LOU Residents Can Now Apply for Alligator Hunting License

LOU residents can submit applications from now until June 7 at 10 a.m. for alligator hunting permits in the state of Mississippi.
Applications are free and can be submitted over-the-counter at any location that sells Mississippi hunting and fishing licenses. A prerequisite hunting/fishing license or lifetime license is required for application. More than 4,100 Mississippi residents applied for a license in 2017, and only 930 will be selected for the 2018 season, according to Ricky Flynt, alligator program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP). 
The 2018 season opens Aug. 31 and lasts 10 days, until Sept. 10. 
“Oxford lies on the fringe of the typical alligator frequency range,” Flynt said. “But we have records of alligator sightings in all 82 counties.” 
The permit allows for the capture of 2 alligators in the zoned area listed on the application. Both alligators must be over 4 feet long, but only one can exceed 7 feet. Mandatory reports of captured alligators must be logged and submitted to MDWFP. 
Oxford lies in the northeast hunting zone, which covers an area from the Tennessee state line to I-20 and I-55 to the Alabama state line.  
Flynt said the most dangerous aspect of the hunt isn’t the pursuit of alligators, it’s navigating the waters at night by boat. 
A voluntary training class for those allotted a license is July 14 at Roosevelt State Park in Morton, MS. 
Mississippi offered its first public alligator sport hunting season in 2005, and the program established itself statewide in 2013, according the the MWFP website. For more information regarding the alligator hunting program follow this link to the website. 

---

Anna Grace Usery is the editor-in-chief of HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at anna.grace.usery@hottytoddy.com.