Guided Gator Hunting In Louisiana

By Ruth Kennedy


The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has provided recommendations on the managing of the reptiles as a profitable, renewable natural reserve. It is recognized as a world renowned success story in crocodilian conservation. It has been used across the world as a model for managing other crocodilian species throughout the world. Other similar projects use Guided Gator Hunting in Louisiana as a model.

Leather extracted from the reptile has a high market value and is thus preferred since the 1800s. A sudden decrease in their population was experienced in the 1950s because of the uncontrolled hunting of the species that had prevailed leading to its stop in 1962. It was then followed by a detailed research to find a way of containing and preserving the organism by getting the basic life history of the beast.

The goal of the program was conservation of endangered species since it was part of the natural habitat and benefits to other species that coexist with it in the natural habitat. The idea behind this move is to give a sustained agenda to manage hunting, give long term profits for existence and maintenance of the ecosystem and not in the least financial gain to citizens.

The coastal lands where the alligator lives are living naturally are private farms adding up to 81 percent of their habitat. This designates a direct profit to owners of the farms with incentives and earnings. Those who hire land to carry out the harvesting also get direct benefits. This conditions are to ensure protection of the animal and habitat maintenance.

An impulsive increase in population of the species was later experienced in the period 1962 to 1972 as a result of measures that had been put in place by the state to govern its conservation. The program was initiated in Cameron Parish for financial prowess in remote gator yield in remote gator reap. Equal distribution in regard to population density of crocodilian was of wide deliberation.

The state department provides tags for property that has a habitat of wetland alligators that can sustain a harvest. Tags are only given to accredited hunters and cannot be transferred. The hunter has to either own the land or is permitted to hunt on land with qualifications that guarantee harvest tags. The hunters apply for labels preceding the season. The licenses are divided into three categories, Hunter 1, Helper license and Sports license. The tags are property specific and are also indicated on the license itself. Hunters must possess the license in order to sell or own wild alligator skins or their parts.

The alligators can only be harvested official dawn and dusk only with no nocturnal harvest allowed. Diurnal and season proportion is equal to alligator tags a hunter has. No size restrictions are given on wild alligators during an overall open period. Harvesting of crocodilians can be done by peg and line, crossbow and arrow and firearms excluding shotguns since they are prohibited while hunting wild alligators. It should be noted however that extreme caution should be taken when harvesting free living crocodilians to ensure they can be retrieved once harvested lest chances are they can be lost.

Tagging should be done immediately they have been captured. This should be done 6 inches from the periphery of a tail. Tags do not float hence they should not be lost since they are irreplaceable.




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