By Special Permit Only
Subscribe to email updates about Alabama's alligator hunting season
Restoration of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a conservation success story in which Alabama played a lead role. Known for its prized meat and leather, the species was threatened with extinction due to unregulated harvest during the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. No regulations existed in those days to limit the number of alligators harvested. In 1938, Alabama was the first state to protect alligators by outlawing these unlimited harvests. Other states soon 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 grow. However, it remains a federally protected species.
Alabama's alligator population has grown to the extent that they pose a nuisance in some areas. Implementing a regulated alligator hunt on a small scale is an important step toward controlling populations and better managing this unique reptile.
ALLIGATOR HUNTING SEASON AND REGULATIONS
A hunting season for American alligator is established in five Alligator Management Areas (AMAs) in Alabama in accordance with Sections 9-11-300, 301, Code of Alabama 1975. The five AMAs are in portions of Baldwin, Mobile, Washington, Clarke, Monroe, Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Russell, Dallas, and Wilcox counties. Hunting of alligator for the purpose of harvest management of wildlife are subject to these regulations.
LOCATIONS:
Southwest Management Area
Private and public waters in Baldwin and Mobile counties that lie north of Interstate10 and private and public waters in Washington, Clarke, and Monroe counties that lie east of U.S. Highway 43 and south of U.S. Highway 84.
Coastal Management Area
Private and public waters in Baldwin and Mobile counties that lie south of Interstate 10.
Southeast Management Area
Private and public waters in Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston, and Russell counties, excluding public Alabama state waters in Walter F. George Reservoir (Lake Eufaula) and its navigable tributaries.
West Central Management Area
Private and public waters in Monroe (north of U.S. Highway 84), Wilcox, and Dallas counties.
Lake Eufaula Management Area
Alabama state public waters in the Walter F. George Reservoir (Lake Eufaula) and its navigable tributaries, south of Alabama Highway 208, Omaha Bridge, excluding Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge.
SEASON DATES:
Southwest Management Area - From Official Sunset Time on the second Thursday in August until Official Sunrise Time on the Sunday immediately following the second Thursday in August, and from Official Sunset Time on the third Thursday in August until Official Sunrise Time on the Sunday immediately following the third Thursday in August.
Coastal Management Area - From Official Sunset Time on the second Thursday in August until Official Sunrise Time on the Sunday immediately following the second Thursday in August, and from Official Sunset Time on the third Thursday in August until Official Sunrise Time on the Sunday immediately following the third Thursday in August.
Southeast Management Area - From Official Sunset Time on the second Saturday in August until the Official Sunrise Time on the first Monday of September.
West Central Management Area - From Official Sunset Time on the second Thursday in August until Official Sunrise Time on the Sunday immediately following the second Thursday in August, and from Official Sunset Time on the third Thursday in August until Official Sunrise Time on the Sunday immediately following the third Thursday in August.
Lake Eufaula Management Area - From Official Sunset Time on the Friday preceding the third Saturday in August and run until Official Sunrise on the Monday immediately following the first Sunday in October.
HUNTING HOURS:
Southwest, Coastal, Southeast, and West Central Management Areas – Official Sunset until Official Sunrise
Lake Eufaula Management Area - Daytime and Nighttime Hours
HARVEST PERMITS:
Permit Holders: The following permits and tags are established and required to hunt and harvest alligator in the State of Alabama. Each permit holder will receive one Alligator Possession Tag. The fee for a Resident Alligator Harvest Permit is $250 (plus a small processing fee). This permit is required for residents to hunt and take alligators in a designated AMA. A valid all game or small game Alabama Hunting License is required in addition to the Alligator Harvest Permit to harvest and possess alligators.
Possession Tag: All harvested alligators must have a Temporary Alligator Possession Tag attached to the alligator immediately after being dispatched and prior to moving. Hunters must bring alligator carcass or alligator hides, their attached Temporary Alligator Possession Tag, and information regarding length, weight, girth, and sex to a Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries District check station or office as specified by the designated AMAs harvest reporting requirements to receive their permanent Federal CITES Alligator Possession Tag. Temporary Alligator Possession Tag will be mailed to the Alligator Harvest Permittee prior to their selected AMA season.
