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Swamp People Jeromy Pruitt & David La Dart Interview

My husband and I love to watch Swamp People, it’s one of our favorite shows. My favorite duo on the show are the Swamp Legends themselves, Jeromy Pruitt & David La Dart.

With all of the excitement surrounding the most recent episode, I thought this would be a great time to interview these guys and get to know them a little better. Just like on the show, they had me laughing and I’m excited to share it with you.

swamp people

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Gator season in Louisiana is only 30 days, so what do you guys do for the rest of the year?

Jeromy– I work for my father who owns an HVAC company and has been working for him since I could tote a tool bag and I am also a nuisance gator trapper and I get them out of pools, backyards, ponds, rivers, carports, kitchens, etc.

David is a concrete finisher he has his own business with his brothers and nephews working with him and his sons, he has two sons of his own.

When watching other shows I have noticed the alligators don’t always put up a fight quite like the action-packed episodes of Swamp People. Do the gators always fight like what we see on the show or are the episodes edited to only include the most action? 

They edited it to show the most action, it’s not as exciting to watch if they don’t fight and we catch a lot that don’t fight that you don’t get to see on tv.

Obviously, this is an extremely difficult job, is it more difficult to hunt with a camera crew?

It is a very difficult job and it is extremely difficult with a city slicker from NY or LA in the boat that is terrified of mosquitoes (laughs) and everything else out there but when they get in the boat.

They think they can run around the boat and not fall out but one of our cameramen has fallen out 3 times.

To answer the question yes it slows us down a lot!

Jeromy Pruitt & David La Dart

Jeromy, you have been hunting gators since you were a kid you must have had some close calls throughout the years. Tell me about the scariest experience you have had so far. 

In 2008 I was on a nuisance call and David wasn’t with me. It was during one of the hurricanes and the gator was in the middle of the road.

I jumped on his back without making him spin and get tired first. Then someone in the crowd of about 50 people watching said hey you’re that gator dude that I saw on the news before, so I started jaw-popping the gator and putting his head under my chin and doing no handers.

He had enough of it and started rolling between my legs and I couldn’t hold him. I rolled off the side and fell on my back and he was coming for me by the time I realized it he had my leg at the knee and was dragging me and shaking me like a pit bull.

I was screaming and no one would help, the cops that were on the scene ran and got in their cars.

So I started punching him like I was Mike Tyson. He let go of my leg and grabbed my hand and I grabbed my pistol that was on my side and shot him.

I jumped in my truck and I was about to pass out because I was losing so much blood! I got to the hospital and I busted up through the ER, and went and got in a bed and started hollering for a doctor.

I didn’t even give them my insurance card. They came in after about 30 min of me hollering and sowed me up and 2 months later I had to have surgery.

David, even though Jeromy is a grown man and can take care of himself, do you feel responsible for his safety when you find yourselves in dangerous situations? 

Yes, I do feel responsible for him, the only time he got bit is when I wasn’t with him. I don’t recommend alligator hunting to anyone.

I don’t even take my other two sons gator hunting and won’t let them until they get to be adults. It is a dangerous job.

It seems you two travel more than the other hunters, how do you get access to all of the different places you hunt?

Considering the cost of travel, does it pay off to travel so much?

We travel so much because in the north it’s hard to get a lot of tags. We don’t have the amount of privately owned water that they have in the South.

We are at a higher elevation so we don’t have the large hundreds of thousands of acres of swamp that they have in the South.

So we have to go to where we can to hunt. Does it pay off? It does only if we catch a 9ft and bigger average. If we catch a lot of small ones then it is a bust.

One of my favorite things to see on Swamp People is the relationship between the two of you, the fights are funny because it is obvious there is a lot of love but tensions seem to run high when the pressure is on.

Do you two fight like this outside of gator season? 

Jeromy- Yes the tension is high with us, we fight and argue all the time. He thinks his way is always better than mine and it ain’t.

Yes, we wrestle a lot but in the end, we might be mad at each other but we always hug and tell each other we love one another.

It does get pretty wild off the camera. I can remember as a kid David and I would watch wrestling then we would wrestle for real on the living room floor and he would rub my face in the carpet.

His daughter/my sister would get in the middle of us and try to break us up because she didn’t want anyone hurting her bubba (Jeromy) and we would quit and give each other a hug and say until next time.

David- Yes Jeromy always tries to take me. He thinks he is big enough to woop my butt, but he ain’t (laughs). One of these days he might grow up and be able to kick my butt! (laughs)

We have a love-hate relationship one day I love him then the next day he can make me so mad but in the end, we love each other and that is what matters.

