Alligator harvest is planned

[Ray]

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has announced an
experimental harvest of alligators on the White Lake Wetlands Conservation
Area, near Gueydan in Vermilion Parish.
Sealed bids are due at 10 a.m. Aug. 23, at the Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries building in Baton Rouge. For additional information
or to request a bid package call 337-373-0032 or e-mail nkinler@wlf.la.gov.

[specktator]

My duck lease is just south of White Lake in PI and is slap full of gators.

[kenner18v]

Originally Posted by specktator

My duck lease is just south of White Lake in PI and is slap full of gators.

Same here, our canal and marsh is full

[Raymond]

With the prices, I would not look for them to get alot of bids. The economy has alligator prices in the crapper and it is doubtful they
will be high enough to warrent trapping again this year. Damn things
are going to take over if they don't just open season on them.

[southern151]

Don't know what this type of bid entails or costs but, I would love to go do something like that! Legally!

[Marshrat]

I heard the Italians are looking at buy the hides this year. The only problem is they want 7' and up only, but the alligator board is telling them that they have to buy them all or none.


Warren

[Ray]

Most of the hides bought go to Italy.
Just a few stay in La.

[specktator]

Originally Posted by Raymond

With the prices, I would not look for them to get alot of bids. The economy has alligator prices in the crapper and it is doubtful they
will be high enough to warrent trapping again this year. Damn things
are going to take over if they don't just open season on them.

The people that own my lease get 100 tags/year. And last year they did not fill one tag b/c they said the price was too low. So now we have to deal with gators everywhere. I want to tell them to just give them to me. Ill fill em!

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by specktator

The people that own my lease get 100 tags/year. And last year they did not fill one tag b/c they said the price was too low. So now we have to deal with gators everywhere. I want to tell them to just give them to me. Ill fill em!

What is a 7' gator worth? Hide and meat? Is the meat worth more than the hide now?

[southern151]

If somebody got tags they don't want, I'd buy em! Would like to put some in the freezer and have the experience!

[specktator]

Originally Posted by Gerald

What is a 7' gator worth? Hide and meat? Is the meat worth more than the hide now?

The thing is there aren't many people you could just go sell 1 gator hide to. Most companies will only buy in bulk. I get a few tags every year for a swamp we have. I caught a 6' and 7' and couldn't find anyone to buy them. They gave me a few numbers to call but never tried them. Now i just have 2 hides sitting in my freezer. I want to tan them but they charge alot. I wanna try to tan them myself.

As for the meat, I am not sure what it is worth. I would never sell it. Too damn good!

[specktator]

Originally Posted by southern151

If somebody got tags they don't want, I'd buy em! Would like to put some in the freezer and have the experience!

U gotta file paperwork with the state to legally have a gator in your posession. And the deadline just passed a few weeks ago.

[Ray]

You have to own the land or have land owners written permission to possess an alligator tag from that land.
You can only possess a tagged hide from the land that the tag was given for.
If you are caught hunting gators from one land and the tag is for another, it
will cost you a lot more than you would have gotten for the hide.

When I hunted gators, they once gave 1 price per foot. Then they went to a
sliding scale. This much for 4 to 5 ft. So much for 5 to 6 ft. ect. and when it
got to 10 ft. and over, they gave you a lot more.
Back then, there were only 4 hide buyers. The rest of the buying houses worked
for them. The houses bought the whole gators under the buyers license, but skinned
the gator and kept the meat for their profit. The hides were sold to one of 4 buyers.
Meat used to go for $4.50 on the carcas and around $7.50 filleted and vacuumed
packed.