Even a dead alligator can be dangerous? Here are 6 things to know when SC gator hunting

For one month each year, South Carolina allows people to hunt alligators on public lands. Fair game year-round for nuisance gators on private property.

Here are some things you may not know about alligator hunting, provided by Jay Butfiloski, the furbearer and alligator program coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources..

1. Even though dead, their massive and muscular tails — half of their body length — can still whip around for some time due to their cold-blooded nature.

2. It’s easier to spot an alligator at night because their gleaming eyes reflect off a flashlight. For this reason many hunters choose to hunt at night or stay out after dark. But you can hunt any time of day. Lights yes, bait no.

3. Even when secured by a rope, an alligator can roll into the boat if you are not careful and hold on too tight. Butfiloski describes it as sort of like a yo-yo. “This happened to my old roommate’s group during a previous season,” he said.

4. Alligators must be at least 4 feet long. How do you know the size if the gator is in the water and all you can see is his eyes? Each inch in length from front of eye to nostrils equals 1 foot of total length

5. Sell the hide, not the meat, the law says. Hides must have a federal tag to be sold because alligator hides look like those of endangered crocodilians.

6. Pistols are the more common way to kill — or in wildlife speak, dispatch — an alligator in South Carolina, but you can also use a bangstick or sharp knife to sever the spine and arteries. The alligator must be secured — line attached, animal alongside the boat — before it is dispatched. Do not shoot at a free swimming alligator, Butfiloski said.

This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.