Georgia Alligator Hunting Adventure

Check alligator hunting off the author’s bucket list! After collecting priority points for years, Eric Bruce put in for last season’s hunt using all the priority points he had banked. Eric had decided to improve his chances of harvesting a good alligator by hunting with the experts at Killer Instinct Guide Service, who recommended Eric apply to Zone 1 near Lake Eufaula.

In 2003, Georgia introduced the first-ever alligator hunting season in the state. Public interest was high, and sportsmen readily applied to get one of the few coveted permits. That first season, 2,560 people applied for one of 184 permits that were available, and 64 gators were harvested.

The numbers of applicants and permits have grown since. Last year, the number of hunters who made a first-choice application for a gator permit was 13,790. There’s certainly a lot of interest in hunting gators in Georgia! Last season, 408 gators were taken, a 13.4% lower harvest than the record set the previous year during the 2023 season.

There are now an estimated 250,000 alligators in Georgia’s swamps and waters.

The state is divided up into alligator zones encompassing 98 counties, with a defined number of permits for each zone. The 2025 Georgia alligator season opens at sunset on Friday, Aug. 15 and runs to sunrise on Monday, Oct. 6.

To go gator hunting in Georgia you must have an online account and apply for a quota permit online between June 1 and July 15. You will choose a zone to hunt and also indicate your first, second and third choice of hunts. Selection is determined by the number of priority points that you have, which are obtained by applying and not being selected. The more points you have, the more likely you are to be selected. Each year that you apply and are not selected, you get one priority point in your account.

Georgia Quota Hunts: https://georgiawildlife.com/hunting/quota

The gator hunting zones are stretched across south Georgia and have different number of permits allotted and they also vary in popularity. The chart on the opposite page provides the number of permits, applicants and points needed to be selected in recent years. If you have zero, one or two priority points, you will not be selected. With three points, only Zone 4 offered a chance, it was only a 22% chance of being selected with three points. In Zones 1 and 1A, the most popular zones, you’ll need at least seven points and likely eight—based on last season’s numbers.

Many believe the biggest gators are in Zone 1 and 1A (Lake Eufaula) and are willing to wait up to seven or eight years or more to get the chance to hunt those zones. Those zones only have 30 and 39 permits available. If you have no immediate plans to go hunting, you can apply for ‘points only,’ and you will be awarded a priority point. Points are cumulative and are saved up in your account. GON highly recommends our readers create a Georgia WRD account and apply for points-only in all quota hunts. Georgia is one of the few states that doesn’t charge hunters a fee for applying to quota hunts, so there’s nothing to lose in building up priority points for future use.

If you’re dead set on hunting a particular zone, only use your first choice when applying. If you put down second or third choices for other zones, you may be selected for those, and you’ll use up your precious points. Once selected, you’ll need to buy an alligator hunting permit ($75) in addition to your hunting license. You will be provided a CITES tag (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

The state-record gator was taken in 2019 by Derrick Snelson and the Lethal Guide Service on Lake Eufaula. It measured 14 feet, 1 3/4 inches and weighed an estimated 750 pounds. The average gator harvested is just over 8 feet.

Kara Nitschke, the WRD Alligator Biologist, said, “Since alligator hunting began in 2003, the number of nuisance alligators captured has decreased substantially. The alligator population is widely dispersed and variable in density based on habitat quality and condition.”

Since hunting began in 2003, the hunter harvest has steadily risen, and the nuisance gator removals have decreased. We now have about 500 gators removed each year with about 150 being nuisance removals.

“The best advice for a first-time alligator hunter would be to talk to someone who has done it before, whether it be a friend or local in the zone you are drawn for,” Kara recommends. “Alligator hunting requires more equipment and resources than your average hunt. Depending on where you hunt, you may need a boat, snatch hooks, snares, lights, poles, etc. Some hunters find it easier to go with a guide so they don’t have to worry about buying or borrowing all the gear necessary for a successful hunt.”

Once you are selected, you need to decide if you want to hunt an alligator on your own, with buddies, or hire a guide. Obviously, a professional guide will give you the best chance of being successful, but you’ll pay $500 to $1,000 for that service. Also, a guide trip tends to be more ‘hands off’ as the guide does most of the work, although each service varies. A DIY trip can also be exciting and fulfilling, but you need to have the right equipment and sufficient knowledge and skill. Additional people are permitted to be in attendance in the hunting party, but one of them must have a gator permit and the limit is one gator per permit. All must have the necessary hunting licenses.

Before jumping in a boat for your first gator hunt, you’ll need to know the specific gator hunting regulations. They must be hunted a specific way.  The WRD website states: “Hunters may use hand-held ropes or snares, snatch hooks, harpoons, gigs or arrows with a restraining line attached. Legal alligators must be dispatched immediately upon capture by using a handgun or bangstick, or by severing the spinal cord with a sharp implement.”

