Applications are now open for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ new Recreational Alligator Harvest Lottery, giving Louisiana residents an opportunity to participate in the state’s recreational alligator season this fall.

Applications will be accepted through Aug. 30, with selected hunters receiving the opportunity to harvest alligators in one of eight recreational harvest zones during the Oct. 1-31 season.

LDWF emphasizes that this is a new recreational lottery and is separate from the agency’s longstanding commercial alligator lottery harvest program.

Applicants must be Louisiana residents, at least 16 years old and meet the state’s hunter education requirements. Applications are available online only, and there is a non-refundable $50 application fee for each zone selected. Hunters may apply for more than one zone and can be selected for multiple zones.

Those chosen through the lottery will also be required to purchase a $25 Resident Alligator Sports Hunter License. Each successful applicant will receive two non-transferable alligator hide tags for each zone awarded, allowing the hunter to harvest up to two alligators in that zone.

Recreational tags cannot be transferred to another person and cannot be used on property that has already been allocated commercial alligator tags.

The recreational season is a new opportunity created for Louisiana hunters this year, with the first season scheduled to run throughout October.

Applications and additional information are available at https://buff.ly/XZgsmef

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