Can I shoot a gator? How to get an alligator off of your property in Florida

Yahoo

14-05-2025

If you've lived in Florida for long enough, you likely know that coexisting with alligators is a part of life in the Sunshine State. As long as you keep your distance and never feed one if it crosses your path, you should be fine.
But there are some risks to be aware of, especially if you're planning on swimming in a lake or owning a home in the state (even if the closest body of water is a retention pond).
And it's officially mating season for the tens of thousands of gators that live throughout Florida, which means a higher likelihood that our reptilian neighbors turn up in unwanted places, like yards, pools and golf courses.
Alligator mating season in Florida lasts from April through June. To be exact, April is alligator "courtship" season and May is when most Alligators start mating, according to the FWC.
"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," The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) website says.
During mating season, male gators become more combative and have a much wider range of travel than is typical throughout the rest of the year. During these months, they can roam over 1,000 acres of land and tend to become more aggressive.
Dominant males typically kick out the weaker male gators during mating season, which is one of the reasons Floridians see more gators in their yards, retention ponds and pools during the summer months.
If you have a gator in your yard or pool, don't freak out. These dinosaurs can be found in every Florida county and you can usually call FWC to remove them.
Here's what you should do if there's a gator in your yard and what to do if you have to run or swim away from one.
Removing a gator from your yard isn't the same as calling a private critter control service or your community's animal control. You have to call the state's fish and wildlife conservation commission.
The FWC has a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program with a gator hotline. If there is a gator in your yard or pool, call the free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).
The Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) will issue a permit to one of its contracted nuisance alligator trappers, authorizing the removal of the gator.
The state pays its contracted nuisance alligator trappers for each job they are called out to. Calling SNAP's toll-free number and having a trapper come to your home won't cost you anything.
An alligator is deemed a nuisance if it:
Is at least four feet long.
If the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property.
If it is smaller than four feet and winds up in places that are not acceptable, like swimming pools or garages, and must be removed.
"You should never handle an alligator, even a small one, because alligator bites can result in serious infection and it's illegal. If there's an alligator under four feet in your swimming pool, on your porch or in a similar situation, call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline," the FWC's website says.
The best way to keep roaming alligators from cooling off in your pool this summer is to get an enclosure for the area around your pool. If you think a chain link fence around your backyard is good enough, think again. Alligators can climb fences.
If you already have a screened-in pool deck, check for any holes or weak points that might need to be repaired before the summer. Making sure you properly maintain your pool enclosure can also help keep snakes, iguana and bugs away from your pool deck this summer.
Though Florida residents have learned to coexist with alligators, the potential for conflict always exists, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The wildlife commission recommends people avoid feeding alligators and to keep your distance if you see one. "Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. And keep pets on a leash and away from the water," FWC's site states.
If you're already swimming and see an alligator while you're in the water, calmly swim in the other direction and get out of the water. Don't splash around, this will attract the alligator.
According to the FWC, "If an alligator bites you, the best thing to do is fight back, providing as much noise and resistance as possible. Hitting or kicking the alligator or poking it in its eyes may cause it to release its grip. When alligators seize prey they cannot easily overpower, they will often let go and retreat."
You can also trigger a gator's gag reflex by shoving objects into the back of its mouth, if you have to. If it gags and tries to reposition its grip on you, that's your window to escape.
Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare here, but if you are concerned about a gator, call the nuisance alligator hot line at 866-392-4286 or visit myfwc.com.
Most native Floridians learn as early as preschool to run away in a zig-zag line if a gator crosses their path, but this has been debunked.
Gators can run fast on land, but only for short distances before they get tired. Simply run away in a straight line.
If you find yourself tempted to take a night swim in a lake, river, pond or any natural body of freshwater, the possibility of running into an alligator is rarely zero. If the sun is down, the gators are out.
Don't try to "take care" of any gators yourself. If you don't have a permit to hunt gators, you can't shoot one.
Under Florida law, it's a third-degree felony to "intentionally kill, injure, possess or capture, or attempt to kill, injure, possess or capture an alligator or other crocodilian, or the eggs of an alligator or other crocodilian, unless authorized by rules of the commission."
The Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program trappers relocate gators under 4 feet long and kill nuisance gators that are longer than 4 feet.
"Relocated alligators often try to return to their capture site," according to the SNAP website.
"They can create problems for people or other alligators along the way. If an alligator successfully returns, capturing it again would be necessary and likely more difficult the second time."
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Alligators in Florida: What to do if you see a gator on your yard, porch