Registration for the 2012 Alabama Alligator Hunting Season Opens June 5
OutdoorHub 05.14.12
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will open registration for Alabama’s seventh regulated alligator hunting season on June 5, 2012. The hunts will be held on August 16-18 and August 23- 25 in the Mobile Tensaw Delta and west central Alabama, and on August 10-26 for the southeast Alabama area. To register for the alligator hunts visit www.outdooralabama.com starting June 5. Online registration for the random tag drawing will end at 8 a.m. on July 13.
A total of 295 tags will be issued for the hunts. Fifty tags will be issued for the hunt area in west central Alabama, which includes Monroe County (north of US Hwy. 84), Wilcox County and Dallas County. A total of 120 tags will be issued for the southeast Alabama area. For the Mobile-Tensaw Delta hunts, which take place in parts of Baldwin and Mobile counties, 125 tags will be issued. If selected for an Alligator Possession Tag at two or more locations, the hunter will be allowed to choose which location they would like to hunt. The other locations(s) not chosen will be filled from a list of alternates.
The cost is $6 to apply and individuals may register multiple times. Only Alabama residents age 16 years or older may apply for an Alligator Possession Tag. Hunters will be randomly chosen by computer to receive one Alligator Possession Tag each, and the tags are non-transferable.
The random selection of hunters takes place on July 13. Applicants will be able to check their status (selected, alternate or not selected) at www.outdooralabama.com after the selection takes place. Applicants selected to receive a permit must complete an online acceptance by 8 a.m. on July 16. After that date, alternates will be called by telephone to fill any vacancies. All vacancies will be filled this way until the dates for the training classes. After the training classes, vacancies will be filled with the next alternate on the list who attended the training class.
Selected hunters and their assistants are required to have in their possession a valid 2011-12 hunting license. Each hunter is required to complete the Alligator Training Course provided by Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division personnel. Hunters are exempt from the mandatory training class if they were drawn for the same area as they hunted in previous years. If chosen this year, hunters, who were chosen and participated in previous alligator hunts, are encouraged to contact their local WFF district wildlife office to determine if they are exempt from the mandatory training class.
Each person receiving an Alligator Possession Tag will be allowed to harvest one alligator 6 feet in length or longer. Hunting hours will be from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. each day. All Alabama hunting and boating regulations must be followed.
The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is the largest reptile in North America. A fully mature alligator may grow to 14 feet in length and weigh as much as 1,000 pounds. Known for its prized meat and leather, the species was threatened with extinction due to unregulated harvest during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. No regulations existed in those days to limit the number of alligators harvested. In 1938, it is believed that Alabama was the first state to protect alligators by outlawing these harvests. Other states soon followed and in 1967 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed the American alligator on the Endangered Species list. By 1987, the species was removed from the Endangered Species list and the alligator population has continued to grow.
To learn more about alligators in Alabama watch the Outdoor Alabama Live episode “Alligators and Snakes: What You Need to Know” on Outdoor Alabama’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/OutdoorAlabama.
