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JACKSON — Mississippi’s Alligator Public Water Hunt permits are needed to hunt the ancient beast. According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, hunters must enter an application and be drawn for the permit to hunt alligators.

The applications for the 2022 Alligator season open June 1, 2022, at 10 a.m. and close June 8, 2022, at 10 a.m. Those interested in applying must be 16 years or older and must be a holder of a Sportsman License, All-Game Hunting/Fishing License, Small Game Hunting/Fishing License, Apprentice Sportsman License, Apprentice All Game License, Apprentice Small Game License, Senior Exempt License, Disabled Exempt License, or a Lifetime License.

Applications are purchased for one hunt zone per hunter. The hunt zones are Northwest, Northeast, West Central, Southwest, South Central, Southeast, and the Pearl Ross Barnett Zone.

Hunters fill these applications online through the MDWFP and must have an email address, or they can go in person to any store selling MDWFP licenses. There is a $2.34 processing fee for applications. 

Winners of the permit draw will be notified on June 14, 2022, and have 48 hours to make their purchase. Permits are $200. There will be a second drawing on June 22, 2022, for any unfilled permits in each hunting zone. 

People who win the permit draw and purchase a permit can expect to receive their permit in the mail within two weeks. Temporary possession tags come attached to the permit and an alligator hunting guide is included in the permit packet. 

Why hunt alligators? 

Mississippi introduced the hunting season to combat nuisance alligators across the state. Once alligators reach four to five feet in length they have no natural predators besides man. 

Last season there were 985 alligator hunting permits purchased across the state. Hunters submitted 6,103 applications to be drawn for the statewide hunt. According to MDWFP’s harvest reports, hunters took 776 alligators. 

Bag limits for alligator hunting include one gator which exceeds four feet and one which exceeds seven feet to balance harvest between juvenile and adult gators. Hunters in the Southwest hunt zone harvested 213 alligators last year and 86 in the South Central Zone.