9 states allow alligator hunting. Here's when seasons begin

FILE – A Florida woman captured the breathtaking moment of a humongous alligator wandering on a golf course.

The gator can be seen strolling through the golf course in Kissimmee, Florida before taking a break to sunbathe. 

As temperatures rise, alligator hunting season will begin in more than half a dozen states, which officials say helps keep the population of reptiles in check.

The seasons are well-regulated and are currently only allowed in the states of: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

States in the Southern U.S. are home to an estimated 5 million alligators, with a population that has significantly increased following several decades of federal protection.

Alligators are widely considered to be a conservation success story after having been overhunted and their habitats destroyed during the mid-1900s.

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Each state sets its own rules and dates, but most hunts begin in the late summer or early fall, when alligators are most active. 

Wildlife experts say the animals’ metabolism increases with warmer weather, prompting more activity in the cold-blooded creatures.

Alligator hunting is highly regulated

To hunt an alligator in Florida, a hunter must possess a state-issued alligator trapping license and special permits. 

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, each hunter is only allowed to harvest two non-hatchling alligators.

In Louisiana, alligator hunters are usually issued three tags – one per reptile.

Outside of the designated hunting seasons, nuisance alligators are still managed through efforts led by state authorities and licensed trappers, who relocate smaller animals and euthanize the larger creatures.

Alligators found in the proximity of attacks involving humans and pets are ultimately destroyed.

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Deputies capture alligator outside a Florida high school

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office has released body camera video showing deputies wrangling a gator on Tuesday morning in Parrish, Florida.

Whopper of a gator

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that female alligators rarely grow beyond 10 feet, while males can be significantly larger.

The largest alligator recorded in the U.S. was caught in Alabama in 2014 and measured an astonishing 15 feet, 9 inches long, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The Sunshine State’s all-time record is about 1.5 feet smaller, measuring about 14 feet and was caught on the state’s east coast.

The reptiles primarily live in freshwater habitats but can occasionally venture into high-salinity environments. 

Wildlife organizations stress that, while thousands of alligators are hunted every year, it is done through a carefully permitted and regulated process. 

Hunting also generates revenue for the states through extensive fees, which are often reinvested into wildlife conservation efforts.