Florida's Alligator Hunting Season will Begin August 15, 2007

gator with mouth open.gif Florida’s alligator hunting season starts Wednesday, August 15, 2007, and the licenses have sold out. This year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued four-thousand-five-hundred (4,500) alligator harvest permits with tags. Each hunter is allowed two gators.

In the 1960s, alligators were considered an endangered species, but their numbers have quickly rebound and it is estimated that about 1 ½ million of these prehistoric creatures reside in Florida. There are so many, that since 1988 Florida has allowed permitted gator hunts.

Last year, more than six-thousand (6,000) gators were harvested and since 2000, nearly twenty-three thousand (23,000) have been taken. Most of the reptiles harvested are between 8 and 9 feet in length. It is an exciting experience.

This hunt is not for the feint-of-heart. Gator hunting takes skill and alligators are dangerous and have been known to attack and kill humans. They move lightning fast when threatened or going after prey. Their bite is dangerous for two reasons; it contains lethal bacteria and there is 3,000 pounds of pressure per square inch in a gator’s jaws.

Alligators are active at night. Licensed hunting is permitted from one half-hour before sunset to one half-hour after sunrise and only in certain areas specified by the state. The season lasts until November 1st. If you would like more information on alligator hunts, visit MyFWC.com/gators .

Alligator Facts

The American Alligator is classified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a species with similarity of appearance (its appearance is similar to the American Crocodile, an endangered species). This listing provides federal protection for alligators, but allows state-approved management and control programs. In Florida, the American alligator is listed as a species of special concern.
Florida has conducted alligator hunts since 1988.
Alligator season runs from August 15 through November 1.
In 2007, 4,500 alligator harvest permits were available.
The cost for a resident alligator trapping license and hide validation tags is $271.50 for residents, $1,021.50 for non-residents. Additional permits, regardless of residency, are $61.50.
Hunters must be 18 years of age by the beginning of alligator hunting season to get a permit.
An alligator trapping agent license is available for $51.50, which allows the license holder to assist a trapper in taking alligators.
Hatchling alligators may not be taken.
Alligator hunting may only take place at FWC specified areas.
Alligators may only be taken from ½ hour before sunset to ½ hour after sunrise each day during the harvest period.
Alligators are carnivores, cold-blooded and nocturnal. They lay around 35 eggs each year. Only about 15 eggs in a clutch produce live hatchlings.
There are an estimated 1 ½ million alligators in Florida alone. Alligators occur in other southeastern states.
Alligators fed by people, whether intentionally or unintentionally, pose the greatest threat to people.