LDWF Announces Alligator Lottery Applications Open
Keith Lusher 06.13.23
Ask any sportsman in Louisiana if the gator population is increasing and I’ll venture to bet that you’ll get a resounding “yes” as their answer. Will Thomas of Madisonville was fishing Bayou Cane which is on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The little bayou is only 2 miles long but Thomas said he spotted several alligators on his fishing trip. “On my way back paddling to the launch I spotted 20 gators,” Thomas says.
Alligator sightings are up all across Southeast Louisiana, and residents are even reporting the reptiles in shallow neighborhood ditches that are connected to canals or bayous. The increase in the population is reflective of the rest of the state’s burdensome gator numbers which have just surpassed the 2-million-mark. The explosion in numbers is the result of an oversupply of crocodilian skins from foreign markets that have driven down prices for Louisiana gator skin. Alligator hunters in Louisiana used to make between $20 – $40 per foot of unprocessed alligator. The increased competition overseas has caused prices to drop to $7 per foot.
Now, The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will conduct alligator lottery harvests on 21 LDWF Wildlife Management Areas, 28 public lakes, and one U.S. Army Corp of Engineers property from Aug. 30 to Nov. 4, 2023. The application process is now open and will be open until June 30.
To apply click on the Lottery Applications tab, update or create customer details similar to purchasing a license, and then submit an application. There is a $5.00 application fee and a $5.00 transaction fee. Gator lottery applications are available on the LDWF website at https://louisianaoutdoors.com/lottery-applications.
The department asks that only one alligator lottery application be submitted per customer. Applicants must be 16 years of age or older and a Louisiana resident. If selected, you will be required to purchase an alligator hunter license which costs $25.00. You will also be required to submit a payment of $40.00 for each alligator tag allocated. Do not purchase the alligator sport hunter license available online as this license type does not apply to these lottery hunts.
To assist applicants in selecting specific WMAs/public lakes, the department has posted the percentage of lottery alligator harvest applicants selected in 2022 by WMA or public lake as well as a map showing the general location of each area and the appropriate area manager’s contact information on its website at https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Hunting/Alligator/Files/lottery_choices.pdf
For more information concerning lottery alligator harvests on LDWF WMAs or public lakes, contact the appropriate LDWF Field Office or email LAalligatorprogram@wlf.la.gov.
