# Alligator permit info



## stickman77 (May 6, 2013)

can anybody tell me when the dnr starts taking applications for the aliigator season? i cant find it anywhere. thanks in advance, trey


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## markland (May 6, 2013)

June


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## stickman77 (May 7, 2013)

Thanks!


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## markland (May 7, 2013)

All quota hunt apps start on June 1st and the alligator application period ends on July 31st.  Good luck


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## stickman77 (May 7, 2013)

i have been turned down the last 2 years. what are my chances this year?


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## markland (May 7, 2013)

Getting better!  It is taking a minimum of 3-4 rejection notices to get a permit now and will likely start creeping up more as each year passes.


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## Danny Leigh (May 7, 2013)

stickman77 said:


> i have been turned down the last 2 years. what are my chances this year?



Depends on the area you are applying for. Results from last year show that with 2 rejections you had about a 13% and 25% chance for zones 8 and 9 respectively. Zones 1,2,3 & 7 had a 0% chance and even with 3 rejections the odds were not that good for those 4. Those odds will probably decrease even more this year due to more overall applicants.

http://www.georgiawildlife.com/site.../2012 QUOTA ALLIGATOR HUNT SELECTION DATA.pdf


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## FOLES55 (May 21, 2013)

can you guys put in order from 1-10 which zones are best to worst and or which zones are best to worst to try to even get a tag? Ive been putting in for 2 years now and would like to better my odds as anyways else would. This information may actually help some other guys also fullfill their dreams at harvesting a swamp lizard


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## Michael (May 21, 2013)

There are only 9 zones, not 10. The ones with the most gators take the most priority points to draw. You can draw say Zone 3 or 5 fairly easily, but then may have trouble finding a gator. So, before you apply, perhaps you should consider which zones you want to hunt, then be sure you have a place (or a guide) to hunt in that zone. It would be such a shame to finally draw, then not be able to fill your tag.


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## Arrow Flinger (May 22, 2013)

I drew zone 5 with 2 priority points but you better have a guide or someone with you that knows the area with you.  We had a friend that knew the river like the back of their hand with us.  We killed 2 gators but I don't think we would have had a chance without him.  He knew where every ozbow lake was and we never would have found them.  99% of the gators we saw were in ozbows.
We drew zone 2 last hunt with 4 priority points and killed 2 gators there going by our self.  Of course, we saw more gators in an hour on Lake Seminole than in 2 nights in zone 5.


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## imac985 (May 25, 2013)

So lets say i have one priority point each for the turkey hunt, waterfowl hunt, and feral hog hunt can i put those 3 priority points all on alligator tag?


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## watermedic (May 26, 2013)

No, only alligator points apply


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## stickman77 (May 31, 2013)

dont forget guys, tomorrow!


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## markland (May 31, 2013)

You have till the end of July to put in for the quota!


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## FOLES55 (Jun 2, 2013)

Lets say you are one of the lucky ones chosen for a tag this year.

Can anyone give us some good advice as far as after harvest instructions for meat processing/taxidermy kinda stuff?

Im a do it yourself kinda guy, so guide information is not what im looking for, just some helpfull tips from you swamp guys maybe.

But go ahead and post the guide stuff to, im sure it could be helpfull for others


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## Michael (Jun 2, 2013)

Finding gators is the easy part. Getting an arrow in one can be easy too. Getting one in the boat is where things get tricky. Be sure and take your time on this step. A gator is not going to be horsed anywhere it does not want to go. Also don't believe how easy Swamp People make it look to kill one with just one shot. I always simply try and take out the spine with the first shot. Once you take out their motor drive they are a whole lot easier to get into position to hit the  quarter size brain. The best advise I can give is to never ever put a gator in your boat without first touching his eye. If he blinks, he ain't dead!


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## Michael (Jun 2, 2013)

Also it's a good idea to have a cooler full of ice to be able to cool the gator off as soon as you can and a tarp to wrap around him to hold the ice close. 

Let me know if you draw a tag on the East side of the state and need any additional help filling it.


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## markland (Jun 3, 2013)

Yep as Michael said never assume anything and whether your shoot the gator or cut the spinal cord always tape up the mouth as added security just in case, have seen quite a few "dead" gators come back to life in the boat and it ain't pretty!
Also it is hot during the gator season and gators will spoil rapidly so have a plan in place before hunting on how your are going to handle the gator after it is dead and do not leave it laying in the boat for hours or it will ruin quickly!  Once you kill it, be prepared to get it cooled very quickly and this can be a problem with such a large animal, so if you have multiple tags you will need a cooler to store the gator in while you stay out or go back out.
Also familiarize your self with your equipment long before you show up to hunt, opening night is not the time to learn how to use your rig, you should be intimately familiar with handling it and using it as in most cases it will be dark and you will be under alot of pressure with adrenaline running high and things don't work out perfectly under those situations.
It's not as easy as it use to be to get a good gator so prepare well in advance, avoid the crowds and pressured areas and do not use the spotlight anymore then necessary and do not harass or mess with the gators prior to season as well, you just educate them and make it harder to hunt them once it opens.  Gators are not just everywhere and you must do your scouting and not just show up hoping for the best.  Good luck


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## ihuntcatahoula (Jun 4, 2013)

So I guess I shouldn't use my bowfishing boat with all the lights on it to hunt one.


