Hunting Alligators a Possibility (Warsaw: live, food, suburbs)

[Bill Hitchcock]

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission is considering a bunch of rule changes. One is the possibility of allowing alligator hunting.

[glamatomic]

This is absolutely absurd and disgusting. The poor alligators. Leave them alone!

[box_of_zip_disks]

I'd be surprised if there were enough gators to warrant issuing hunting permits. The big change in that report seems to be allowing muzzleloading pistols, which having harvested elk and wildebeest in Texas with a .50cal T/C Encore it's little more than an annoying novelty.

[Vorpal]

If the population keeps growing, they will need to be hunted. If they become too numerous, there will be more competition for food. An alligator won't hesitate to attack a human if they're hungry enough.

Alligator meat is good eatin' anyway.

[NM posts]

Dislike.

[MrBojangles]

Are there any alligator farms in NC? We are the most northern state they are found in.

If the population numbers are right, then hunting is OK in my book.

[box_of_zip_disks]

Originally Posted by Vorpal

If the population keeps growing, they will need to be hunted.

Are they though? I live near one of their primary habitat zones and you have to go way out into the swamp to catch a glimpse of one, except for the occasional straggler who chills out in the canal off 64. Maybe it's because they keep clearing out their habitat further south to build McSuburbs so they're coming into contact with people that's giving the impression there's more than there really are.

Last year's Marine Corps environmental study only found 25 in the New River habitat zone. Hardly sounds like an overpopulation problem.

An alligator won't hesitate to attack a human if they're hungry enough..

Actually gators are mostly harmless unless someone's been feeding them, then they associate food with people. Or if they provoke them.

Originally Posted by MrBojangles

Are there any alligator farms in NC? We are the most northern state they are found in.

Supposedly there's one down in Warsaw, but gator farms are mostly a Florida thing.