The Tar Heel State may soon be open to elk and alligator hunting. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is proposing a one-month hunting season for each of the animals; the seasons could take place later this year if approved in a February vote.
According to North Carolina Sportsman, alligators have never been hunted in North Carolina. It is the only state in the alligator’s habitat range that does not have a hunting season for them. Alligators range as far north as North Carolina, south to Florida, and west to Texas. They are the state reptiles of Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana.
According to the WRC, however, North Carolina’s population was listed as “Threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because of its similarity in appearance to the American crocodile. The American crocodile is a neotropical species that does exist in North America, but only in the southernmost tip of Florida and parts of Mexico. Its primary habitat is Central America and northwestern South America, although one croc was trapped by wildlife officials in 2008 on South Carolina’s Isle of Palms.
While the rest of the Southeast has been hunting the reptiles, North Carolina’s animals have been afforded a measure of protection via the listing. That protection has led to an increase in numbers and, subsequently, an increase in human interactions. Nuisance alligators have become a familiar complaint of residents in the southeastern corner of the state.
Specifics have not been publicly discussed, but the gator season’s regulations would mirror those of other states. Firearms would be legal only to dispatch the animals, not as a form of take. Archery equipment, bang sticks, harpoons, gigs, clubs, and catch poles would be permitted, as well as artificial lights.
The season will likely run Sept. 1 through Oct. 1.
Another NCS article told of an elk season that, if passed, will run Oct. 1 through Nov. 1. The hunt will be a permit hunt to prevent overharvesting, likely distributed by a lottery drawing.
The hunt is the culmination of a successful elk reintroduction program in the state and neighboring Tennessee. Elk once roamed across much of North Carolina but were extirpated from the state in the late 1700s. The original herds were made up of the now-extinct eastern subspecies, but in 2001 25 Rocky Mountain elk were released into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the Carolina/Tennessee state line. Another 27 were released the following year.
The herd has flourished since then, the elk being one of many draws that bring visitors to the Smokies. The herd was originally under the management of the National Park Service, but responsibility was transferred to the WRC in 2008.
A WRC-funded study was conducted in 2014 to determine the feasibilty of a hunt. The area elk currently inhabit was examined, along with nearby areas they could spread to or survive in. To lower the number of elk — to avoid car accidents and other problems caused by close proximity with humans — but to also protect the species for its tourism benefits, the findings suggested a limited hunt of four to six elk per year over a period of 25 to 50 years. That amount over that time frame was shown to be sustainable via statistical population modeling.
The seasons and other regulation changes will be voted on Feb. 11 in Raleigh. For more information about the meeting or to stream the live audio webcast, click here.
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