Taking a bite out of the gator population

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joseph Raatz
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  

The 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron is holding a lottery for alligator tags to be used during an alligator hunt scheduled to be held here Sept. 7-21.

The biennial hunt helps control the alligator population on Barksdale, which reduces the likelihood of incidents involving alligators coming into contact with base residents and personnel.

“We hold these hunts to curb the population explosion that would occur without any preventative measures,” said Michael Gibson, 2nd CES Natural Resources base forester. “The gators here really don’t have any natural predators to keep their population growth in check, so we have to play that role ourselves.”

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries manages the American Alligator as a commercial, renewable natural resource. The state tightly controls the issuance of alligator-hunting permits, known as tags, to ensure the alligator population remains at healthy levels.

Ten tags were issued to Barksdale this year. These tags allow hunters to bait and set traps and drag a caught alligator into a boat or onto the shore where they will then shoot and tag the alligator.

“While a license to harvest alligator can be issued to anyone, only state residents are permitted to actually tag the alligator, which can be an issue on a military base as residents here come from all over the country,” Gibson said. “We solve that by issuing the tags for non-resident winners in the names of our guides, who accompany the winner during the hunt.”

Any active duty service member, reservist, National Guardsman or Department of Defense civilian who lives or works on Barksdale is eligible to enter their name for the alligator tag lottery. Military retirees, retired DOD civilians and dependents who are 16 or older may also apply. Winners of the 2014 lottery may not apply.

To enter the lottery, visit the Barksdale Natural Resources Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Recreation Program website at https://barksdale.isportsman.net/. The application period ends July 15.