Texans Owner Cal McNair and Super Lawyer Tony Buzbee Both Go Alligator Hunting — A Boots On the Ground Experience

Sartorial anticipation builds as Houston Texans owner Cal McNair and storied trial attorney Tony Buzbee await arrival of their Western boots crafted from the very alligators that they recently harvested in the nearby marshes of Anahuac. Separately, the two power players participated in Houston-based Republic Boot Company’s Gator Hunt Experience, a first-time offering by the revered boot enterprise that sold out all of its initial offerings for the gator hunting season this fall.

While gator hunts in Florida, Louisiana and Texas are nothing new, the opportunity to convert your trophy into fancy footwear all under one mantle is. Alligator hunting is permitted in Texas under strict regulations enforced by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. For these hunts, Republic Boot Company provides travel from its store in The Heights to the hunting grounds, guns, tags and ammunition. Hunting licenses are up to the individuals to secure.

It’s a wealthy man’s game that comes with a number of perks. The $5,000 per person ticket in groups of four include:

— The opportunity to shoot an alligator up to 8.5 feet tall (fee increases as does the size of the beast).

— Delivery of a  head mount of the alligator and tanning of its hide for boot leather.

— 10 pounds of gator meat

— Custom foot measurements at Republic and a boot design with a specialist.

— Handmade custom boots crafted to the participant’s specifications, delivery in approximately eight months

“The Gator Hunt Experience is the result of demand for our top-selling gator boots, which offer a luxurious yet durable hide that lends itself to creative pattern design,” Republic Boots owner and CEO Chris Conrad tells PaperCity. “By sourcing our own gators in nearby Anahuac, we’re able to control our supply chain while expediting the tanning process and ensuring superior quality.

“Our Gator Hunt Experience customers get to experience both the bayou and Bayou City, as they ‘shoot the boot’ and have a hand in the design process as well.”

With the haul from the 2025 season, Republic Boot Company will craft 100 pairs of boots for participants. The 2026 Gator Hunt Experience has already sold out, but a wait list is forming. Interested hunters can sign up here.

“We are thrilled with the overwhelming response to our first-ever Gator Hunt Experience,” Conrad said in a statement. “The demand exceeded our expectations, and it was a privilege to host customers from all over the country. Passion for authentic, Texas-made craftsmanship is alive and well.”

Boots Made For Dancing

Gator hunts are not the only new project at Republic Boot Company. For the first time, the Houston Texans cheerleaders are prancing this season through their routines in custom boots from the company that Conrad founded in 2011. The boots are designed with high kicks, twerking and splits in mind as the fit for dancing boots is rather different from those designed for herding cattle or two-steppin’ across Rodeo grounds.