Alabama Gator Hunting

Going after a dinosaur in the dark is no game for the faint of heart, but almost 300 intrepid hunters will head into the swamps and backwaters of Alabama this August to take on Alligator mississippiensis, the American alligator, a beast that scientists say has remained pretty much unchanged for millions of years, and which can reach lengths over 14 feet and weights of close to a half-ton.

Thanks to increasing 'gator populations, a new hunting area has been opened this year; 50 tags will be issued for west-central counties including Monroe, Wilcox and Dallas. This is in addition to 120 tags for southeast Alabama, mostly on Lake Eufaula, and 125 tags for the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, including Baldwin and Mobile counties. All tags are issued by computer-drawing based on applications received online at www.outdooralabama before 8 a.m. on July 11.

"If you get a permit, you've got a very good chance of getting a gator," says state wildlife biologist Keith Gauldin. "Success rate runs around 80 percent."

Alabama had no alligator season from 1938 to 2006; the season was closed to protect populations depleted by overhunting. Now, biologists say, the prolific reptiles have rebounded to the point that a managed harvest makes sense both in providing a recreational opportunity and keeping down the number of gator/human conflicts.

The state has had only one reported alligator attack and that was not fatal, Gauldin said. Other states where alligators are more abundant, like Florida, experience about one fatality per year and a number of other less deadly attacks.

Alligators are hunted both for their meat--which is white and firm, very low in fat, and tastes a bit like pork--provided that pig has been eating fish and turtles--and for their hides and heads which are valued as taxidermy trophies.

Hunting is done up close and personal. The gator must be "under tether control" of the hunter before it is dispatched, so long-range shooting with firearms is prohibited. Hunters pursue the animals with harpoons, bow and arrow or with heavy saltwater fishing tackle, 150-pound-test microfiber line and jumbo treble hooks. Hauling one of these beasts in on fishing gear makes shark fishing look tame.

However you connect, hauling a very angry 500-pound critter with jaws big enough to swallow a washtub up to the side of the boat is a moment of truth. I've seen gators simply bite off hardwood harpoon handles almost 2 inches thick, and the lashing power of their tail is enough to knock a man overboard in a heartbeat.
Anyone drawn for a permit is required to undergo an ADCNR training session in capturing and handling alligators.

"We've had alligators up to 675 pounds and over 13 feet long harvested in Alabama," says Keith Gauldin. "You need to know what you're doing before you go after one of these animals."

While there's no open hunting in North Alabama, there are gators here, particularly in Wheeler, where legend has it that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service stocked over 50 of them some 40 years ago, hoping the predators would trim down the beaver population and prevent damage to earthen dams.

Despite our relatively cold winters, a breeding population of alligators has survived on Wheeler, with the current estimate at somewhere around 60 animals. Odds are, even with global warming, we'll never have huntable numbers here, but keep your eyes on your next bassing trip to Wheeler and you might well spot one of these living dinosaurs.