The SCDNR may be called upon in such cases — typically to assist with gators that pose an immediate safety hazard. First responders will normally contact the SCDNR if that step is necessary, but citizens having questions or concerns about any alligator may also contact the SCDNR directly by calling SCDNR conservation officers and biologists urge the public to be especially cautious around large alligators.
While typically shy and inclined to avoid confrontations with people, alligators can be dangerous, especially if they have been fed in the past by humans, and people should always maintain a safe distance from ANY gator, regardless of size. Staying on marked paths and avoiding the edges of ponds or waterways — especially while walking pets — is a good safety practice, and NEVER throw food or other objects into the water where gators live.
By observing these simple safety rules, both citizens and visitors should be able to co-exist with gators. Call Paul Kirby. There likely are a lot more examples of miscues, he said. Alligators are a protected species but more than 1, of them are killed in the state each year by the public, private land owners and nuisance removal hunters licensed by the state. There's a historical estimate of about , alligators in South Carolina.
But nobody knows yet how many alligators are out there, much less how many can be removed and still sustain the species.
Few who deal with alligators regularly doubt the hunt has made an impact. The animals are the top of the riverlands food chain, and the loss of alpha predators like that has been shown to disrupt entire ecosystems. They also are "sentinel" animals that have been studied at the Medical University of South Carolina because, if their health suffers because of contaminants in the environment, humans' could too.
Research continues to discover more positives about alligators. In some cases, alligators that were tagged in and recaptured in were exactly the same length they were 35 years before.
Some older females were putting out the same number of viable eggs as they did 35 years ago, according to the report. The creatures remain marquee draws for the multi-million dollar ecotourism and hunting industries in the state.
The reputation of the Sea Pines Plantation in Hilton Head as a prime vacation destination was launched with a magazine photo featuring founder Charles Fraser walking on a fairway alongside a large gator. Hunt supporters say the culls are needed to control the population of dangerous quarter-ton reptiles. Critics say the hunts are little more than slaughter of the recently re-established species, prodded by legislators representing hunting interests. Environmentalists say the large gators targeted in the hunts are the brood stock needed to maintain a healthy population.
Still, more alligators are "removed" each year from private lands than during the public hunt. A multi-year study expected to be finished by the end of the summer is designed to update that , population estimate and give DNR biologists management guidance. In , five years into the annual hunt and halfway through the field work, the study wasn't finding a lot of gators above the foot mark.
Russell has been among the lead critics of the hunts that target the larger, top breeder alligators. The remaining bigger gators now sink at the approach of a boat and move away underwater rather than resurface in place, he said. So now, "the medium-sized guys are getting hammered. The population is not going to maintain. It's going to dwindle dramatically. So far, researchers don't have enough data to indicate if there is a long-term detrimental effect on the size, growth or genetic fitness of the population when the big ones are removed, said Kent Vliet, a University of Florida biologist who studies the animals.
They have the most access to breeding females, control other males in the population, and generally stabilize the social order of the adult alligator population," he said. Sign Up! Edit Close. Toggle navigation Menu. Home e-Edition Obituaries Special Sections. Buy Now. Then throw the imaginary map away because the big ones can be found almost anywhere. Sign up for our Myrtle Beach weekly update newsletter. Sign up for weekly roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Myrtle Beach area.
In South Carolina, it is illegal to use a long-barreled firearm, so hunters must use a handgun or a bang stick. This method of alligator hunting can sometimes lead to hunts that last 16 to 18 hours. University of South Carolina graduate Forrest Edwards has been hunting gators for several years and was introduced to the sport by a friend who had a nuisance tag for a 9-foot gator in his pond.
On his own property in the Lowcountry, which he manages for duck hunting, he has an alligator over-population problem and applies for nuisance tags each year to help control the issue. Nuisance alligators are defined as gators that are overpopulated or come in close contact with humans and their animals — either pets or livestock. If the land owner feels that an alligator is threatening or too big for the property, he can remove it as long as he has DNR issued nuisance tags. I would not let friends hunt with dogs before we started controlling the alligators.
Despite there being such a problem on his property, Forrest shares that he respects the animal too much to let it be wasted. He harvests the meat for eating and the hide for leather goods. It really is man versus beast. It is a mix of hunting and fishing, the two things I love to do. I also know that when I kill a gator, I am making the property safer for others to enjoy hunting and fishing.
Historically, the Midlands is on the upper end of the range of alligator habitat as gators usually populate the fall line and below — roughly I across South Carolina.
The main place alligators are found in the Midlands is in the Congaree River system. The Congaree has traditionally held some of the largest that are harvested every year, as well as the bulk of the population. Brad mainly guides night hunts when pursuing gators, which only increases the suspense and excitement of the experience.
Their eyes glow a reddish-orange that can be seen from extremely long distances. We then use an electric trolling motor to stalk close enough so you can get a shot with a crossbow. Harpoons have much larger ropes, so when it is brought in close enough we will also secure it with a harpoon with two lines so that we have better control before dispatching it. He explains that the most dangerous element in alligator hunting is actually getting caught in one of the lines while fighting an alligator.
These are strong, fast animals, and it would be horrible if someone were caught in the rope as the gator was taking out line.
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