It was pretty painful to watch the bounty winner, Troy Landry receives his prize knowing you two were in possession of the biggest gator.

How hard was it to accept the fact that you caught the biggest gator but didn’t make it back in time?

Were you more upset about losing the money or the bragging rights of being “The Bounty Winner”?

Jeromy- I really wanted the money because I needed it but it wasn’t in the Lord’s will for us to win so we gonna keep on going on.

About the bragging rights, I don’t really like to brag because when u start bragging you can get shut up real quick so we let our big gator catches do our bragging, not our mouths.

David- I need the money too, just like everyone else but it wasn’t meant to be, maybe next year.

When everyone gathered to hear the winner of the bounty it seemed like old friends getting together, are you close with the other hunters on Swamp People or does everyone see each other as competition?

Yeah, we don’t really have close relationships with the other swampers but we all get along and they have all been super nice to us and never said a harsh word. They are all great hard working folks. We enjoy being around them.

What can we expect to see from you two in the future? A spin-off, maybe titled Swamp Legends? I sure hope so! 

Jeromy- I have been trying to get my own show since 2008 and I am still trying.

We have lots of fans that would like for us to get our own show but the only way to speed the process up is for the fans to comment on twitter and facebook saying that they would like for us to have our own show.

I would love for a camera crew to just keep their mouth shut and follow David and me around the country and just let us be ourselves, that would be so funny.

David- Yeah we want our own show and have been talking to producers about it but its up to the fans. So fans chime in anytime and let the network know.

Alright Swamp People fans, let’s take it to social media and show Jeromy Pruitt and David La Dart some love. Share this post on social media by clicking the icons below.

Don’t forget to tag Jeromy & David on Twitter and Facebook, so they can see.

Think you have what it takes to make it out on the swamp? Check out swamplegends.com or visit Jeromy & David’s Facebook page for Swamp Tour Pricing!

Pick up some Swamp People gear here.

About Thirty Something Super Mom

Melissa Dixon Thirty Something Super Mom
Thirty Something Super Mom | Website

My journey started after a Crohn's disease diagnosis, inspiring a commitment to well-being. This site shares my distinctive approach to healthy living with my collection of nutritious recipes that boast authentic flavors, mimicking the indulgence of traditional dishes. I love sharing guilt free recipes for low carb, keto, gluten-free, paleo, and the specific carbohydrate diet. I also share tips on natural living, including homemade cleaners and cleaning hacks. I also share my experience as a veterinary technician and pet groomer, to integrate pet health tips, homemade dog food recipes, and grooming insights to ensure your pets thrive.

Pat and Cathy Moses (sisters)

Monday 28th of March 2016

We watch Swamp People every week with our nephew and love it! Jeromy Pruitt and David LeDart are our absolute favorites! Why did you take them off the show? We will support any show they are on. I hope it's on The History Channel but if they get their own show we'll be there to watch them. Thank you for having them on the show and please bring them back! Sincerely, Pat, Cathy and family

Melissa

Wednesday 6th of April 2016

I agree,do wish they got their own show or were back on Swamp People. It's just not the same without them. I miss watching those two.

Carly Fuselier

Tuesday 12th of May 2015

Looooove this show especially these guys!!! they are so funny and you can tell they love each other and love their job! I was cracking up at the episode when Jeromy came riding up on a dirt bike with a side car for David to ride on! It would be awesome for them to have a show of their own! Cant wait to see what these guys come up with next! Thanks for sharing this interview:)

Carly Fuselier

Tuesday 12th of May 2015

LOOOOOOVE this show especially these guys! I watch it faithfully every Monday with my mom and daughter. You can tell these guys really care about each other. I notice that they don't curse in such a terrifying situation. That speaks volumes to me!!!! I would love to see a show dedicated to Jeromy and David! I was laughing so hard when Jeromy showed up on a dirt bike with a side car for David! Cant wait to see what they do next!!!! Thanks for sharing this interview:)

Melissa

Wednesday 13th of May 2015

I agree Carly, I would love to see these guys have their own show. They are so funny! Thanks for stopping by:)

Mike B

Friday 8th of May 2015

Excellent interview...love this show. I can't wait for your next interview.Please let your faithful readers know when that will be.

Yona+Williams

Tuesday 28th of April 2015

First off, I had no idea that there was such a thing as a 'gator season' and wow – 30 days is pretty short for it.