Online registration for Alabama’s regulated alligator hunts opens June 7 at 8 a.m. and closes at 8 a.m. July 13. A total of 260 alligator possession tags will be distributed among five hunting zones.
The administrative fee to apply for an Alligator Possession Tag is $22, and individuals may register one time per zone. While the tag is free, the selected hunters and their assistants are required to have valid hunting licenses in their possession while hunting.
Only Alabama residents and Alabama lifetime license holders ages 16 years or older may apply for tags. Alabama lifetime license holders may apply for an Alligator Possession Tag even if they have moved out of the state. For complete season information, click here.
Hunters will be selected by computer to receive one Alligator Possession Tag, and the tags are non-transferable. The random selection process uses a preference point system that increases the likelihood of repeat registrants selected for a hunt as long as the applicant continues to apply. The more years an applicant registers, the higher the chance of being selected. Applicants can check their selection status after noon July 13.
Hunters must confirm acceptance online by 8 a.m. July 20. After that date, alternates will be notified to fill vacancies. Applicants drawn for the hunt must complete an online Alligator Training Course prior to accepting their hunter/alternate status. The official course will be available on the applicant’s status page upon login.
If selected for an Alligator Possession Tag at two or more locations, hunters must choose which location they would like to hunt. For information on hunting zones, tags issued per zone and hunt dates, click here.
Hunting hours are official sunset to official sunrise in all zones. For the Lake Eufaula Zone, hunting is allowed both daytime and nighttime hours. All Alabama hunting and boating regulations must be followed.
The American alligator is the largest reptile in North America and can exceed 14 feet in length and 1,000 pounds. The species was threatened with extinction due to unregulated harvest during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. In 1938, it is believed that Alabama was the first state to protect alligators by outlawing unlimited harvests.
Other states 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 expand. Its history illustrates an excellent conservation success story.