Capabilities of Hunters to Shoot and Retrieve Free-swimming Alligators
Wildlife agency personnel monitored 70 hunters using centerfire weapons and shotguns to take free-swimming American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) at a managed freshwater marsh in southeast Texas. One or more shots were fired by 64 hunters at 117 alligators of which 43 alligators were killed and retrieved; a minimum of 17 were visibly hit but not retrieved. There was no association between the outcome of a specific shooting event and the method of hunting, size of the alligator, or distance at which shots were initiated. There was an association between outcome of an event and...
