Alligator hunting season will soon start

Hunters who want to be a part of a computer-based lottery drawing to hunt alligators on public lands in South Carolina can start applying online on May 1st.
A $10 nonrefundable application fee is required to participate in the drawing and applicants must be at least 16 years old in order to apply. If selected, the permit/tag fee is $100, and if not selected, the applicant will be awarded one preference point for future alligator lottery hunts. All selected hunters are required to possess a SC Hunting License in addition to the $100 permit/tag fee. Any nonresident alligator hunter chosen must pay an additional $200 Nonresident Alligator Hunting Fee along with the permit/tag fee, and must possess a SC Nonresident Hunting License.
Anyone may assist a permitted hunter during the hunt, but all assistants must possess a hunting license unless they are under the age of 16. In addition, ALL nonresident alligator hunting assistants (16 years of age or older) must pay the $200 Nonresident Alligator Hunting Fee and possess a SC Nonresident Hunting License, available from any license sales vendor. The deadline for applying for each year’s Public Alligator Hunting Season is June 15th at 5:00pm.
The application link and other details may be found on the SCDNR website. For information regarding the Alligator Program, and licensing requirements for taking, possessing, and sale of alligators or their products, call 843-546-6062 or 803-734-3886 (the Nonresident Alligator Hunting fee for nonresident alligator hunters and nonresident assistants may be paid at any license vendor location, online at www.dnr.sc.gov, or by phone at 1-866-714-3611).
According to the S.C. DNR, it is unlawful to feed or entice an American alligator with food (50-11-750), or possess any live alligator without a permit (50-15-40).
Areas that are not open to alligator hunting include:
Hatchery WMA within Lake Moultrie.
Potato Creek Hatchery Waterfowl Area adjacent to Lake Marion.
Stony Bay in Sandy Beach Waterfowl Area.
Any North Dike WMA Borrow Pits accessed by canal or ditch via Lake Moultrie.
Any portion of Yawkey Wildlife Center accessible from a waterway, ditch, or canal. This includes Mosquito, Beach, and Bird Bank Creeks.
National Wildlife Refuges, many of which that have navigable waters within their boundaries.
Goose Creek Reservoir is owned by the city of Hanahan and is closed to public alligator hunting.

Alligator q&a

1. I was selected to hunt this year. Where can I go alligator hunting?
You are allowed to hunt on any of the navigable waters of the state as long as you stay in the alligator management unit you were selected to hunt. In some instances, rivers are the boundary between two alligator management units. In such cases, you will be allowed to hunt in the main river channel on «your side» of the river, and you may only proceed into smaller tributaries and streams on the side of a river boundary contained in the unit you were selected to hunt. You can also hunt on private lands that are not enrolled in the Private Lands Alligator Program as long as permission has been granted by the landowner. WMAs and other state and federal properties (such as parks and refuges) are not open for public alligator hunting. Please note that some WMA and Wildlife Refuges› jurisdictional boundaries extend into the water and thus would not be open to alligator hunting. Check with the managing authority of any State or Federal property located in the area you wish to hunt if you are unsure of the boundaries to ensure you do not accidentally enter into closed hunting areas.

2. Why can’t I just mail in an application with a $10 check, like I do for some of the other DNR draw hunts, why must I do this online? What about refunds?
Printing, mailing and entering every application is extremely time-consuming and expensive. Likewise, to issue a refund requires additional paperwork to be processed by the DNR and then by the Comptroller General before anyone can be issued a refund. To do this would potentially cost the state a high percentage of any revenue that it brings from the successful applicants. We believe that the cost of the hunt, as well as monitoring of the alligator population and the hunt itself should be self-sustaining with the costs borne by the participants.

3. I was unable to apply for the alligator hunt until the last day of the application period (June 15th). Won’t this hurt my chance of being selected?
Not at all. The computer selection process treats all applications submitted during the application period the same whether you apply on the first day, last day, or any day between May 1st and June 15th.

4. My friend wants to apply but he doesn’t have a computer. How can he apply?
In person applications will be accepted at a DNR Regional Office located in Charleston, Clemson, Columbia and Florence. A credit card or debit card will still be required.

5. I do not have a credit card to pay for the application. Can I mail in a check?
Unfortunately, at this time only those applications accompanied with a credit card or debit card payment can be processed at this time. This applies to in-person applicants as well.

6. I do not like to pay for things online because I do not want to put any kind of account information on the Internet, shouldn’t there be an alternate method of payment?
The online payment system is secure. Many people do not realize that if you have any kind of bank account, credit card, loan, or mortgage, your information already exists on the Internet in a database that you or other banks can access remotely by computer. Every effort has been made to keep your information private.

7. I was selected and paid for the permit but my plans have changed and I cannot hunt this year. Can my friend use my permit, or can I get a refund?
No, alligator permits are non-transferrable. Alligator hunting permits are issued to the individual that was selected for the hunt. Only the person selected during the drawing can be issued and use the alligator permit. No refunds will be issued.

8. I was selected for the hunt, but I have not paid for my permit yet. However, my plans have changed and I cannot hunt this year. Can I get a refund?
No refunds of the $10 application fee will be issued regardless of selection status.

9. Can I apply just for Unit 1 and 3?
Yes, you can apply for any combination of units, including or up to all units (i.e. 1, 2, 3 or 1 & 4, or 3 & 4, or 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on)

10. Does it matter what order I put the units on the application page?
Yes, select the management units in the order you would prefer to hunt. Select the site you would like to hunt most in the first slot, the second slot for the next preferred site, and so on. If there are any management units where you do not wish to hunt do not list them on the application.