When I first heard about Georgia’s new gator season 20 years ago, I too was excited about the prospects of hunting our new toothy game animal. I had no experience or equipment but was intrigued at pursuing a swamp reptile big enough to kill me. So I began applying, but only for points, since I wasn’t ready to go yet. Years went by and I often heard about other hunters chasing gators and knew that I wanted to try it. Finally, last season I decided that it was time to go, and by that time I had acquired 14 priority points. (I missed applying a few years.). Looking at the lottery odds, I knew that I was going to be selected with that many points, so I began calling and researching guides. I didn’t have the experience or equipment, and I wanted to make sure that my hunt had the best chance of being successful.

I chose Killer Instinct Guide Service operated by Brian Fuller. He recommended that I select Zone 1 (the Lake Eufaula area). It took eight of my priority points to be selected, leaving me with six in my account. He gave me a date of Sept. 5, and I picked a friend to go with, Davey Crockett (his real name). We drove down to Columbus the night before and met the guides at the Chattahoochee River boat ramp at dawn.

Brian uses a custom built 22-foot Lowe Center Console.

“We specifically went out and found this boat to convert to a center console. It was originally a deck boat,” Brian said. “We wanted this boat because it could legally hold eight people, it was a true 8 feet wide, and most importantly the deck sits close to the water. This allows us to get the alligator in the boat easier. Took us about three months to build. The rig has a Yamaha four-stroke engine and a 36-volt Mine Kota 112-lb. Ultrex trolling motor with Spot-Lock. We also have a 19-foot Tracker boat as a backup.”

Killer Instinct Guide Service (KIGS) uses a total of four guides on the boat. In addition to Brian, there are Jordan Fuller (Brian’s brother), Kelly Pitts and Enrico “Tadpole” Dean. After a briefing, we entered the river and began hunting. Brian and his crew prefer to hunt during the day, although many others hunt at night (both are legal).

“Our team focuses on hunting during the day for several different reasons. The main reason is for safety,” Brian said. “There are a lot of variables when alligator hunting, and it’s much safer when everyone can see what is going on. We like our clients to be as involved as possible, and it’s difficult to do some of the tasks at night. For instance, accurately casting is much easier in the daylight. Our team likes to spot alligators with binoculars from a distance and determine if that is the alligator we want to pursue. We can also read how the alligator is acting and what he might do if we pursue him. It’s easier to do that during daylight, and you save a lot of time not chasing gators that are not the one you want to harvest. After the first weekend of season, alligators know they are being hunted because all the lights that are shined in their eyes at night (true for public hunting areas, private holes are not as bad). We can go out during the day and blend in with the recreational fishing boats.”

We set off from the boat ramp at dawn that morning, and all hands on deck were searching with and without binoculars looking for black bumps in the water as we cruised. Not far down the river, the crew spotted a good-sized gator along the shore. They thought it was one that they had seen before—one they believed to be a 13-footer. The gator slipped under the water, as they typically do, and then the waiting game began. Gators can stay down a long time, as much as 30 minutes, but they eventually have to surface for air, and that’s when they can be spotted and keyed on. Brian’s boat is equipped with a 12-Inch Lowrance on the console for mapping and a 10-inch Humminbird MSI with Mega 360 on the deck. Brian believes that is the best tool when trying to locate an alligator sitting on the bottom. In this situation, the gator was able to surface for air along the brush-covered banks and go down again without being spotted. After a while, we gave up on that one and moved on to find another.

Later that morning we spotted another back in a cove, and the hide-and-seek game began. Several times the gator came up for air, and the crew began casting at it in an attempt to snag it. KIGS uses 7-foot spinning rods with Penn Reels spooled with 80-lb. braid for casting big treble hooks.

“We throw custom 12/0 treble hooks with 3-oz. weights. We make most of our casting hooks because we like the weight in a certain position on the treble hook. The custom hooks help with casting and hook-up ratio. We do still carry a lucky old catfish setup because of superstition,” he added. “For dragging the bottom, we use  6-foot offshore Penn Slammer Rod with a Penn Senator 114 Reel and 300-lb. braid, and we use a 14/0 snag hook that is 6 inches long and 6.9 ounces,” Brian said.

After several attempts to snag the alligator and wait it out, it was assumed that the gator had slipped out when it didn’t come up for air after a long time. The search continued, and we cruised and scoured the water and edges. The crew remained optimistic and repeatedly assured me they would find me a gator. By this time it was the afternoon, and we were considering a marina lunch break. Then back in another cove we spotted a decent gator, and the crew sprung into action. The gator went deep and was lying on a flat sandy bottom, but he could easily be seen on the electronics, and the casting began again. At this point, Davey and I had basically been along for the ride watching the crew, searching for gators, and asking questions. With my lack of experience and the crew’s expertise, I preferred it that way to give us the best chance of being successful. The crew would have allowed more involvement from me if I insisted, but I felt it best to let the pros do it. I did have my part in the hunt later.

