Alligators are no doubt a part of Florida culture and so is hunting them.  It's been that way for a long time, from the original native Indian tribes to the early Florida crackers...they all hunted alligators.  That tradition continues and is alive and well today.

 

These days gator hunting is tightly controlled and managed fairly well by the FWC.  In Florida, alligator permits are issued by a lottery system with hunting rights granted to an individual for a specific County and/or bodies of water within that County.  They fill up fast, so it's wise to be ready online when the drawing starts to give you the best chance of securing your permit.

 

Each tag allows for the harvest of 2 alligators.  It's a phased season allowing a permit holder 7 calendar days in each phase to kill and tag his or her gators.  Some local regulations apply, but for most part those who have not filled their tags are allowed to hunt for a thirty day period commencing at the end of the last phase.  Come November 1st, it's all over and you have to wait until next year.  Check http://www.myfwc.com/WILDLIFEHABITATS/Alligator_index.htm for specifics and details pertaining to the Florida statewide alligator hunt.

 

Alligators are a very unique species atop of their food chain and have only 2 things to worry about -- bigger gators (cannibals) and hunters.  In Florida, gators can be legally caught by either snatch hooking or baited line with a wooden peg (no hooks) that is permanently affixed to the vessel your hunting from.  Once hooked, the battle really begins.  If your lucky enough to get this far and the gator is tired and boatside, most harpoon the animal with a detachable dart fixed to handline for retrieving the gator.  From here, further damage is done with a bangstick shot (or 2) placed in the right spot and angle to damage the brain.  You then handle the animal carefully, tape the mouth closed and sever the spinal cord to ensure they have expired.  It sounds fairly simple and it is, however it's not as easy as it sounds.

 

The hunts are always fun and full of adrenaline.  Pursuing a serious lizard and getting them under control can be action packed and of course, dangerous.  We had some decent conditions for our last hunt of the season.  The recent lack of rain brought water levels down and helped concentrate the gators in open, shallower water.  In theory this should give you more and better shots at decent gators and that theory proved true.  

 

We started hunting just before dark and had a good shot at an estimated 11 foot plus gator.  He spooked and retreated back into a patch of shallow reeds where the only visible sign of his presence under the water was the shaking vegetation top side.  We gave chase in our 12' jon boat.  It was a dicey situation but I made an educated guess a few times and tried to harpoon him coming up empty.  We let everything quiet down and observed.  Sure enough our guy came up in open water about 100 yards away.  After poling the boat over we were lucky enough to get another shot at him with the snatch hook.   I made the cast and hooked him up but the hook pulled.  We gave chase again but being old and smart he stayed out of casting distance and never gave us another good shot at him.  I suppose that's why he's over 11 feet long.  We'll have to wait until next year to settle that unfinished business.

 

Later on that night we hopped in the airboat and ran down 2 decent gators that fell to the harpoon.  They taped out at 8'-1" and 8'-10".  We skinned em out and popped a few cold ones to celebrate another good hunt.  That was just last weekend and I'm already looking forward to next year. 

 

If your interested in hunting alligators I highly recommend going with experienced hunters or hiring a licensed and qualified gator guide.  In the meantime, enjoy a few pictures from some of our recent hunts over the last couple years...