10 counties are eligible for 2018 hunting season
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is extending the application period by one month for permitted American alligator hunts for the September 1 to October 1, 2018 season. Cities, towns and villages within the North Carolina Alligator Management Plan’s designated Alligator Management Unit 1 (Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Hyde, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico and Pender counties) now have until June 1, 2018 to submit an application.
At their February 2018 meeting, the Commission adopted a rule to allow limited take of American alligators as prescribed by the North Carolina Alligator Management Plan. In accordance with the Plan, hunting for American alligators will initially be limited to population reduction hunts at the request of municipalities within Alligator Management Unit 1.
After applying for a population reduction hunt, the municipality would then work with Commission staff to assess alligator numbers, define areas of public safety concern and identify those areas where alligator take could be safely conducted by hunters. If approved, a limited number of permits would be issued to licensed hunters by lottery with the bag limit being one per permit, with a season limit of one alligator per permittee. Permittees would be required to complete a Commission harvest survey and allow staff to collect biological data from the harvested alligator.
The Commission does not plan to issue permits to take American alligators, outside of requested population reduction hunts, until further research is conducted to determine the conditions under which alligator populations would be sustained while allowing limited harvest.
More information on alligators, including safety tips, can be found on the Commission’s Co-exist With Alligators page. Municipalities seeking additional information can refer to Alligator Management Options for Municipalities.
