Mississippi alligator hunters will soon get a chance at gators in Pelahatchie Bay on the Ross Barnett Reservoir.
In Thursday’s meeting of the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, MDWFP Alligator Program coordinator Andrew Arnett announced a spring hunt will be offered, again.
It’s the second year the special hunt has been offered and it’s not a traditional hunt. Mississippi has had legal alligator hunts dating back to 2005 as an opportunity for hunters to enjoy a sustainable resource.
The Pelahatchie Bay hunt is different. It’s designed to target adult alligators, specifically females, to reduce the population in a residential area where conflicts between them and humans has been on the rise.
An alligator hunt to reduce conflicts, gator population
“It’s basically an alligator factory,” said Russ Walsh, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks’ Wildlife chief of staff in a 2023 interview. “There’s a lot of gators and a lot of reproduction.”
So, unlike the traditional alligator season, this one takes place in the spring when breeding activity is taking place and vegetation hasn’t fully grown. That combination leaves females more exposed to hunters than in the fall season.