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Sharing The
Secrets Of The Swamp
LeBlanc grew up in a shotgun house outside of the small town of Breaux Bridge. He raised his family – four sons and a daughter – on wild game, such as ducks they shot and crawfish they caught in nets. And alligators. LeBlanc and his friends hunt alligators in the Atchafalaya Basin, the expansive swamp that provides nourishment and shelter for a continually decreasing number of Cajun families.
Of course, most of LeBlanc’s customers aren’t locals. “I give tours to people from California, France, all over,” LeBlanc says. “I take people where they don’t usually go.” For 35 years, LeBlanc has taken guests – including Charles Kuralt and National Geographic’s Jim Richardson – into the wilderness of the swamp near Catahoula and among the cypress trees of Lake Martin. The tours last about two hours. Guests can’t help but enjoy both the wild, native beauty of the swamp and the natural, easy-going charm of one of its French-speaking sons. You can contact Norbert LeBlanc at 337-332-6546 for more information or to schedule a tour. our menu - entertainment - functions - group tours - cajun central - locations - request info home |
Norbert LeBlanc’s army green
aluminum boats have carried passengers of all sorts – from wide-eyed
tourists to adventurous nature photographers – each begging to see the
most elusive wildlife of the swamp. But LeBlanc’s most challenging
passengers are the four-footed kind – the seven to 12-foot alligators
he’s hunted throughout his life.
The hunters find a ’gator,
shoot it and haul it into their airboat or flat-bottom boat. At home they
skin the animal and split the meat. Most Louisiana alligators measure
seven to ten feet long, but the largest reach 11 to 12 feet. LeBlanc
passes a four-inch-long alligator tooth among the passengers on his swamp
tours, and even the locals are awed by the thought of facing an angry
animal with such large teeth.