Okeechobee
Gator Hunt
By Capt. Ron Gauthier
T
he Florida wetlands support two of the 23
species of crocodilians in the world, the
American alligator and the endangered
American crocodilian which look similar but have
several physical differences. Crocs inhabit coastal
swamps and rivers in extreme southern Florida;
they are brown/tan in color and have a narrow
snout. Gators inhabit freshwater; however, they
may be found in any body of water or wetland
throughout Florida, and they are black/gray in
color and have a broad snout.
and Wildlife Service. This change in status allowed
the Commission to initiate management of the
nuisance alligator problem through harvest.
Today’s Commission manages five programs:
The statewide alligator harvest, the private lands
alligator management, the alligator farming, the
public waters alligator egg and hatchling collection,
and the statewide nuisance alligator program.
We put our permits in for the public harvest
on Lake Okeechobee by going online at www.
wildlifelicense.com. There are many lakes and
Gators have been part of Florida’s wetlands for rivers to choose from and four different time
thousands of years, and records of commercial periods. We chose the west side of Okeechobee
exploitation of gators in Florida date back to the in the second harvest period for our hunt.
late 1800’s. Harvesting went unregulated through
Lake Okeechobee, locally referred to as “The
the early 1900’s. In 1943 a four-foot size limit
Lake” or “The Big O”, is the largest freshwater lake
was established as the first statewide alligator
in the state of Florida.
regulation, then in 1954
The Big O covers 730
the size limit was raised “These hunts are very important to
square miles and is
to six-foot, and by 1962
control and manage populations.” exceptionally shallow
the legal alligator harvest
for a lake of its size. It
season was closed. But
has an average depth
poaching continued. As a result, alligators were
of only 9 feet. The lake is enclosed by the up to
included on the first list of endangered species in
30 foot high Herbert Hoover Dike built by the
1967. In 1970 federal regulations put an end to
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after a hurricane in
the poaching era, and populations in areas where
1928 breached the old dike, flooding surrounding
declines had been observed made impressive
communities and claiming at least 2,500 lives. The
comebacks.
most common fish in this lake are largemouth
By the mid-1970’s the commission was receiving bass, crappie, and bluegill. Pickerel have been less
4,000 to 5,000 nuisance alligator complaints commonly caught.
annually. In 1977 Florida’s alligator was reclassified
The beauty of this lake is almost breathtaking. It’s
from endangered to threatened by the U.S. Fish
no wonder Hank William’s Jr. referenced it when
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