Off Duty, Sports, Hunting, Fishing - Navy Times

Where to get your gator

Looking for a new outdoor challenge? Here’s where to go get your own gator.

• Florida. The state is a leader in alligator management and establishes annual harvest quotas for residents and nonresidents. Applicants must be at least age 18. See www.myfwc.com/gators/public.htm.

• Louisiana. Since 1972, more than 700,000 wild alligators have been harvested, more than 5.2 million alligator eggs collected, and more than 2.7 million farm-raised alligators sold. See www.wlf.louisiana.gov/experience/lawildlife/nongame/alligators.cfm.

• Alabama. The alligator population has grown to the extent that they are a nuisance in many areas. The state offers a small, regulated alligator hunt. See www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/alligatorhunthome.

• Georgia. Quota permits apply to some hunting zones and on Wildlife Management Areas in open zones. See http://www.georgiaoutdoors.com/hunting/huntingseasons.asp#alligator.

• South Carolina. 2008 is the first year the state has had a legal alligator hunt since its gators were removed from the endangered species list. See www.dnr.sc.gov/news/yr2008/june2/june2_gator.html.