Facts and Information from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission... and Chasin Bacon

Chasin Bacon started off with our primary focus on Florida hog hunting, however as our clientele wanted more of a variety of game we adapted to their needs and have thrived in the hunting industry both here in Florida as well as a variety of other states. Our Florida alligator hunters offers public water alligator hunts during Florida's statewide alligator harvest program from August 15th through November 1st of each year.  Some times we work with our Pro Staff to take our client's out and other times, we work with Chasin Bacon approved guides and outfitters. This will provide you with a guaranteed opportunity on a Florida Alligator.

Our professional guides conduct our hunts on harvest units located in southern Florida including Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades depending on areas  where your permits were awarded. The areas our expert Florida alligator guides specialize in are #406 (STA-5), #601 (Lake Okeechobee WEST), #604 (Lake Okeechobee SOUTH) and #404 (Everglades WMA-WCA-3A). These hunts are only conducted during specific harvest periods designated by the state. These Chasin Bacon approved guides and outfitters can offer year-round alligator hunts only on private lands.

Permits and tags are issued for a designated area during a specific harvest period. We handle all aspects of this hunt for the client including all of the paperwork, licensing, cites tags, etc. All that is necessary is that you show up and hunt.

If you submitted for the Florida alligator lottery and were awarded tags, our guides offer nightly guide services for people with your own permits and tags thru the state of Florida's Alligator Harvest program. Individuals, both resident and non-resident can apply for their own permits and tags. Persons interested in this process should go to the following link, which contains information on the hunt and the application process.

Florida alligator hunts are conducted at night only. Chasin Bacon approved guides and expert hunters utilize airboats for our Florid Gator hunting. Weapons used for public waters hunts are compound bow, re-curve bow, crossbow or harpoon for the initial shot and a bang stick for the harvest. If using a bow you should have a minimum of thirty-five pounds draw weight and should be rigged with a bow fishing reel attachment with a retrieval line of 200 pound test minimum.

Once located, the alligator must be tagged by harpoon with a line attached with a float or shot with a bow equipped with a fishing rig. Once the alligator is tagged with the line, he must be harvested with a bang stick. We use a 357 magnum for the smaller gators and a 44 magnum for the larger ones.

This is the most exciting method for harvesting a trophy alligator. These hunts are up close and personal. They provide hands on thrilling adventure. Chasin Bacon’s guides and experts will ensure your adrenalin is flowing.  Videotaping your hunt is also an option. 

LEGAL STATUS

The American alligator is classified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as similarity of appearance to a threatened taxon. This listing provides federal protection for alligators but allows state-approved management and control programs. In Florida, alligators can be legally taken only by individuals with proper licenses and permits. The guides at Chasin Bacon would love to assist you with your Florida alligator hunting. If you wish to further document this amazing hunt, our videographers can professionally video your hunt and after editing provide you with a DVD that you can share with friends, neighbors, hunters and perfect strangers because….it is just an awesome experience.

FOOD HABITS

Alligators are opportunistic feeders. Their diets include prey species that are abundant and easily accessible. Juvenile alligators eat primarily insects, amphibians, small fish, and other invertebrates. Adult alligators eat rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds.

SIZE

Let me start off with a size doesn’t matter, once again because it is just funny. Now back to actual facts. Female alligators rarely exceed 9 feet in length, but males can grow much larger. The Florida state record for length is a 14 foot 3-1/2 inch male from Lake Washington in Brevard County. The Florida record for weight is a 1,043 pound (13 feet 10-1/2 inches long) male from Orange Lake in Alachua County.

REPRODUCTION

Before we talk about alligator reproduction, who doesn’t love that word? Ok back to the facts, nearly all alligators become sexually mature by the time they reach approximately 7 feet in length although females can reach maturity at 6 feet. A female may require 10-15 years and a male 8-12 years to reach these lengths. Courtship begins in early April, and mating occurs in May or June. Females build a mound nest of soil, vegetation, or debris and deposit an average of 32 to 46 eggs in late June or early July. Incubation requires approximately 60-65 days, and hatching occurs in late August or early September.

