If you do not have a permit, you are not permitted to shoot or kill alligators. The statewide numbers aren't quite so dramatic. 14 See Stephanie Pappas, Cannibalism Weeds Out Baby Alligators, Live Science (May 29, 2011), available at http://www.livescience.com/14368-cannibalism-baby-alligators-florida.html. To apply, applicants must be legal Louisiana residents at least 16 years old and possess a valid hunting license. By 1987, the gator population was defined as "recovered," and the statewide hunt wasinstituted in 1988. For people under the age of 15, a license to participate is not required. Alligator Harvest Permits can be purchased if you choose a quota hunt and must be held by a member of the alligator hunting party. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Farris Bryant Building 15 See Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Are Alligators Posing a New Threat to Humans?. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. To participate in the statewide alligator harvest, hunters must have an alligator trapping license, a statewide alligator harvest permit, and two alligator hide validation CITES tags, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. You can pick up your areas local edition at over 11,000 marine specific businesses, retail outlets or big box stores. Alligator meat currently sells for around $20 a pound, which is quite high. Alligator hunting is frequently used to remove large gators from areas. 1939-60: Commercial harvest averages 18,005 per year; 1962-72: Louisiana's alligator season is closed statewide; officials turn attention to research and management of the resource; . 11, 1967). That hasnt always been the case. Additional pressures arose in the mid-1900s as Floridas population skyrocketed from around 2 million in 19403 to almost 10 million by 1980.4 Pressure from hunting was also a factor. Cast members have been seen making between $10,000 and $25,000 per episode, depending on their roles. For example, the presence of poison ivy on a property may carry with it a lower level of due care than the presence of a 12-foot bull alligator. One star-studded, two for future leaders, Theres a new rule to keep these cuties away from crab traps in Florida. An alligator harvested by hunters in Mississippi was discovered to have grown at an alarming rate, nearly doubling in size since it was first tagged in 2011. As expected, and in an effort to manage the total numbers taken, alligator hunting permits carry with them many restrictions. This program is a model for other states and countries to properly manage and conserve important animal species. It is a popular hunting sport in Louisiana and Florida. Its not always easy to tell when its time to take a reptile, but it generally goes something like this: $500 for the reptile 7 feet or smaller, and $500 for the reptiles over 7 feet. Alligators can be hunted using a variety of methods, including firearms, bows, and spears. Angie Douthit, South County Inshore & Freshwater: December 2021, 2020 Roland Martin Marine Center Series Results. 620 S. Meridian St. Tallahassee, FL (850) 488-4676 The species, along with many others, was a casualty of habitat loss and hydrologic alterations beginning in the late 1800s and early 1900s as much of Floridas wetlands and swamps were drained for flood control, navigation, and agriculture and to make way for roads, housing, and future development. While accompanied by a guide, a non-resident or person who is not a resident of the state may harvest alligators as a sport hunter on private property without the use of a hunting license or permission. Habitat preferences and several physical characteristics distinguish the American alligator from the American crocodile. The longest alligator killed in Florida was a14-foot, 3.5-inch monsterweighing 654 pounds hunted Nov. 1, 2010, by Robert "Tres" Ammerman atLake Washington in Brevard County. Then came the body cavity search, Motorcyclist launched from bike when his girlfriend hits him with truck, Florida cops say, A man went in for kidney removal. Report fish kills, wildlife emergencies, sightings, etc. Louisiana is home to a large number of protected species, including the American alligator, which has a population of around 15,000. Follow us and be up to date with upcoming giveaways & outdoor news! In May, lottery applications are due. They can swim and eat, and their numbers have risen dramatically in recent years as a result of their popularity as pets. This year, officials counted 58,100 nests, a record number. 30 See Nanci Alexander, Alligator Hunts Harm Floridas Public Image, The N.Y. Times, Nov. 8, 1991. Alligator seasons are available in Louisiana. Alligator ranching began in the mid-1980s and relied on ranchers collecting eggs from nests in the wild and hatching them on their own. Because of its larger caliber, he believes it is possible to put more energy into a shot, but it is also possible to damage something in the process. Search for alligator harvest information using the CITES tag number or permit holder name. The establishment of alligator hunting in Florida in 1988 was made necessary by the states need to control alligator populations. By encouraging landowners to care for the coastal marsh zones where the majority of alligators breed, the program benefits other species as well, Elsey said. "A$WH2/NV@L %`700@g`` J Typically, alligators have about 80 teeth in their mouth at one time, but they lose teeth frequently. Hunting