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## GA DAWG (Jun 4, 2013)

I have 3 rejections. Got drawed with 2 the first go around. I will Prolly just put in for a rejection. I have 2 deer and 4 state parks. Don't have enough vacation time for all that


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## markland (Jun 4, 2013)

Uhm, that would be illegal and definitely a no!  You are only allowed max of 12v lights for hunting alligators.  Plus with the generator and lights running you would never even see a alligator where they are hunted much less get close to 1!


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## GA DAWG (Jun 4, 2013)

Where it say a max of 12 volts lights? I've never saw that. Must have looked over it.


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## markland (Jun 4, 2013)

Yep your right, they removed that, use to be limited to 12v lights or less, but guess they dropped most of the initial restrictions they had in place, but either way would not be very successful in pressured areas running big lights, the less light you can get away with the better you will be.


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## Michael (Jun 4, 2013)

I use my bowfishing boat to hunt gators, but only crank the generator and fire up the big lights after we get that first arrow in him. Like Mark said, you really need to sneak up on them. Yes, you do sometimes roll over a gator while bowfishing, but that is kind of like seeing turkey while on a deer stand or deer while calling to turkey


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## ihuntcatahoula (Jun 4, 2013)

I run  all Led's so there is no genny to spook them would that make a difference in running the lights.


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## Michael (Jun 5, 2013)

I use as little light as posible at first, but we have talked about how there are times when a gator goes down just before we get close enough for a shot where it would be nice to be able to flip a switch and have instant LIGHT to maybe see him again before he swims off.

Also, while it's okay to use your bowfishing boat, I would recommend your not use your bowfishing bow. You definitely do not want to try and shoot a gator with anything where the line stays attached to you or your bow. I like the Gator-Aider. It is a self contained product that can simply be attached to the stabilizer hole on your hunting bow. While you don't want much power behind your bowfishing bow, you want as much as you can get for shooting gators.

There are a few pics of the bigger gators we've gotten in my gallery.


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## ihuntcatahoula (Jun 5, 2013)

Lol yeah there is no Way I would use my 30lbs onieda to shoot a gator. I would break out the DXT to put one in him .


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## markland (Jun 5, 2013)

Unless your only going to shoot 8ft or smaller gators you better have a way to detach the line from your bow or person or else if you shoot a big gator and he decides he does not want to stay around he will take whatever is attached to the end of the line with him and you cannot stop it.
I have LED lights rigged up on my video deck on a switch I can hit as soon as the arrow sticks the gator so we can see what all is going on and have light to fight with the gator, but for getting your initial shot you need to use as little light as possible and I use a head lamp with rheostat switch on it up to the point of the shot and only use a spotlight from long distance to spot and find the gator and initially judge size, but never for anything up close.


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## stickman77 (Jun 5, 2013)

ok guys, i just signed up for the alligator permit. how do i select a zone? it didnt ask what zone or anything. just making sure im doing it right. its been a year since i applied last.....


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## Michael (Jun 5, 2013)

If you do not ask for a zone, you will simply get a priority point. If you think you already have enough points to posibly get drawn, on the bottom of the "Quota Hunt Application" page there is a section that says Hunt Choices. Below that there is a tab that says Add Choices. Once you click there it will take you to the option to choose zones 1-5. If you want to hunt zones 6-9 you'll have to once again click on the "2" that is below the options for page "1".

Another hurdle to get through is to remember how many priority points you have since it is no longer listed, but asked for before you finish.

(Do you think they made it this hard on purpose?)


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## watermedic (Jun 5, 2013)

You can click on "account" and go to "my Priorities" and you will see your points.


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## stickman77 (Jun 6, 2013)

CRAP, let me go back through it and make sure i did it right......


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## GA DAWG (Jun 6, 2013)

What gets me is. They say this new wrd website was making it easier. Id like to know for who lol.


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## Dog Hunter (Jun 6, 2013)

Is there a zone break down of applications, kills, etc.?


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## mattech (Jun 6, 2013)

Dog Hunter said:


> Is there a zone break down of applications, kills, etc.?



Click da link in post 7.


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## Dog Hunter (Jun 6, 2013)

mattech said:


> Click da link in post 7.



thx


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