Selling and Shipping Alligators
Alligators/alligator hides can only be sold to licensed fur buyers or fur dealers. Most wild alligators are sold whole to fur buyers/dealers at processing facilities. Make sure you have made arrangements to sell alligators prior to setting lines or harvesting alligators.
All alligators/alligator hides not sold to buyers or dealers or shipped for tanning/ taxidermy within 30 days following the close of the season must be reported to LDWF via an official form, with information including tag number, location, intended use, and length.
Alligator part: any part of an alligator, excluding the hide and including the bony dorsum plates if detached from the tagged alligator hide
Alligator Parts
Alligator hunters may give alligator parts to anyone for personal use. Any alligator parts or containers enclosing alligator parts must be tagged with the name, address, date, hide tag number, and the license number of the person donating the alligator part(s). This information must remain affixed until the part(s) has been stored at the domicile of the person receiving the parts. In addition, an alligator transaction parts form must be submitted to LDWF by the end of the calendar year if any parts transaction has taken place.
Alligator Parts Transaction Form (PDF)
Storage, Tanning, or Taxidermy
Alligators/alligator skins may be stored at any location provided that they are properly tagged and documented. An alligator hunter must have any alligators/alligator skins being shipped out of state or being tanned or used for taxidermy in-state inspected by LDWF, pay the appropriate tag fee and severance tax and receive a shipping tag prior to shipping. A hunter needing an inspection should contact a regional LDWF office, or the office that issued their license and tags, in advance to schedule the inspection.
Research Alligators
LDWF biologists have marked many alligators for research purposes. Some of these were caught in the wild, and some were released to the wild from commercial farms. These alligators have one or more notches cut out of the tail scutes and two metal tags in the webbing between the toes (usually on the back feet). If you capture a marked research alligator, record the tag number (usually 6 digits) as well as the length, tail notch(es), and sex of the alligator. Submit this information on a form provided by LDWF. Reporting information from tagged alligators is important—this information allows biologists to follow the movement, growth, and survival of alligators and informs management for continued harvests. Note that sometimes the tag is lost as the alligator grows, but the information from the tail notch still lets biologists know what year the alligator was marked.
All alligator hunters should thoroughly review and must follow all current alligator regulations. Alligator hunters harvesting alligators on public areas should review and follow all regulations specific to that area. For more information, check with the regional office responsible for that area prior to commencing any alligator harvest activities.
For general information, email laalligatorprogram@wlf.la.gov.