If a person is selected for an Alligator Harvest Permit and Possession Tag at two or more Management Areas, they will be allowed to select which Management Area they would like to hunt. The other spot(s) not selected will be filled from the alternates list.
AMA Harvest Permit and Possession Tag Limits:
Southwest Management Area – One hundred (100) people will be randomly drawn by computer to be eligible for an Alligator Harvest Permit and Possession Tag. Permits and Possession Tags are non-transferable.
Coastal Management Area – Fifty (50) people will be randomly drawn by computer to be eligible for an Alligator Harvest Permit and Possession Tag. Permits and Possession Tags are non-transferable.
Southeast Management Area – Forty (40) people will be randomly drawn by computer to be eligible for an Alligator Harvest Perm.it and Possession Tag. Permits and Possession Tags are non-transferable.
West Central Management Area – Fifty (50) people will be randomly drawn by computer to be eligible for an Alligator Harvest Permit and Possession Tag. Permits and Possession Tags are non-transferable.
Lake Eufaula Management Area – Twenty (20) people will be randomly drawn by computer to be eligible for an Alligator Harvest Permit and Possession Tag. Permits and Possession Tags are non-transferable.
SIZE AND BAG LIMIT:
Each person receiving an Alligator Harvest Permit will be allowed to harvest one (1) alligator. Alligators harvested in the Lake Eufaula AMA must be a minimum of 8 feet in length.
PERSONS ELIGIBLE:
Only Alabama Residents and Lifetime Hunting License holders of the State of Alabama who are sixteen 16 years of age or older may apply for an Alligator Harvest Permit (see License Requirements). Non-residents may only participate as alligator hunting assistants (see License Requirements). The permittee and all individuals assisting during the hunt must possess a valid Alabama hunting license.
APPLICATIONS:
Applications for Alligator Harvest Permits will be accepted online beginning at 8 a.m. on the first Tuesday in June. There is no charge for each Management Area application submitted. Registration will end at 8 a.m. on the second Tuesday of Ju1y. The drawings for each Management Area will be held on the second Wednesday of July. All applicants will be able to check their results on the same website that they registered. Selected applicants must complete the Mandatory Training Course and purchase the Alligator Harvest Permit prior to accepting their hunter status. Selected applicant's acceptance is required by 8 a.m. on the third Wednesday of July. If a permit is not accepted, the next applicant on the list will be notified and given 24 hours to respond. These notifications will continue until all permit vacancies have been obligated. Only one (1) application shall be allowed per person per Management Area. There is no fee to apply for a permit. There is a $250 fee for the Alligator Possession Tag.
PREFERENCE POINTS:
The random selection process will utilize a preference point system. The system increases the likelihood of repeat registrants being selected for a hunt as long as the applicant continues to apply. The more years an applicant participates in the registration, the higher the likelihood of being selected. If an applicant ceases to register for the hunt in a given year or is selected for a hunt, the preference point status is forfeited.
MANDATORY TRAINING COURSE:
All successful applicants will be required to complete the online Alligator Training Course prior to accepting their hunter/alternate status. The videos will be available for viewing HERE. The official course will be available on the applicant's status page upon login.
CAPTURE AND DISPATCH METHODS – FOR ALL AMAs
Alligators must be captured and brought adjacent to the boat, bank or dock prior to shooting or otherwise dispatching the animal. It is unlawful to shoot at or kill an unrestrained alligator. Restrained is defined as an alligator that has a noose or snare secured around the neck or leg in a manner that the alligator is controlled. Capture methods are restricted to hand-held snares, snatch hooks (hand-held or rod/reel), harpoons (with attached line), and bowfishing equipment (with line attached from arrow to bow or crossbow). No use of bait is allowed.
