Swamp People — Season 5

Over the years, swampers of Louisiana have risked life and limb fighting thousands of monster alligators. These are the top 10 deadliest hunts of Swamp People.

While making their final 24 hours of preparations for alligator season, hunters take a look back, remembering the struggles, the joys and the dangers they've faced over the years fishing alligators.

With the first day of gator season under way, swampers are under attack from some of the biggest and meanest gators in years. When veteran hunter Troy is forced to bring out a young teenager as his deckhand, he quickly realizes that he must calm the boy's nerves in order to fill his tags. A former nuisance hunter must capture a rogue gator that ate his father-in-law's prized hunting dog. When a seasoned hunter's deckhand is sidelined from being gator bit, he is left wondering who will be his replacement for the rest of the season. While another swamper must capture a live loggerhead turtle for a Native American ceremony to bless his upcoming gator season.

With competition on the swamp greater than ever, hunters must venture into uncharted and dangerous areas in order to get a strong start. One hunting team recons in a helicopter on an aerial scout to determine if a remote area of the swamp will be the secret to their success this season. Another hunter ventures out on his own for the first time and finds that being a solo captain is easier said than done. Two hunters go on a road trip and must catch a menacing gator in order to get tags from a local landowner. Meanwhile, a veteran hunter faces the start of the season without his deck hand and must rely on a local swamper to fill in.

With competition out of control, several teams find that thieves have stolen gators off their lines. After finding their lines poached, one team, accidentally, crosses property lines and become poachers themselves. A hunter ventures out on his own and finds that being a solo captain is easier said than done. While another team's luck runs out--forcing them to forfeit a prime hunting spot in order to stay on pace for the season.

Unexpected adversity forces swampers to change their tactics. One hunter must get used to his new quirky deckhand. One team goes on the hunt for a rogue gator that has been attacking livestock. Another hunter must go at it alone without his deckhand and faithful hunting dog.

With the seasonal pressure increasing, emotional and physical injuries put hunters seasons at risk. One hunter is forced to hunt alone after his deckhand falls deathly ill. A hunting team goes after a rogue dog eating gator, while another team must hunt down a vicious cannibal gator.

The younger swampers take things too far in an effort to prove themselves. Tensions between one team leads to a terrible accident. One hunter defies his father's wishes in making a new treble hook that he feels will be the secret to his success. Another hunter sacrifices his day to go after a monster gator in hopes of making his deckhand's last day a memorable one.

Hunters drop everything in order to deal with life threatening gators and unexpected setbacks. One team sacrifices their day to go after a gator that is terrorizing kids at a local camp. One hunter ventures out alone to catch a nuisance gator. A team relies on a secret baiting strategy to salvage their day, while another hunter's season is in jeopardy after he injures his back.

Swampers push the limits of their property lines in order to salvage their day. One team accidently crosses boundaries with an angry landowner. One hunter avoids a crowded swamp by venturing into a remote hunting area. Two brothers are united and fish an old family hunting area, while another team ventures into a forbidden area to go after a monster bull gator.

Mysterious forces blanket the swamp pushing hunters to their limits. One hunter risks his life by venturing into a cursed area. Another hunter encounters an unexpected fish kill. A team's season is on the brink after their boat engine mysteriously breaks down, while another hunter must capture a wild raccoon that has invaded his family's hunting camp.

Swampers take on big risks in trying to fill some high priced tags. One family must maintain an eight foot average in order to fill some expensive tags. A second team lets the pressure of the season get the best of them, while another team searches for new territory to bypass some rogue hunters.

Swampers go on personal quests to settle scores. One team goes after a legendary gator they have hunted for years. A second hunter goes after a ruthless cannibal gator. While another team starts their season determined to break a state record.

Swampers are in danger of losing their businesses until family and friends come to their aid. One hunter gets some needed help from their spouse and a friend. A second hunter is reunited with his partner--while another team relies on their airboat to lead them to success deep in the Texas marsh.

Swampers push into the outer limits of their territories to fill tags. One team hangs maggot-ridden bait on his property line to coax neighboring gators to his lines. A second team travels deep into their territory to stop a gator that has been destroying a local fisherman's nets--while another loses half their day fixing their airboat and must race daylight to salvage their day.

With the season winding down, Swampers look to tag out certain properties before it's too late.  One team must travel through huge lochs in search of deeper waters. Two brothers go after two monster brother gators, while another team travels deep into the woods on an ATV in search of a record setting gator.

Swampers lose focus when they passionately go after individual predators. One hunter is determined to break a streak of small catches by going after a crafty bull gator. Another team is forced to hunt from a tiny skiff in hopes of catching a monster gator, while another team travels to a state park to catch a dangerous threat to public safety.

Swampers are forced to hunt problematic areas to bring in high dollar gators. One team risks their lives hunting in an electrical storm to land some monsters. A second team must fight through a clogged canal to fill tags, while another team ventures into cattle country in search of a state record alligator.

Deckhands come to the rescue when their captains falter. One hunter is unexpectedly placed in the captain's seat, while another team must make it through the day when their skipper suffers a gruesome injury. Another deckhand insists on changing hunting grounds and leads them to one of their best days of the season.

A hunting team gets support from family when their boys unexpectedly show up to help them tag out. Another hunter gets some help from his son on a hunt deep in the woods on ATV. Time is running out on a third team who is after a state record alligator and a swamper cuts his season short to be by his ailing mother's side.

Determined to take care of some unfinished business, one team returns to a remote hunting spot in hopes of tagging out and redeeming their disastrous start to their season. A second team goes after an indestructible gator named "Metalhead". And another team must have their best day of the season to tag out.

Veteran hunters race to fill their tags and a generational changing of the guard is looming. One team gambles on a hunting area that's nearly impossible to access by boat. A second team hunts a nostalgic family honey hole with a pirogue, while another is forced to finish the season in dangerous territory on ATV's. A final team hunts a hog for their end of the season celebration.

Over the years, alligator hunters in the swamps of Southern Louisiana have risked both life and limb to fill their tags. And while everyday on the swamp presents a new fight, there are a select few encounters that stand out from the rest. Moments, that to this day, send a chill up the spine of even the most seasoned fishermen. Where savage monsters attack, where Mother Nature descends with furry and where the lore of the swamp suddenly turns deadly. These are Swamp People's Lethal Encounters.