This time the crew got a hook in the gator’s hide with a muscled hookset. With the gator snagged, the action and excitement escalates. The rod bends with several hundred pounds of reptile and the drag squeals. The boat followed the gator and more attempts are made to put more hooks into the gator. I was busy trying to video the action and stay out of the way. The gator somehow wrapped the line under a log and created a tricky situation. The crew decided to pull the line up and retie it to another rod in a delicate tricky maneuver, but it worked, and the hunt continued. At one point the gator came up for air in front of the boat where we could see it, and its size up close and in unison everybody ‘oohed’ at the sight.

Kelly turned to me and said, “Hey Eric, is that one big enough?”

I replied smugly, “Yeah, I think so.”

With the gator somewhat under control, a 1,000-lb. Flat Rope hand line with a 9-inch snag hook that weighs 15 ounces is thrown into the water to further snag it. Once connected with the bigger hook, the gator is manually pulled toward the boat—something that is easier said than done. What helps is the alligator’s propensity to roll when under duress, which further wraps it up with the lines and cords around it.

Brian Fuller with Killer Instinct Guide Service helps lifting an 11-foot alligator’s head so the author could get a clear and clean shot with the bang stick.

Alligator hunting can be likened to war in the sense that there are many moments of waiting and boredom—and then a few moments of sheer terror. Much of our day was spent looking and searching for a gator or waiting one out, hoping it would resurface. But when one is snagged and brought up to the boat, the terror and exciting part shift into high gear. This was the case when our gator was beside the boat and it was time to dispatch. The crew asked me if I wanted to shoot it.

“Yes!” I told them. That was the main part that I wanted to participate in.

The crew had explained earlier the sweet spot on the gator’s head behind the eyes where the shot is administered. I was handed the bang stick—a 5-foot aluminum rod with a .357 bullet on the end to jam into the head to cause the bullet to discharge and kill the gator. Excited but cautious, I leaned in and poked it hard in the top of the head and the shot went off. The thrashing dinosaur whirled around and bit the side of the boat. Another bullet was loaded and another shot into the head for extra measure and the mighty gator went limp. The hunt was over, success was achieved, I had got my gator.

The boat was exultant about the achievement, whoops of joy and high fives were spread around. The leathery reptile was hauled aboard and measured. Everyone took guesses on its length, and when the tape was stretched and examined it read 11 feet, 3 inches. Not the state record, but a very large gator and one that I was happy with and proud of. With the gator dead and on board, the tag must be applied and your harvest recorded. Just like a deer harvest, it must be recorded on the WRD app, and a harvest number is provided.

Biologist Kara Nitschke said there are no changes to the alligator program or hunting this year.

“As with last year, selected hunters will receive a CITES tag in the mail once they have acquired their alligator harvest permit online,” Kara said. “A CITES tag will not be sent out until this has been done. Unused tags will need to be destroyed or sent back to a WRD region office after the season ends. Alligator hunters do not have to have a CITES tag prior to being able to hunt and they don’t have to have a tag on them when hunting, they only need it if they plan on processing the alligator and keeping its parts.”

Unless you have the equipment and know someone with some experience, you may want to use a guide.

“It takes up to eight years right now to get a tag, and the season is so short,” Brian said. “The cost of a guide is almost the same or cheaper than by the time someone buys all the equipment, outfits a boat, pays for fuel and goes several times. I have hunted my whole life, and alligators act totally different than any other animal. Alligator guides have years of experience understanding these animals and have that instinct on what they could do next. Every year we have people call us toward the end of season trying to book because they tried to do it themselves the first part of season. Most alligator guide services book their whole season before the season even starts. It also gets difficult sometimes in the late season because of hurricanes and the possibility of cooler nights.”

He also added, “Don’t put in for Zones 4, 5, 6 or 7 unless you have private water to hunt. There is limited public water that’s accessible with a standard boat. So many people put in for these zones because they take less points and find out there is not a lot of public areas to hunt.”

When our hunt was over and the pictures were taken, I had an 11-foot, several hundred pound gator in the back of my pickup truck to take home. I packed it with ice and began the long ride home. It was particularly novel to pull into a convenience store with an alligator in the back of my truck! I took my gator to my local deer cooler for that night and the next day transported it to a processor. Some people may want to butcher their gator themselves, but know that it is quite a job. The processor that I took mine to, Wayside in Gray, charged $30 per foot ($335 for my gator), and I got about 80 pounds of meat that included sausage links and 1-lb. bags of gator tail chunks.

Another benefit to a successful alligator hunt is the hide and head. Options include mounting the entire gator, the hide, the head, and even making the hide into boots, bags, etc. After considering the costs of some of these options, some of which can be very expensive, I chose to give the hide to the guide and have a skull mount of the head. It now sets in my trophy room and is a fine reminder of an exciting hunt for Georgia’s biggest and most challenging game animal.

Note: A video of the author’s gator hunt is on his YouTube channel “Eric Outside.”