Mississippi’s alligator season begins a new round of hunting opportunities this summer.
The 2023 alligator hunting season starts at noon on Aug. 25 and continues through noon, Sept. 4. Only properly licensed people with special permits can hunt alligators. This year, Mississippi allocated 290 permits for hunting alligators in seven zones.
Living more than 50 years, alligators can grow longer than 16 feet and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. The largest alligator ever killed in Mississippi during modern times measured slightly more than 14 feet long and weighed 766 pounds.
Today, sportsmen, boaters, and others who venture into wetlands commonly see big alligators, especially in the southern part of the state. Not so long ago, people rarely spotted these surviving relatives of the dinosaurs in Mississippi.
About 500 years ago, Spanish explorers first began to trek across what became the Gulf Coast states and saw millions of “dragons.” Not knowing what they were, the Spanish explorers called these “dragons” “El Lagarto,” or “The Lizard.” Over the centuries, English-speaking people turned the Spanish phrase into “alligator.”
For centuries, people feared these powerful, toothy predators and tried to eradicate them. By the mid-20th century, alligators became uncommon in the wild. States began passing laws to protect the giant reptiles. In 1967, the federal government put alligators under full protection by declaring them endangered species.
From 1970-78, Mississippi wildlife managers captured approximately 4,000 alligators in a Louisiana refuge and released them into suitable Magnolia State habitats. That kick-started the gator recovery in Mississippi. In 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed alligators from the Endangered Species List and allowed states to hold strictly regulated hunts to remove surplus animals, thus keeping the population stable.
By early in the 21st century, alligators again became abundant in Mississippi. Thousands of alligators now thrive in marshes, swamps, lakes, and rivers across the state. Most of them live from U.S. Highway 82 south to the Gulf of Mexico. However, people might spot alligators in every Mississippi county.
Mississippi opened its first very restricted alligator hunting season in 2005. Permitted sportsmen could only take limited alligators in certain parts of the Pearl and Pascagoula River systems. Hunting opportunities expanded every year since then. In 2013, Mississippi opened alligator hunting by permit in public waters statewide.
During the 2022 season, Mississippi issued 876 permits. More than 3,800 hunters participated. Those hunters brought in 830 alligators. They captured and released another 1,669.
Sales of permits and hunting licenses contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue annually to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. This doesn’t include the economic impact from sportsmen traveling to their hunting spots, buying equipment, supplies, food, fuel, and other items they need. Some people come to Mississippi from as far away as Canada and California to bag an alligator.
With proper management of the population and necessary habitat, this magnificent ancient animal will survive for thousands of more years.
About 500 years ago, Spanish explorers first began to trek across what became the Gulf Coast states and saw millions of “dragons.” Not knowing what they were, the Spanish explorers called these “dragons” “El Lagarto,” or “The Lizard.” Over the centuries, English-speaking people turned the Spanish phrase into “alligator.”
For more gator information visit
www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting/alligator-program.
