Alabama is opening up online registration for the 2022 alligator season this July. A total of 260 tags will be awarded to hunters spread across five hunting zones.
While the tags will be awarded at random, hunters who have previously applied for, but not received tags, will be awarded extra points in the draw. Hunters will be able to register with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, or ADCNR, on June 7 at 8 a.m.
Only Alabama residents and Alabama lifetime license holders may apply for tags to hunt alligator. Awarded tags are free, but applicants will have to pay a $22 fee to join the lottery.
Lottery winners will be announced online on July 13 at 12 p.m., and winners will have until 8 a.m. on July 20 to confirm their acceptance. After that date and time, any uncollected tags will be awarded to alternates.
All hunters must also complete an online alligator hunting class before they can collect their tags, and hunters will have to comply with all other Alabama hunting and boating requirements.
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The five hunting zones are the Coastal Zone with 50 tags, Lake Eufaula zone with 20 tags, Southeast and Southwest Alabama zones with 40 and 100 tags, respectively, and the West Central Alabama zone with 50 tags.
Hunting hours are from sunset to sunrise for all zones except the Lake Eufaula zone, where both daytime and nighttime hunting is permitted. Lake Eufaula has an 8-foot minimum length requirement for alligators, while the other zones have no length requirements.
For the 2022 alligator season, all baiting is prohibited. For more information about hunting in Alabama, head over to the ADCNR website.