Conservation Law Enforcement Corner – October 2024

If you shoot an alligator out of season without a quota permit, you might not want to post a picture of the dead alligator on social media… just saying! Better yet, follow the game laws and regulations in the first place.

The Conservation LE Corner is designed to highlight the efforts of Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division (LED) officers who, among their many duties, protect Georgia’s wildlife, sportsmen and natural resources from game-law violators.

Glynn County: On Jan. 1, 2024, Corporal Jay Bright was patrolling Glynn County for fishing violations. Corporal Bright located two people fishing in Buffalo Creek near the bridge at Highway 99 and Highway 32.

Corporal Bright asked the subjects if they had a fishing license. Neither one of them was able to produce one, so Corporal Bright asked for their IDs.  A GCIC query showed one of them to have an arrest warrant through Glynn County. Corporal Bright made sure the warrant was valid and placed the subject under arrest. Warnings were issued for fishing without a license. The subject was taken into custody and turned over to the Glynn County detention center.

On March 30, 2024, Game Warden Tsiklistas was checking an area that Corporal Jay Bright found to be baited for turkeys. Tsiklistas located a hunter on the active bait sight.

After speaking with the hunter, Game Warden Tsiklistas determined the hunter did not have a hunting license or a big game license.  Game Warden Tsiklistas issued citations for hunting over bait and non-resident hunting without a license. A warning was also issued for hunting without a big game license.   

Bulloch County: On June 18, 2024, Game Warden Matthew Ubbink received information from Game Warden First Class II Jack Thane regarding a dead alligator. The complaint came from a social media post of a 17-year-old who lived in Brooklet. The social media post showed a recently shot alligator in Bulloch County.

Alligator season in Georgia runs from mid-August to the first week of October. Bulloch County lies in alligator Zone 8, which allows 176 alligator permits through a quota system. For the 2024 season, 3,341 hunters applied for a Zone 8 gator permit, and it took five priority points for a guaranteed draw.

“Game Warden Thane and I looked at the social media of the person, and from his posts we were able to find a boat registration that led to his father’s address. Using the address, we were able to find the Go Outdoors online account of the 17-year-old and his address.

At about 4 p.m. on June 20, the game wardens drove to the Brooket address and made contact with the 17-year-old.

“When I asked him about the alligator, he first said that he didn’t know anything about a dead alligator and that he didn’t shoot an alligator. Game Warden Thane asked him several more questions, and then he admitted to shooting the alligator in ‘self-defense’ because it was ‘coming to his boat.’

Game Warden Thane asked him what he had done with the alligator, and he told us that he ‘left it on the bank.’ When asked if anyone else was involved, he told us that he was alone when he shot the alligator.”

With the social media photograph and the admission he had shot the alligator, he was charged with hunting alligators out of season.