North Carolina’s hunters may soon get a chance to bag a gator.
The State Wildlife Resources Commission is considering adding alligators to the list of "huntable" animals.
According to the best guess by biologists, the number of alligators has risen steadily in North Carolina in recent years. An exact number of the stealthy, largely nocturnal reptiles is very hard to determine.
But the number is believed to be high enough now that the Wildlife Resources Commission may add an alligator hunting season in September. If allowed, hunters could use bows, harpoons, or even clubs. Guns would not be allowed.
The Wildlife Resources Commission will hold several public comment sessions in January before making a final decision.
Alligators in North Carolina are found mostly in the Wilmington area, but range all the way up to the Outer Banks and to Merchants Mill Pond State Park.