Gator Tags and Hunting Question

Can't remember - the possessor of the gator tag, the person who draws and receives the tag, cannot allow someone else to kill a gator and then falsify info on the tag.

Or have things changed?

Anybody can kill the gator is my understanding.. But the gator is recorded per CITES tag as property / possesion of tag holder. Dont have helper boats riding around with gator gear with permittee in a different boat.

"We" have hunted I think 7 out of 14(?) hunts and at no meeting or ever during any conversation with any official has ANYONE ever said only the tag holder can dispatch the gator. Typically/many times the tag holder has the rod in hand. For us it always depended on position of gator in water relative to harpoons/snares/ number of rods hooked up/lighting for who could most safely use the bangstick.

I always thought the tag holder was the only one who could actually kill the gator. Everyone else - the helpers - had to be properly licensed but could not apply the killing shot.

Was just curious.

Getting Outdoors with Big Daddy Lawler on FB pretty much covers the gator hunt better then anyone. I'm guessing you could get a definitive answer there.

Tag holder only has to be in the boat, anyone can kill it. I know for a fact

This is my 12th gator hunt and only 4th as a tag holder. Each time we worked very closely with the game wardens to ensure we were squared away

You've been drawn four times in 12 years for a gator tag?

Yessir!! I put in for 3 zones in Alabama and one in Georgia every year so that’s not outlandish. The people I question are the ones that get drawn 3 times in 6 years in the same zone.

Between me and my friends who just want to be in the boat we’ve been able to stagger our points pretty well in those four areas to where a tag between one of us pops every year

My first thought.

Another thing... when it used to be the lottery I spent a lot of money buying chances. They were issuing more tags then too. If you’ve actually kept up with it you’d probably understand better how it’s really not hard to do. I don’t mean that as a knock I just assume if you’re asking questions about the rules you’re not extremely familiar with the whole process versus myself who actually discusses what goes on through the selection with Richard and Chris with the State whenever I get to see them through gator season.

I remember the earlier days when people would spend a ton of money for multiple chances. I know a guy who was drawn twice in, I think, four years. That's when I quit applying because that's hooey. That ain't random. And even if someone's applying for multiple zones it's still questionable to be drawn multiple times in a "random" lottery out of literally thousands of applicants.

Probably doesn't happen as often now, though, like in the first 5-7 years. I've talked with DCNR employees before about it, too, although it's been many years.


Gator hunting is quite a rush and enjoyable. Definitely requires some scouting if you want something specific. Definitely becomes work after getting a gator. I just don't, or didn't, like the "random" aspect when it clearly was not that way back then. It seemed fishy and turned off a lot of people. They still get plenty of applicants and money, though, and I wish everyone the best for safe, good hunting when the season rolls around.

I agree with you and I think/wish they would have done the priority points system like Georgia. There’s no question as to how things happen then, it’s very black and white. Ultimately the reason they quit doing it the old way was because one guy spent $10k on chances and didn’t get drawn. He was perturbed about it and had a lawyer clarify to the state that how they were doing it could legally be considered a lottery in court. It immediately stopped.

Why can't they post the names of the people who are drawn?anybody got any ideas why this don't happen?

Because they don't want the hunters to be harassed by Peta types.

I don't really think that's the reason