All alligators must be dispatched immediately after capture, culling is prohibited. No alligators should be captured for photographic purposes and released. Firearms used for dispatching an alligator are restricted to shotguns with shot size no larger than #4 and bangsticks chambered in .38 caliber or larger or shotgun (using #4 shot or smaller). All shotguns and bangsticks must be cased and unloaded at all times until a restraining line has been attached to the alligator. Except as otherwise provided herein, no other firearm or ammunition may be in possession of the permittee or hunting party. No firearm or bangstick may be discharged within 100 yards of any residence, building, boat ramp, or occupied campsite in Mobile/Baldwin Counties and on the Alabama River, Claiborne Lake, William “Bill” Dannelly Reservoir and Lake Walter F. George (Lake Eufaula). The Temporary Alligator Possession Tag, supplied by Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, must be attached to the alligator’s tail, as demonstrated in the training video, immediately after being dispatched and prior to moving or transporting.
MANDATORY CHECK STATIONS, HARVEST REPORTING, AND TAGGING:
Southwest and Coastal Management Areas
All successful permittees must bring their harvested alligators from these Management Areas to the check station, located at the District V Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Office between the hours of 8 p.m. till 7 a.m. on days of the designated AMA season. All harvested alligators must have a Temporary Alligator Possession Tag attached to the alligator immediately after being dispatched and prior to moving. The permanent Federal CITES Alligator Possession Tag will be affixed to the harvested alligator by Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries personnel at the check station.
Southeast and Lake Eufaula Management Areas
All successful permittees must bring their harvested alligator hides, their Temporary Alligator Possession Tag, and information regarding length, weight, girth, and sex to a Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries district office within 10 business days of their harvest. Alligator harvest record sheets detailing the required information will be mailed with the Temporary Alligator Possession Tag to the Pennittee. Upon validation of the alligator harvest data by Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries personnel, a permanent Federal CITES Alligator Possession Tag will be attached to the alligator.
West Central Management Area
All successful permittees from these management areas must bring their harvested alligators from these Management Areas to the check station located at Roland Cooper State Park between the hours of 8 p.m. till 7 a.m. on days of the designated AMA season. All harvested alligators must have a Temporary Alligator Possession Tag attached to the alligator immediately after being dispatched and prior to moving. The permanent Federal CITES Alligator Possession Tag will be affixed to the harvested alligator by Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries personnel at the check station.
LICENSE REQUIREMENTS:
Alligator Harvest Permittee: Holders of an Alligator Harvest Permit must have in possession of a government issued picture identification and a valid Alabama Resident all game or small game Hunting License as required by Alabama law. The aforementioned permit and valid hunting license must be in possession during the season while hunting and possessing alligator.
Alligator Hunting Assistant: All assistants, either resident or non-resident, in the hunting party 16 years of age or older are required to purchase and be in possession of a valid Alabama all game or small game Hunting License as required by Alabama law. All persons in the boat or assisting boats that are not the Alligator Harvest Permittee are considered Hunting Assistants.
GENERAL:
Nothing in this regulation prohibits the possession of handguns by lawfully authorized persons for personal protection, provided the handguns are not used to hunt or take or to attempt to take wildlife in violation of law.
All boating and hunting laws and regulations must be followed.
For the purposes of this regulation the term “animal protected by the laws of this state” as used in Section 9-11-235 of the Code of Alabama, 1975, shall mean game animals as designated by the Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Statutory Authority: Code of Alabama 1975, §§ 9-2-7, 9-2-8, and 9-2-12
Penalty: As provided by law.
HISTORY:
New Rule: Filed August 10, 2006; effective September 14, 2006. Repealed and New Rule: Filed September 9, 2009; effective October 14, 2009. Amended: Filed August 26, 2011; effective September 30, 2011. Amended: Filed August 20, 2012; effective September 24, 2012. Amended: Filed September 9, 2013; effective October 14, 2013. Amended: Filed July 16, 2014; effective August 20, 2014. Amended: Filed July 10, 2015; effective August 14, 2015. Amended: Filed May 20, 2016; effective May 20, 2016. Amended (PE): Filed May 22, 2017; effective May 22, 2017. Amended (PE): Filed June 19, 2018; effective June 19, 2018. Amended (PE): Filed May 28, 2019; effective May 28, 2019. Amended (PE): Filed May 6, 2020; effective May 6, 2020. Amended (PE): Filed May 26, 2020; effective May 26, 2020. Amended (PE): Filed July 22, 2021; effective July 22, 2021. Repealed and New Rule (PE): Filed May 18, 2023; effective May 18, 2023.
