I've had BFG, Michelin, Goodyear, and Toyo on my Dodge. For the first 10k they all feel great. But, if you want longevity I would highly recommend Michelin. They keep that "new" feeling at least twice as long as the others. Sometimes an extra couple bucks can save ya quite a bit on the back end.
Does your friend have access to an airboat? Only way to go :) Increases your odds a ton because of the ability of the driver to spot from high up. Not to mention you can actually get back in to the grass where they are gonna be.
To kill, you must know your enemy. In this case, the enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit. They're like the Viet cong. Varmint cong. So what you've gotta do, you've got to fall back on superior firepower, and superior intelligence. And that's all she wrote.
I still stick with my favorite as a kid down in Florida. Culprit red shad, texas rigged, smaller the weight, the better. Haven't been up here fishing long but it's been working like a charm.
I can still remember it. About 7 years old and my step dad's 12 gauge. It was all good until I made it to the buckshot. Took me a few years before I trusted him enough to shoot that gun again.