Florida’s proposal would allow 24-hour alligator hunting

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) proposes the idea of ​​giving recreational alligator hunters more time to tag alligators, which the state says are healthy and abundant. The estimated population is 1.3 million.

The FWC’s proposal, which is in the public participation stage, would increase recreational alligator hunting hours from 17 hours per day currently to 24 hours per day in most areas of the state. Recreational alligator harvest tags sold by the state would allow an additional seven hours of hunting per day, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., making daytime alligator hunting accessible to licensees.

“Night hunting is more efficient at locating and getting a large alligator for recreational hunters, but a lot of people can’t spend the night looking for an alligator and then get up and go to work in the morning,” says Chad Lairsey of Jacksonville. , 33, pest alligator trapper from Florida for five years. “I always hunt nuisance alligators during the day as it is best for owners who have an alligator problem and want to get a large one near their home. It’s easier to locate alligators at night, but it’s more dangerous than daytime and inconvenient for residents who want the state’s help in removing them alive.

Lairsey understands why some alligator hunters and purveyors who have recreational hunting tags would want to have alligators during the day for safety reasons and for less exhausting nighttime adventures. He added that hunters with recreational tags look for the biggest alligator they can get, and many don’t fill out tags unless they find a large one 6 to 8 feet long or even larger.

“I know a lot of hunters and guides who don’t even fill out their alligator tags because they haven’t located an alligator big enough to warrant a harvest,” Lairsey explains. “So hunting alligators all day long won’t have much of an effect on the state’s alligator population. “

Lairsey says the 24-hour hunt can make alligators bigger and older more elusive than they were 10 or 20 years ago. But it will likely financially benefit the state, businesses, and guides.

“Changing the law to allow round-the-clock hunting would help recreational hunters have better access to the resource, and believe me, we have a lot of alligators in Florida,” Lairsey says.