# Check in your gators!



## Boar Hog (Aug 21, 2012)

When you harvest your gator folks, check them in with the DNR it's the law! besides, without a cites tag the hide is useless, it can't be tanned or sold or even used to make anything! If you're willing to wait for years to be drawn, why not take a couple of hours to finish the process? Good luck, be safe and have fun!


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## deadend (Aug 21, 2012)

Depending on where you live the checking of the gator will take longer than the hunt.  The system sucks.


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## JOmegaCV (Aug 21, 2012)

I am sure it has been posted before, but is there a quick reference to WHERE you check your gator in?

It can be done with just the hide post-processing too, correct?


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## Ihunt (Aug 21, 2012)

It can be done with just the hide post-processing too, correct? 

Yes. I have checked it a few of them with just the last six inches of tail with the tag attached.No Problems. Never have worried about the hide. Just the meat.


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## arrow2 (Aug 23, 2012)

All you need to have to get them registered is the form they give you to fill out and hide with the tag in it. If you have more than one, have whom ever had the tag transfer it over to you and you can take them all in at one time. You have until mid Oct to get them registered so I always wait til season is over and take them all in at once.


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## frydaddy40 (Aug 28, 2012)

*Also try this*

Also you can call your district office and ask if they have
  any WRD  officers with tags closer to you than the district
  office.
     Most likely they do.  They can check gator's to.   

    But please check them gator's in.  We need a good 
  number for the records.  
                                                thanks  frydaddy40


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## Mechanicaldawg (Aug 29, 2012)

I used Jack Douglas to process mine and he handles the check-in for you.


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## groundhawg (Sep 17, 2012)

deadend said:


> Depending on where you live the checking of the gator will take longer than the hunt.  The system sucks.



Yep, I agree.  Closest place to check an alligator in to us is about 3 hours, one-way  

Never expected a DNR ranger to come to my house but it seems there should be a better system then the one we are now using.


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## frydaddy40 (Sep 17, 2012)

*Check with*



groundhawg said:


> Yep, I agree.  Closest place to check an alligator in to us is about 3 hours, one-way
> 
> Never expected a DNR ranger to come to my house but it seems there should be a better system then the one we are now using.



  Check with your destrict DNR office they may have some
 rangers closer to you with tags.


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## diamondback (Sep 17, 2012)

I think they told us that any of the wma area managers have tags and can validate your gator.Still hard to get a phone number to get ahold of one.


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## Throwback (Sep 17, 2012)

deadend said:


> Depending on where you live the checking of the gator will take longer than the hunt.  The system sucks.



and some folks on here want us to physically check in every deer we kill too. 

T


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## cephus91 (Sep 18, 2012)

deadend said:


> Depending on where you live the checking of the gator will take longer than the hunt.  The system sucks.



I agree.  I took a three hour adventure this AM to check mine in.  

Game management offices are in Armuchee, Gainesville, Tomson, Social Circle, Fort Valley, Albany, Fitzgerald, and Brunswick.


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## tpj070 (Sep 18, 2012)

cant believe there isnt an office closer to valdosta than the fitzgerald one. had to drive all the way to fitzgerald and back to check mine in just for the secretary to hand me a tag and say good day. seems like a waste of time to me.


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## groundhawg (Sep 18, 2012)

arrow2 said:


> All you need to have to get them registered is the form they give you to fill out and hide with the tag in it. If you have more than one, have whom ever had the tag transfer it over to you and you can take them all in at one time. You have until mid Oct to get them registered so I always wait til season is over and take them all in at once.



You would think it would be that easy, BUT, yesterday when my Son got to the office in Albany the lady checking his hide would not release the CITES tag until he changed his form from reading Lake Eufaula to Walter F. George Res.


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## GAMHUNTER35 (Sep 24, 2012)

well i checked mine in at albany didnt hav my paper work but the lady was nice an give me my tag. going to sell it to  glass enterprise in camilla.


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## mattech (Sep 24, 2012)

tpj070 said:


> cant believe there isnt an office closer to valdosta than the fitzgerald one. had to drive all the way to fitzgerald and back to check mine in just for the secretary to hand me a tag and say good day. seems like a waste of time to me.



I had to drive an hour one way to Fort Valley to have them tag mine today, it took all of 4 minutes to do the actual process. I wish there were a few more spread out.


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## Al33 (Oct 2, 2012)

I have to get my cites tag also and was told my best bet would be the Social Circle office. Good Lord, I hate having to drive thru Atlanta so I may travel north to Armuchee. I agree the system sure has a lot of room for improvement, as it stands it only encourages folks not to bother with it at all as the expense, time, and travel it requires for some is burdensome.


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## groundhawg (Oct 2, 2012)

Al33 said:


> I have to get my cites tag also and was told my best bet would be the Social Circle office. Good Lord, I hate having to drive thru Atlanta so I may travel north to Armuchee. I agree the system sure has a lot of room for improvement, as it stands it only encourages folks not to bother with it at all as the expense, time, and travel it requires for some is burdensome.



Armuchee can be a good choice but check before going to be sure someone will be there.


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## Al33 (Oct 3, 2012)

groundhawg said:


> Armuchee can be a good choice but check before going to be sure someone will be there.



Will do, thanks!


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## Mechanicaldawg (Oct 4, 2012)

Y'all may not have heard but money is tight all over. If you pay for more offices the money will have to come from somewhere.

Perhaps we could raise the gator license fee from $50 up to $250 to pay for a little more convenience?


