Time to apply for alligator hunting in SC but getting a permit is harder than ever. Here’s why
They lived in the time of dinosaurs and haunt the lakes and rivers of the South Carolina Lowcountry. And by and large, they want people to leave them alone.
Alligators – inherently scary looking with their long snouts, eyes just above the waterline and powerful tails.
And if you’d like to hunt one of these powerful creatures, Thursday is the start of the process in South Carolina. That’s the first day to apply to be in the lottery for a permit. The application period ends July 15.
But don’t get your hopes up. Each year, the number of people applying for the right to hunt alligators increases. Last year it was about 9,000 for 1,000 permits.
Morgan Hart, a wildlife biologist and alligator project leader with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said the increased interest comes both from more people living in the state and more becoming aware of the program.
Capturing an alligator is not easy. Just say harpoons and lines and death rolls and you get an idea of how difficult — and to hunters how exciting — it can be to haul an alligator up to your boat for dispatch, to borrow a word from the DNR. In other words, you can’t just fire your gun into the water.
To make it even creepier, some hunt at night — the better to see their eyes reflecting off lights hunters shine into the water.
Just take the experience of Maryellen Mara Christian, who is credited with getting a 13-foot, 6 inch-gator in 2010 on Lake Moultrie, considered the largest ever taken during the hunt.
Mara-Christian told Women’s Outdoor News the animal shed hooked lines and harpoons at least twice before they were able to haul it to the boat 2 hours later.
The next year, she and her husband Mark reeled in one almost as big at Santee Cooper, but that one was an even fiercer fighter. It snapped rods, dragged their boat to deep water and ultimately was subdued when it went into a death roll and tangled itself up.
Each year, of the 1,000 DNR tags, about a third of the hunters are successful.
The application to take part in the lottery costs $10. If selected, the fee is $100 — for out of state it’s an additional $200 — and the hunter must have a South Carolina hunting license.
If they’re not selected, the applicant is awarded one preference point for future alligator lottery hunts.
Alligator hunting season in South Carolina begins Sept. 9 and ends Oct. 14. South Carolina is one of eight states with alligator hunting seasons. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas also issue alligator hunting licenses.
