Arkansas hunters check 162 alligators in first weekend of season, 42 tags remain

LITTLE ROCK — The cool front that brought rain through much of Arkansas on Monday did little to hinder the effort and results of the state’s alligator hunters, with 162 successfully bringing home a gator during the first weekend of the 2025 hunting season.

All public and private alligator zones will remain open during the second and final weekend of the hunt, which begins 30 minutes after sunset Sept. 26 and ends 30 minutes before sunrise Sept. 29.

“All alligator hunters on private land and those who drew a Millwood Lake permit need to be sure and call the hotline (833-345-0398) or check www.agfc.com/alligator before they go on their hunt each night to make sure the quota hasn’t been filled,” AGFC Herpetologist Amanda Bryant said. “I update the hotline and website every day, and each of these quota hunts has the potential to close as early as the first night of the next hunt. I’d advise alligator hunters to keep that looming quota in mind if they think about passing up any opportunity this weekend.”

Each year, many alligator hunters put off taking alligators that offer them a chance to fill their harvest tag in hopes of finding a larger alligator, and each year many hunters go home with nothing to show from their hunts.

“It happened so much on the Millwood Lake hunt that we moved that hunt from being a set drawn permit to being a drawn permit plus a quota,” Bryant said. “We could allow an additional hunter or two to draw, but we need those who draw to harvest an alligator if they can. The quota may put a little more urgency in their thought process so they don’t go home empty-handed.”

According to Bryant, the largest alligator taken so far has measured 13 feet, 1 inch, and was taken on private land. A 13-foot alligator was taken on public land as well, coming from Zone 3 in the Lower Arkansas Wetland Complex. The largest alligator ever legally checked in Arkansas was 13 feet, 11½ inches, taken in 2020 by Travis Bearden.

Bryant also wants to thank all hunters who submitted samples from their alligators during the first weekend as part of an ongoing diet study. Alligator permit holders were emailed directly with directions on how to submit samples of the requested tissues from harvested alligators, and enough samples were gathered in the first weekend to reach Arkansas’s goal.

“We’ve closed the sample collection period, so hunters who harvest alligators this weekend don’t need to submit any additional tissues,” Bryant said.

Visit www.agfc.com/alligator for more information about alligator hunting and the history of alligators in Arkansas.

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CUTLINES:

ALLIGATOR
David Snowden took this 13-foot, 1-inch alligator during the first weekend of the 2025 Arkansas alligator hunting season. Pictured from left to right: Grant Wynne, Jordan Tortorich and David Snowden. Photo courtesy of David Snowden.

GATOR ON TRAILER
Terry Crafton has taken the largest alligator on public land so far this season with this 13-footer from the Lower Arkansas Wetland Complex in southeast Arkansas. Photo courtesy Terry Crafton.