Miss. wildlife agency doubles gator hunting permits to 100 for 2006
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi wildlife officials are doubling the number of permits to be issued to alligator hunters to 100 for 2006.

The Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks this past week approved two separate three-day weekend seasons in September. Fifty names will be chosen for each season from a pool of applicants. The seasons are Sept. 8-10 and Sept. 15-17.

Applications will be accepted July 17-Aug. 1. One hundred names will be drawn.

The area open to hunting will the same as last year: from the Mississippi 43 bridge north to the Coal Bluff Boat Ramp on the Pearl River.

"We wanted to offer the opportunity to more sportsmen this year, but we didn't feel safe about putting 100 people on that limited an area at one time," said Larry Castle, the chief of wildlife for the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

"We had only 50 permits last year and not everybody was on the water each night and it was fairly crowded then. "We felt the only way to accommodate more people would be to reduce the window of opportunity," he said.

The commission also approved limited private land alligator hunting in Hinds, Madison and Rankin County. Only 90 permits will be available and will require proof of land ownership to obtain.

Officials said last year's first season wasn't created out of fear of human injury or death from alligator attacks, and this year's increase is in no way related to the three recent cases of fatal attacks in Florida.

"It's simply a case that the alligator population on the upper river area of Barnett being high enough to afford recreational use of the resource," alligator biologist Ricky Flynt said.

He said the gator hunting classes required of those drawn proved successful. No one was injured and 30 of the 50 applicants captured alligators.

How are gators hunted?

quote:

Originally posted by M38:
How are gators hunted?

Of the states that have alligator hunts, that I have read the regulations of, most require the alligator to be snared first (usual method is with a pole snair like a animal control officers use), and only then is the 'gator dispatched with a firearm.

I'd love to go 'gator hunting, but SFAIK none of the states that have legal 'gator hunting
give permits to non-residents...

AllanD

As the article points out, this is a pretty limited hunt. Applicants who are drawn must attend a class where the state agency instructs on the method of capture (snare variations, bow, etc.) and the method of dispatch (.38 bang stick or 12 ga. shotgun only) as well as general saftey instructions. I believe it is limited to residents.