Did an increase in alligator population lead to an hunting season extension?

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Just last week, the state department of wildlife and fisheries released a notice of intent, extending the wild alligator hunting season, leaving some wondering if there’s an overflow of gators in the state.

“Currently, for the past three years, our population estimate has been, actually lower than the previous 10 years because we’ve had better water cycles, but it’s been very comparable to long term average of 30 years,” Linscombe said.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Alligator program manager Jeb Linscombe says there is a growing population of alligators in central and northern Louisiana.

“That’s really more of a population expansion, if you will to areas that didn’t recover as fast as the coastal zone did since the 1970s,” he said.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recently announced the wild alligator hunting season will be extended through December 31st.

Although the population of alligators has grown tremendously in some areas of the state since the 1970S. The current population status, did not factor in the decision to extend the hunting season, according to Linscombe.

“Extending the alligator hunting season is an effort to give trappers and landowners more flexibility in terms of how they fill their tags,” he said.

Linscombe says with extending the hunting season, they hope to get closer to filling every harvest tag that they issue.

He says there is a healthy population of gators in state, but that unfortunately means there may be some negative alligator-human interactions.

“Would I say that there are issues in some areas with alligators and humans? Yes that is the case, but it has been that way for some time now in Louisiana. It’s been that way since the population has been recovered,” Linscombe said.

If you encounter a nuisance alligator contact 1-800-game-thief, agents are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.