comes the money shot,” I say. And then the gator snaps at it. This is immensely satisfying and, in all likelihood, politically incorrect.

What the heck. It was a great way to spend Memorial Day.