There are 24 hour restaurants and gyms in Florida. Why not hunt alligator all day?
Adding seven hours of daylight to the annual public alligator hunt would make it a 24 hour-day experience.
Many hunters support the idea since it would give them more options and allow them to finish before 10 a.m., if they are on the verge of nabbing a trophy-sized gator.
Some airboat tour operators say daytime hunting could scare away their clients. alligator processors don't like the idea of receiving carcasses that have been baking in the sun.
One of the three processors who expressed concern about the idea was the owner of Central Florida Trophy Hunts. We see a lot of spoilage from daytime hunting. The skin begins to slip. The scales willpeal off in your hand if you wipe them down with your hand.
The alligator was one of the original members of the list and hunting was reopened in Florida in 1988. There are an estimated 1.3 million alligators in Florida.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, hunters killed 8,216 alligators in the state last year. The average length was about 8 feet, although seven came in at 13 feet or more. A 14-foot, 3 1/2 inch male was taken in Lake Washington in the state of Florida.
Three hunters showed up to discuss a proposal at a meeting held by the wildlife agency in Moore Haven. All three supported it.
Stephen Greep, a Fort Lauderdale hunting guide, said that the 24 hour hunting is a big plus.
It can be difficult for his clients to fit a nighttime hunt into their schedule, and that storms can ruin their plans if hunting is restricted to certain hours.
He said that the storms blow us off the lake at 5 p.m. There is a lot of time, money and planning that goes into it.
Jim Simon, of Moore Haven, who once got a 13-foot, 4-inch alligator on Lake Okeechobee, said, "There's no reason we shouldn't be able to hunt them all day long."
Alligators are usually hunted at night when they are more active and can be found with a spotlight. Harpoons, fishing rods, spearguns and crossbows are some of the methods hunters use to catch them. They kill the alligator with a bang stick, a pole that discharges a shotgun shell or high- caliber bullet, after they catch it.
Visitors to Florida feel they haven't enjoyed the full experience without seeing the state's most famous reptile, the alligator.
"My people want to see alligators," said Capt. Kenny Elkins, who says his pre-COVID clients came from all over the United States and many foreign countries. They are difficult to see during the hunting season.
He doesn't like the extension of hunting hours.
He said that he didn't understand why they would want to do it. The alligator are more important to me than to kill. The alligator is worth more than he is dead.
The public has the opportunity to comment on the proposal on the website set up by the state wildlife commission. The proposal will go to the wildlife commission in March if it goes through intact.
A survey done by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission found that more than 80% of respondents found a 24 hour alligator acceptable.
The extension of hunting hours would allow for more flexibility.
She said that people will have more time to get out on the water. People told us that they want to get out more, but they can't get out at night. We might be able to appeal to people who are not comfortable hunting at night, if we allow hunting during the day. There are a lot of benefits to hunting at night.
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