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## tpj070 (Oct 5, 2012)

Or we can stop wasting our time checking in gators


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## tpj070 (Oct 5, 2012)

Mechanicaldawg said:


> Y'all may not have heard but money is tight all over. If you pay for more offices the money will have to come from somewhere.
> 
> Perhaps we could raise the gator license fee from $50 up to $250 to pay for a little more convenience?



Raise the fees thats the answer. Seems to have worked for Obama these last four years.


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## Mechanicaldawg (Oct 5, 2012)

You are the one asking government to make things easy for you.

I just made a suggestion to handle the cost. User pays. Good conservative idea.

As for me, I let free enterprise take care of my check in by taking my gator to a processor who checked it in for me.


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## Mechanicaldawg (Oct 5, 2012)

tpj070 said:


> Raise the fees thats the answer. Seems to have worked for Obama these last four years.



BTW, Obama wants everyone to pay for the few who will not do for themselves, which seems to be what you are asking for in an enhancement of the check in system without increase your fee.


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## tpj070 (Oct 5, 2012)

Well it would make a lot more sense if these rangers could check in gators as well wouldn't it? And how much would that cost? Probably not all that much more unless we would have to pay them more because what they do is so precious to us right now anyways. And government shouldn't be this involved in the harvesting of alligators. They assigned the tags that should be the end of it. No need to check the gators in.


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## frydaddy40 (Oct 5, 2012)

*Did you*



tpj070 said:


> cant believe there isnt an office closer to valdosta than the fitzgerald one. had to drive all the way to fitzgerald and back to check mine in just for the secretary to hand me a tag and say good day. seems like a waste of time to me.



  Did fill out some paper work before you got your citi tag?


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## frydaddy40 (Oct 5, 2012)

*We have to*



tpj070 said:


> Or we can stop wasting our time checking in gators




   We have to check in gator's so we know how many are 
  harvested from the zones.  That's the only way we can 
 know how to make chages in # of tag issued.


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## frydaddy40 (Oct 5, 2012)

*There's no need*



Mechanicaldawg said:


> Y'all may not have heard but money is tight all over. If you pay for more offices the money will have to come from somewhere.
> 
> Perhaps we could raise the gator license fee from $50 up to $250 to pay for a little more convenience?




    They are looking in to some ways to make this easyer
 for next season.   These will cost us no more money.


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## frydaddy40 (Oct 5, 2012)

*Yes is some ways.*



tpj070 said:


> Well it would make a lot more sense if these rangers could check in gators as well wouldn't it? And how much would that cost? Probably not all that much more unless we would have to pay them more because what they do is so precious to us right now anyways. And government shouldn't be this involved in the harvesting of alligators. They assigned the tags that should be the end of it. No need to check the gators in.



   Rangers do check in gators in some zones even in zone 4.

   Government most be involved in the harvest of gator's.
 It's because of them we can harvest them know.
  And for the record Dnr rangers do alot more then you 
  think in a days work.


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## Boar Hog (Oct 5, 2012)

frydaddy40 said:


> Rangers do check in gators in some zones even in zone 4.
> 
> Government most be involved in the harvest of gator's.
> It's because of them we can harvest them know.
> ...



Very true, the DNR has suffered budget cuts for years, it's amazing what they do with the limited funds they have at their disposal. If all officers are charged with checking in gators it would take time out of their already full day, what part of the service they provide are you willing to trade for your convenience. If you were lucky enough to be drawn for a tag just expect to add the time to finish the process. Everyone was so excited when their tag came in the mail knowing full well the day would come when they would have to check in with the DNR if they were among the lucky few to harvest a gator. Congratulations to all successful hunters, be proud, many have gone home empty handed.


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## Mechanicaldawg (Oct 5, 2012)

Boar Hog said:


> Very true, the DNR has suffered budget cuts for years, it's amazing what they do with the limited funds they have at their disposal. If all officers are charged with checking in gators it would take time out of their already full day, what part of the service they provide are you willing to trade for your convenience. If you were lucky enough to be drawn for a tag just expect to add the time to finish the process. Everyone was so excited when their tag came in the mail knowing full well the day would come when they would have to check in with the DNR if they were among the lucky few to harvest a gator. Congratulations to all successful hunters, be proud many have gone home empty handed.


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## tpj070 (Oct 5, 2012)

frydaddy40 said:


> Did fill out some paper work before you got your citi tag?



Indeed I did when I had to drive my gator up to Ben hill county simply for the game management office not to even watch me put the tag on. Might as well mailed it if that's the case. Id pay the postage both ways to save the money in gas. And agreed I am thankful for killing my gator one of the greatest and most exciting hunts I've ever been on just thankful to get my first and looking forward to many gator hunts ahead of me. Glad to hear the system might get some kinks worked out I'm all for efficiency and the system now is downright inefficient. How can DNR say the law is to check them in and if you don't then your gator is illegal but make the process as expensive and time consuming as the hunt itself?


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## Boar Hog (Oct 5, 2012)

tpj070 said:


> Indeed I did when I had to drive my gator up to Ben hill county simply for the game management office not to even watch me put the tag on. Might as well mailed it if that's the case. Id pay the postage both ways to save the money in gas. And agreed I am thankful for killing my gator one of the greatest and most exciting hunts I've ever been on just thankful to get my first and looking forward to many gator hunts ahead of me. Glad to hear the system might get some kinks worked out I'm all for efficiency and the system now is downright inefficient. How can DNR say the law is to check them in and if you don't then your gator is illegal but make the process as expensive and time consuming as the hunt itself?



The CITES (Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species) tag is required and mandated by the federal government, the DNR has no control over how they are issued. Any animal or part of any animal on the cites list cannot be sold, or transferred into another's possession without the cites number on it. Funny thing is, the American alligator is no longer considered endangered.


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