Score one for originality.
After Bayou Gauche’s Jean Dufrene and his now-wife Kara exchanged vows at their Aug. 27 wedding, it was time to prepare for their honeymoon, a Labor Day weekend alligator-hunting excursion at Dufrene’s camp on Shortcut Canal, located about a mile from Lake Salvador.
A break from tradition? You bet.
But it was absolutely how the outdoor lovers wanted to spend the time.
“She said she wanted to go to the camp,” said Dufrene, who added that he was just two weeks old when his parents brought him on his first alligator hunt. “People know me … I’m born and raised from the bayou. That’s my way of life. We love it. It’s a bonding time for us. It’s something all three of us love … living off the land… making memories.”He said “all three of us” because the newlyweds brought Dufrene’s daughter, Lynli, along for the trip, which was planned and prepared well in advance. A day after their wedding, Jean and Kara were preparing their fishing lines. Lynli, her father says, is as outdoorsy as anyone in her family.
“Last year, we took Lynli for her first alligator season,” Dufrene said. “She wakes up excited every morning and ready to get the ‘biggest gator ever.’”
While Dufrene said the honeymoon excursion didn’t yield the biggest alligator he’s ever caught, the family hauled in three alligators 10 feet or greater. As far as average size, this trip yielded the best results yet.
“I won’t say it’s rare (to catch three alligators of that size),” Dufrene said. “But it’s hard to get one over 10 feet. The biggest I’ve caught was 12’7”.
Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising. After all, if one is to plan a hunting trip honeymoon, you can be certain the intention is not to come back empty handed.
“We were very focused,” Dufrene said. “I had 15 tags to start. After this weekend, I’m down to two. We were out there together sunrise to lunch each day.”
Kara said that the trip indeed made for an ideal honeymoon for the couple.
“I find any excuse possible to have Jean take me to the camp on the bayou,” she said. “Our honeymoon was no exception. It’s a great way to wrap up the summer on the lake. We are truly blessed to have these experiences alligator hunting that most people only see on TV.”
The family stayed at the camp Saturday, Sunday and Monday before returning home.
Dufrene said a trip to Biloxi was also discussed, but quickly dismissed in favor of Shortcut Canal, which he noted is Kara’s favorite place to go.
“And we could include Lynli, which was important to us,” Dufrene said. “This was going to mean more to her than if we went to Biloxi and spent time at the casino.”
The Shortcut Canal camp, Dufrene said, carries a little more meaning to the couple as well because it is where the two met for the first time just over two years ago. Their wedding, in fact, was held within days of the anniversary of that first meeting, which came a week before Labor Day weekend in 2014.
“(Hunting) wasn’t her thing, but it’s become her thing since then,” he said of Kara. “Not just the hunting, but it’s peaceful up there. You can go out and find someone else’s camp or be off by yourself. It’s really laid back and gives you a great chance to spend quality time together.
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