The alligator hunt returns

Even for the experienced, however, hunting alligator is not like landing a pan fish. First of all, a full-grown bull gator can weigh 500 pounds and be as fast on the sprint as a quarterhorse. Never mind that they've had 18 million years to grow comfortable in these mocha-colored waters. (All of which may explain why only 75 hunters so far have signed up for the 180 permits in Georgia.)

Still, hunters don't need an Australian accent to catch one. Going out mostly at night, where he or she is allowed to use a light to "spot" eyes in the swamps, the hunt captain lunges the airboat toward the animal while the "spearman" lurches for the target. Then the "rope man" keeps track of a buoy attached to the spear tip, chasing the gator until it's exhausted. Usually something goes wrong, Hinson says: Either equipment fails or the animal outwits his pursuers.

When the chase is done, hunters have to manhandle the gator up to the boat and either ensnare it or euthanize it with a "bangstick" - a javelin rigged with a .44-caliber shell. "When you've got him up to the boat, your heart just goes boom-boom-boom," says Hinson, a veteran hunter who is built like a linebacker.

Wildlife managers don't foresee any deaths among the hunters, but they do expect injuries. The state is even putting on seminars to help hunters stay safe. How not to get ensnared in the infamous alligator "death roll" will be one topic of conversation.

So far, the public seems eager to see the hunt succeed. At least one swimming hole this year was closed because an 11-foot gator was a frequent guest. Catfish ponds are being raided. Several alligators recently broke into a fish hatchery in Wilcox County, Ga., and dined on bass.

Last year, 450 "nuisance" gators were taken in Georgia - a number that's growing. And trouble is on the increase, especially in Florida, where alligator attacks have gone from about five per year to more than 14.

Still, not everyone likes the idea of killing alligators, even if they're plentiful. Some animal rights activists and biologists fear that hunting trophy bull alligators, which are worth the most money, targets the most successful creatures, destabilizes local waterways - and perhaps invites even more trouble.

"It's better to try to coexist with the animal that is present than remove them and potentially bring in ... a greater problem," says Camilla Fox, the national campaign director for the Animal Protection Institute in Sacramento, Calif.

Others say alligators can, in fact, be managed to coexist with humans with the help of volunteers.

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