SURVIVAL

The average clutch size of an alligator nest is 35. From this, an estimated 15 live hatchlings will emerge. Only 6 alligator hatchlings will live to one year. Of these yearlings, 5 will become sub adults (reach 4 feet in length). The number of sub adults that reach maturity (6 feet in length) is approximately 4. These estimates are for a growing alligator population. As an alligator population matures, (and has a higher percentage of large animals), the survival rate would be expected to be lower, in part due to a higher rate of cannibalism.

MORTALITY

Eggs: Alligator eggs are susceptible to drowning, being crushed by the female, predation, and other less common calamities. Raccoons are the primary predator, although hogs, otters, and bears have been reported to depredate nests.

Juveniles: Small alligators are eaten by a variety of predators including raccoons, otters, wading birds, and fish; however, larger alligators may be their most significant predator.

Adults: Cannibalism, intraspecific fighting, and hunting by humans are probably the most significant mortality factors.

Diseases and Parasites: Very little information is available in the scientific literature on wild alligator diseases and parasites. They are not believed to be a significant problem for wild alligators.

 DISTRIBUTION

Alligators occur from southeast Oklahoma and east Texas on the western side of their range to North Carolina and Florida in the east. They prefer fresh water lakes and slow-moving rivers and their associated wetlands, but they also can be found in brackish water habitats.

THERMOREGULATION

Alligators are ectothermic -- they rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature. Alligators control their body temperature by basking in the sun, or moving to areas with warmer or cooler air or water temperatures. Alligators are most active when temperatures are between 82° to 92° F (28° to 33° C). They stop feeding when the ambient temperature drops below approximately 70° F (21° C) and they become dormant below 55° F (13° C). Alligators are dormant throughout much of the winter season. During this time, they can be found in burrows (or "dens") that they construct adjacent to an alligator hole or open water, but they occasionally emerge to bask in the sun during spells of warm weather.

EVOLUTION

The most recent evidence indicates that crocodilians (which includes alligators) and dinosaurs evolved from a common ancestor that existed subsequent to the common ancestor that they share with other reptiles. So, even though alligators are classified as reptiles along with lizards, snakes, and turtles, they are actually more closely related to birds, whose direct ancestors were dinosaurs!

THE HEART OF AN ALLIGATOR

While most reptiles have 3-chambered hearts, the heart of alligators, and all crocodilians, has 4 chambers, a trait shared with mammals and birds. The advantage of a 4-chambered heart is that oxygenated blood and deoxygenated blood are separated, which results in more efficient respiration needed for the high metabolism of endothermic (warm-blooded) animals, and enables different pulmonary (lung) and systemic blood pressures, but is seemly over-complex for ectothermic (cold-blooded) crocodilians. The single ventricle of the 3-chambered reptile heart allows some mixing of oxygenated blood with deoxygenated blood, which may help regulate their metabolic state. Crocodilians have evolved a shunt between the left and right aorta (immediately above the ventricles) to facilitate the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Crocodilians also have a valve in the pulmonary artery that, when closed, forces deoxygenated blood to recirculate through the left aorta, which increases mixing. This increased mixing helps crocodilians transition to a lower metabolic state, and enables them to dive for extended periods.

Some scientists have hypothesized that the complex heart structure of crocodilians might indicate that they evolved from endothermic (warm-blooded) ancestors.

EYE-SHINE

The tell-tale eye-shine of an alligator (and other nocturnal vertebrates) is caused by a layer of cells called the tapetum lucidum (a Latin phrase meaning "bright carpet"). This structure is located beneath the photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) in the retina and reflects light back into these cells to increase the amount of light detected, which improves an alligator's vision in low light conditions. In alligators this eye-shine is red, but it can be different colors in other species.

Florida Alligator Hunting Bottom Line

The Florida alligator hunters at Chasin bacon are here if you need to purchase any hunting equipment or simply need advice. We can hunt with a bow, harpoon, bang stick or knife.  Any way you look at it, this is an amazing hunting adventure that you will not forget.