Q&A on the News

Q: When is it legal to hunt alligators in Georgia? — Eddie Webster, Douglasville

A: Alligator season in Georgia this year officially begins at sunset on Aug. 17 and closes at sunrise on Oct. 8. However, it is not open to just anyone.

Before a party of hunters can hunt an alligator in Georgia, they must first apply for selection in a quota hunt and hold an alligator harvest permit, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division.

Quota hunts are managed hunts that allow a set number of hunters to participate in an effort to “protect natural resources (wildlife and their habitats), provide a high-quality hunting experience and maintain a high level of safety,” the DNR states.

Applications for this year’s alligator quota hunt opened June 1, and applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. July 15 to be eligible for the drawing. Parties of up to three hunters may apply online at gooutdoorsgeorgia.com.

Hunters must be at least 12 years old, and any hunter older than 15 must have a valid hunting license. At least one hunter in the party must possess an alligator harvest permit.

Selected hunting parties will be assigned to hunt one of Georgia’s 10 specified alligator hunting zones. There is a bag limit of one alligator. With exception of Zone 1A (Lake Walter F. George), legal alligators must be greater than or equal to 48 inches in length from the end of the snout to the tip of the tail. In Zone 1A, legal alligators must be at least 96 inches from the end of the snout to the tip of the tail.