State ’gator hunt sets record

State ’gator hunt sets record

A record 64 alligators were harvested in two weekends of hunting during the 2016 alligator season that ended Sept. 26, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reports.

It was the 10th hunt in recent history.

Mark Barbee, Game and Fish wildlife biologist at the Monticello regional office, said the record number doesn’t necessarily mean the population is growing, but has a lot to do with the availability of water during a survey period and the efforts of the hunters.

“We issue the number of permits each year based on surveys done in spring,” Barbee said. “If there’s a lot of water, we can access a lot more areas and our count may go up, allowing us to increase permits. However, higher water levels can also have a negative impact in that alligators can disperse into new areas we can’t access, so it’s not a sure thing.”

This year, 116 permits were available for the drawing. Out of those drawn, 111 hunters attended the mandatory orientations to receive their permit.

“Each year we have 15 or so people who don’t claim their permit or attend the mandatory orientation,” Barbee said. “This year’s participation was much better.”

Barbee said the success rate for participants this year was 58 percent, which is fairly consistent with years past.

“If you were to count the success of hunters encountering a legal gator it would be much higher,” Barbee said. “Many hunters see legal gators during the hunt but pass them up, looking for a larger one. A few get lucky and find them. Some are still looking.”

Although no alligators this season broke the state record length of 13 feet, 10 inches, both south Arkansas zones had some longer than 12 feet turned in. Plenty of 10- to 12-footers were shared via the Game and Fish Facebook page.

“We always have a respectable amount of good-sized ‘gators checked,” said Barbee. “This year social media was a little more active during the hunt and kept people’s attentions that it was going on.”

The southeast zone was responsible for 42 alligators harvested, while the southwest zone had 22 harvested animals. Barbee said it is not uncommon for the zones to switch back and forth in harvest, and that is largely based on water conditions during spring surveys, which dictates the number of permits in each zone.

He’s seen some differences in the way people view alligators in his region since the hunts began.

“Before the hunts became popular, any alligator near someone’s property was considered a nuisance,” he said. “Since then, we’ve had quite a few people report an alligator on their property, but wait until the drawings to see if one of the private-land-at-large permits went to someone they know and let them harvest the ’gator.”

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