Hunters Should Make Plans to Attend One Now
SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. - Last fall, 500 permitted hunters harvested 154 alligators during the 2-week alligator hunting season. This year, hunters again will have a chance at one of 500 permits. While the deadline has passed for applying for an alligator permit , hunters who are interested in alligator season or those that have been notified of their selection should try to attend one of four voluntary training sessions.
“These training sessions will assist hunters, especially those that are not familiar with alligators and alligator behavior, to learn proper catch and dispatch methods, safety precautions and what to do with the alligator once harvested,” says WRD State Alligator Program Coordinator and Sr. Wildlife Biologist Greg Waters.
Training sessions will be held as follows:
August 19 - 1 p.m./Riverbend WMA-Dublin/229-426-5267
August 26 - 1 p.m./Arrowhead Environmental Education Center-Armuchee/706-295-6041
August 26 - 1 p.m./Georgia DNR, Wildlife Resources Division Albany Region Office-Albany/229-430-4254
September 2 - 8 a.m./Bass Pro Shops-Savannah/912-262-3173
In Georgia, alligators typically are found south of the fall line . They occupy a variety of wetland habitats in the wild, including marshes, swamps, rivers, farm ponds and lakes, but also have been found in ditches, drainage canals, roadways, golf course ponds and sometimes in swimming pools. Male alligators can grow up to 16 feet in length and female alligators can grow up to 10 feet with large alligators reaching weights of over 800 pounds.
Alligators are carnivores and will eat almost anything they can catch including, crayfish, frogs, fish, turtles, waterfowl, otters and more. WRD Biologists conduct annual alligator surveys that enable the agency to assess population levels and make management decisions. Since the inception of the hunting program, the population has remained stable and shown that it can even allow for further flexibility related to the numbers of alligators taken and in what areas they can be hunted.
For more information on the 2006 alligator hunting season, visit the WRD website at www.gohuntgeorgia.com , contact a WRD Game Management Office or call 426-5267.