Alligator hunting season gets underway in Florida
FOX / file
TAMPA, Fla. - Alligator hunting season is officially underway in Florida.
Thursday marks the first day of Florida's annual alligator hunt. Licensed hunters began applying for permits back in May and are permitted to harvest nearly 13,000 alligators from all over the state, except Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, which do not participate.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says over 10,000 people apply for the 5,000 available permits each year. The applicants who received permits were chosen by lottery in June.
Each permit allows hunters to take up to two alligators on a specific hunt date from a specific harvest area and the hunters must report their harvest to FWC.
The hunt helps manage Florida's gator population, which is estimated at 1.3 million.
Alligator hunting season runs through November 1.