Troy Landry Makes Big Revelation to Cheyenne ‘Pickle’ Wheat

It has all come down to this. The hunters on Swamp People have set out to make the most of their last day of the gator season. With water levels low, many of the teams have to dig deep in order to fill their remaining tags. Day 30 is also bittersweet as they also know time on the water together for the time being will come to an end. Read on to find out how things ended during the April 15 Season 17 of the History Channel series. 

Troy Landry and Cheyenne “Pickle” Wheat have 10 more tags before heading home. “We have to push ourselves, push, push, push,” Troy said to his crews before they set out to all contribute to the 43 total remaining. Troy and “Pickle” started out with an eight-footer, but the two knew it would be a struggle to get them to the finish line. 

During the final hours on the bayou, the patriarch paid his deckhand the ultimate compliment. “I’ve had a lot of help over 40 years, but you’re the best I’ve ever had,” Troy declared. He remarked about the growth of “Pickle,” who had another baby not long before the season. She spoke about how she was worried about leaving her children, but kept going. “Pickle” wanted the kids to grow up knowing she kept being “Superwoman.” “Maybe one day I’ll get behind a motor,” she added. They team were down to seven after another eight-footer was secured thanks to Pickle’s iron grip. Another nine-footer put them in striking distance with one last line to run. That brought them a 12-footer, the biggest of the day to end the season on a high note. 

Elsewhere, Troy’s son Jacob Landry and “Little” Willie Edwards. Had their work cut out for themselves with 18 tags to fill. The guys got a nice start in the form of a 11-footer. Time continued to tick away as they were left with 16 to finish their mission. Willie was thinking of his late grandfather “Pop Paw” Junior Edwards, who died before the season began and hoped to make him proud. An 11-footer gave the team some momentum, but had half the tags left toward the end.  Their second successful season together closed with an 11-footer. 

Don Brewer (History Channel)

Don Brewer and Troy’s nephew Calum were tasked with filling the remaining tags. It was Don in particular who was feeling the pressure to show his worth to the Landry family. He wanted to make the most of the 20 lines out. Calum started with a 10-footer, his first catch using the treble hook. They stacked some numbers on the board with one left for the day before tagging out. That came in the form of an 11-footer to make what sure was a challenging year. 

Bruce Mitchell and Anna Ribbeck were determined to fill their final 11 tags. Bruce hoped the full moon would translate to good luck. I’m not sure he saw that in his first gator, a little more than a six-footer. The two struggled in the morning hours, but kept their heads held high. Bruce ran the lines twice hoping that would pay off. One of his catches actually had an existing tag on his foot. In 1986, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries saw ranching licensed farmers collecting eggs to hatch and release them into the wild with tags allowing biologists to identify them later on. The final gator came in as a 12-footer. Bruce had high hopes for next season as he thought he would need a bigger boat for more gators. 

 Leron Jones and Anthony “Porkchop” Williams had eight tags left for the season, but it was a slow go at the offset with their bait lines untouched. They ran into a praying mantis and thought it might be a sign of good fortune to come. They struggled with any activity for a good stretch. If they didn’t get their tags filled this year, the team felt it would stop them from getting any tags next year. The duo were  worried about accomplishing their mission, but a nine-footer gave them hope. It came down to one more tag as Leron and “Porkchop” rebounded. There was ultimately one more to tag with two lines left to make it happen. That does come thanks to a 10-footer. 

Following a busy day of hunting, Troy got many of the teams together to mark the end of another successful gator season and have a closing feast. The cookout also served as a way for the hunters to honor those they lost this past year including Junior and Sterling Fryou. A nice way to cap off an eventful season. On to the next?