Experts disappointed in size of gators harvested in 2022 season

It was slim pickings for the Alabama Alligator Hunt this year, if you consider 388 pounds slim.

The Alligator Hunt for the West Central Zone that includes Dallas County closed out last weekend. Outdoor expert James “Big Daddy” Lawler said the season met expectations when it came to the number of gators harvested, but the size and weight of the gators “was a disappointment.”

“We had 32 of 50 tags filled, and that’s about average for our zone,” Lawler said. The most harvested was 40 in 2016. But as for weight, “22 of the tags filled were less than 8-foot gators,” he said. “We had two 11 footers brought in, two 10 footers brought in, three 9 footers and three 8 footers. The rest of them were under 8 feet.”

The largest of the weekend was harvested by Scott, Owen and tag holder Austin Rouse of Athens and Scott Edwards of Selma. They brought in an 11-foot, 6-inch gator weighing 388 pounds. They caught it at the Cahaba River the fourth night of the West Central Alabama Zone hunt. Interestingly, Owen was the winner of the 2022 Alabama Black Belt Adventures Turkey Photo Contest.

The next largest was 10 feet, 1 inch weighing in at 292 pounds. This one was caught by tag holder Gregory Holifield of Marion at Chilatchee.

Throughout the weekend, hunters and wildlife biologists on hand speculated that there are not any big gators left in this zone, or the big ones are more experienced in hiding than the hunters are at finding them.

“We always have one or two big ones come in,” Lawler said. “I’m not saying an 11-footer is not a big one, but I’m talking about a 500 or 600 pounder versus a 388. There was a 600 pounder in the Coastal Zone and several 500 pounders in the Southwest Zone.”

Big Daddy also said he would not be surprised if next year they expand the West Central Zone to include parts of the Tombigbee River from Highway 10 to Ezell’s Catfish Cabin. “That would be something to consider, and let these gators rest a year or two,” he said.

Any changes will be based on data collected by the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries biologist this year and years past. But hunters will have to wait and see. Any information about alligator season in Alabama is available at www.ourdooralabama.com

In 2014, the world’s largest alligator was caught in the West Central Zone on the Alabama River near Camden by tag holder Mandy Stokes and her husband John along with Kevin Jenkins and his children, Savannah and Parker. That beast measured 15 feet 9 inches and weighed 1,011.5 pounds. The world record Stokes Gator is currently on display at Millers Ferry resource office on the Alabama River in Camden.