Gator hunters' chances for permits to improve

There's good news this fall for Augusta-area gator hunters.

The state Wildlife Resources Division will expand hunting opportunities by increasing the number of lottery-drawn permits from 550 to 700 statewide, and adding a ninth quota zone that includes Richmond and surrounding counties.

Previously, Augusta was included in Zone 8, which included 16 counties stretching all the way to Savannah. That zone, for which 110 permits were allotted, will be broken into two zones this fall, said Melissa Cummings, the division's spokeswoman.

The newly created Zone 9 will include Burke, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Richmond, Screven and Washington counties and will be allotted 60 permits. The remaining seven counties from the old Zone 8 will now receive 90 permits.

Thus, the number of permits for the Savannah River area will increase from 110 under the 2008 quota to 150 this fall.

"This change increases the opportunity to harvest an alligator by increasing the number of people selected to hunt," said a proposal circulated by Wildlife Resources Division Director Dan Forster and approved by the Board of Natural Resources. "These changes will have a minimal effect on the population."

The statewide gator population is estimated at 200,000.

The application period for popular hunts will run Monday-July 31 and can be accessed through the state Web site, www.gohuntgeorgia.com. The 2009 gator season dates will be Sept. 5 to Oct. 4.

This year will mark the seventh season in which hunters have an opportunity to harvest alligators in Georgia, and the competition for the limited permits remains as fierce as ever.

The number of applicants has risen from 2,560 for the inaugural season in 2003 to more than 5,000 last year.

Success rates among permitted hunters, by comparison, has dropped from 40 percent that first year to just 26 percent last season.

What does that mean? Many gator hunters are passing on "legal" animals (4 feet or more) to seek out the bigger specimens that are the most prized. The evidence is that average lengths of harvested gators have risen from 96 inches in 2003 to 104 inches last fall.

Monday is also the opening date for applying for other quota hunts, with application deadlines of Sept. 1 for deer quota hunts, Oct. 15 for waterfowl quota hunts and Feb. 15, 2010, for turkey quota hunts.

For more information on hunting seasons or the quota hunt application process, contact Hunter Services at (770) 761-3045.

Reach Rob Pavey at 868-1222, ext. 119 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.

GEORGIA GATOR HARVEST DATA