You can hunt alligators with rifles, archery hunt; or even use harpoons. Some hunts are done from the shoreline and some are done out of airboats.
OUTDOORS INTERNATIONAL works with some great alligator hunting guides and outfitters.
Alligator hunting can be an exciting and sometimes dangerous hunting adventure! We can help you find a good gator hunt.
These are 100 percent free ranging, tail slapping, and mouth snapping, boat biting, wild gators with an all around bad attitude. Couple that with the fact that gator hunting is an up close affair, and you have a recipe for excitement!
The best states for non-residents to hunt are Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. The other states only allow residents to draw, unless you hunt with a licensed outfitter. If you’re looking for a great hunt, you’ll love working with OUTDOORS INTERNATIONAL.
Just fill out the form below and we’ll get started matching your priorities, budget, timing and expectations.
The Best Places to Hunt Alligators
Alligators range across the coastal plains of the Southeastern United States.
There are some huge gators out there! OUTDOORS INTERNATIONAL would love to help you try to find one.
The states that allow alligator hunting are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. Some states require that you take a training course prior to hunting alligators. We highly recommend taking this course even if it’s not required in the state you’re hunting, especially if you are doing an unguided hunt.
The best states for non-residents to hunt are Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. The other states only allow residents to draw, unless you hunt with a licensed outfitter.
Georgia
The DNR’s Alligator Management Plan has played an important role in ensuring the long-term conservation, and sustainable harvest. Georgia has 200,000-250,000 alligators. To prevent over-harvesting, Georgia has ten different hunting zones, each with a limited number of harvest permits based on the alligator population in that zone. You can apply at online. If you are drawn, you can then purchase an Alligator Harvest Permit, which must be held by a member of the alligator hunting party.
South Carolina
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources estimates that more than 100,000 alligators live in the state. Gators must be four feet of length or greater are legal, and hunters must capture the alligators using one or more of a variety of devices before killing the animal with a handgun or bang stick to a specific area in the back of the head. In South Carolina you can’t hunt on WMA’s, Wildlife Refuges, or lands enrolled in the Private Lands Alligator Program.
A randomized computer drawing based on a preference point system will determine the selection of hunters. Applicants can only apply and pay fees online or at one of the walk-up counters at a DNR Regional Office in Clemson, Florence, Columbia or Charleston.
By the aid of a tight beamed light your guide will call multiple gators into range each night.
How to field judge a trophy alligator.
Locate the the midpoint between the eyes on the skull of an alligator. Estimate, in inches, the distance from the midpoint between the eyes to the midpoint between the nostrils. Record this number. Convert the number of inches to feet with 1 inch equaling 1 foot.
*EXAMPLE: Let’s say the distance from the midpoint between the eyes to the midpoint between the nostrils is 4 inches. The estimated length of that gator is four feet.
Most of the gator hunting regulations are similar from state to state, and all of them require you to attach a strong restraining line to the gator prior to killing it, so this dictates the manner in which they are hunted.
Most hunters use a hand-thrown harpoon with a detachable barb on the business end, which hooks under the hide and restrains the animal. Harpoons are highly recommended for any alligator over seven feet. In addition to harpoons, you can use a bow with a barbed arrow; a stout fishing rod with a treble hook; and sometimes spearguns. Getting close enough is the hard part. No matter how you initially “hook” the gator, a harpoon is usually used to deliver an additional strong line so that you can pull the gator into your boat, or onto the bank.
