2026 Gator Hunt
Following last year’s successful “Test Trip” with four young men/four mentors, both OMM and GettinGrubb decided on an aggressive plan for our 2026 trips: two trips, each with six young men/six mentors. And what an incredible adventure God blessed us with! All 12 boys harvested a beautiful gator!
The action occurred in Sebring, Florida, and we “base-camped out of a beautiful Airbnb on a lake. It didn’t take long for the boys to be boys – fishing, swimming, and making each other “walk the plank” off the paddleboat. The next day saw us hunting gators, made possible by Matt Grubb of GettinGrubb Outfitters. Our hunting tactics were pretty wild! All 15 of us piled into a pickup/flatbed trailer, slowly making our way along the edge of leased reservoirs in search of gators. The alligators were everywhere! Once we found one the proper size, the guide sometimes snagged the gator with a heavy fishing rod, passing it off so the young man could battle the 100-pound reptile. The boys had quite a fight before passing the rod off so he could finish the hunt with an accurate rifle shot. At other times, conditions called for skipping the rod/reel battle and having the young man shoot off a tripod in the bed of the truck. It was amazing! We were all impressed with how magnificent God made gators – their hides were beautiful and we marveled at how much of a dinosaur they were!
The boys on the second hunt got a bonus: hog hunting! Again the boys proved to be excellent marksmen, as all six boys harvested a wild hog! That night we enjoyed pork backstraps on the grill!
As with all our trips, however, the most important part of the adventure were the nightly Campfire Talks. The boys learned much about Christian Masculinity. The final night’s Talk concluded with rousing Worship Music and each young man being presented with an OMM-engraved knife and a bible. The knife serves as a reminder that they’re warriors for Christ and the Bible, written in by each mentor, will serve as the Sword of the Spirit as they continue their journey on the road to Christian Manhood.
We couldn’t be more grateful for Matt of GettinGrubb Outfitters. If you ever want to experience the thrill of gator hunting, go with Matt! Here’s his website: https://www.gettingrubboutfitters.com/. THANK YOU MATT!