American alligators for sport is permitted by law in certain circumstances and with a state license. Striking the right balance is tricky, and species conservation is really no different. Alligators range from central Texas eastward to North Carolina. Alligator hunting is only allowed in certain areas of the state, and you can only hunt during specific times of the year. When first tagged, the alligator measured 6.4 feet, meaning it grew an average of 8.6 inches each year over nine years. Each permit authorizes the taking of two alligators within a specified Harvest Unit. All rights reserved. in a smaller area. Its imperative that anyone permitted to harvest alligators be aware of, and abide by the regulations. The current prices for alligators are $20 per foot for a 9-foot or longer gator, $17 for 8 feet, $13-$15 for 7 feet and $13-$14 for 6 feet, according to local hunters and processors. Its really amazing when contrasted with the growth rate of an 11-foot, 1-inch alligator harvested by hunter Cory Stewart at the end of August. Thats an annual growth rate of 1.9 inches per year. If finally approved, it would take effect with eggs collected next year. More alligators mean less food per alligator, with the larger alligators either forcing the smaller ones out or alternatively pursuing them as potential prey.14 Continued residential and commercial development similarly means less natural habitat.15 Furthermore, higher ambient temperatures, less predictable and steady rainfall, and more frequent drought conditions result in fewer habitable water bodies. ED KILLER/TCPALM. Alligator hunters finished the season strong after a slow start. ALLIGATOR FACT SHEET HISTORY The American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) has changed little from its original form some 180 million years ago. 32 See Keith Wood, Gator Hunting in the Sunshine State, NRA American Hunter (June 11, 2012), available at https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2012/6/11/gator-hunting-in-the-sunshine-state/. Accurate estimates of species counts coupled with the issuance of the right number of hunting permits can take much-needed pressure off a species that is often competing for a portion of an insufficient supply of habitat or food.33 Hunting also provides recreational opportunities as well as a revenue source to the state through licensing, gear, guides, meat, and hide sales.34 Moreover, hunting offers the added benefit of reducing the possibility of human-animal impacts.35 Florida witnessed this most recently in the much publicized and highly controversial black bear hunt.36 However, hunting for charismatic mega-fauna like the black bear generally attracts a different type and level of attention than the hunting of the mysterious and ominous alligator. In addition to providing permit holders with a much desired opportunity to experience alligator hunting in Florida, alligator meat is a delicious and healthy choice. The Burmese python is now distributed across more than a thousand square miles of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park and areas to the north including Big Cypress National Preserve and Collier-Seminole State Forest. Permits are randomly assigned during Phase I, II, and III, and they are available on a first-come, first-served basis during Phase IV. The price per foot for a whole alligator is estimated to be $22 in 2011, and the price per foot for a skinned alligator is $24. 31 Three million alligators were killed in Florida between 1880 and 1900. Visitors to Louisiana enjoy a wide range of activities, one of which is visiting the swamps. 1:41. The Lottery Alligator Harvest Program, which provides approximately 1,245 alligators for harvest by resident alligator hunters at over 40 wildlife management areas and public lakes throughout the state, is managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. If you think you can harvest an alligator like they do in the TV Reality Series Swamp People, then think again. Alligators were listed as an endangered species by Florida in 1967 and added to the federal list when theEndangered Species Act wassigned into law in 1973. Impacts from herbicides, pesticides, and other environmental factors were also partly to blame. All sales have been completed, and no refunds will be provided to those who completed the application. 17 University of Florida Bureau of Economic Business Research, Florida Estimates of Population 2015, available at http://edr.state.fl.us/Content/population-demographics/data/PopulationEstimates2015.pdf. Restrictions on alligator hunting during the early part of the century were almost nonexistent and the regulations that followed were much looser than they are today with essentially no hunting permits, tags, or quotas.5 Hunting for this top-of-the-food-chain species was managed in a fashion more similar to that of raccoons and rabbits, which was often year-round and with few limits. But not all: 12 percent of hatched 4-footers must be returned to the wild within two years of the eggs being collected. So associated with and prevalent in the state, it was designated as the official state reptile by the Florida Legislature in 1987.2 Just take a drive across State Road 84, or Alligator Alley as it is often referred to by native south Floridians, and glance over into the dark tannic acid waters of the drainage canals that parallel this mostly desolate road. 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