Warren County led Mississippi’s second controlled alligator hunt on private land with 24 of the 59 harvested, including the largest gator of the season — a 12-foot, 9-inch gator hauled in by a Bossier City native.

Participation was up considerably from the first hunt, due primarily to an increase from the seven counties eligible for permit-seekers and the number of permits available. Landowners in 13 counties were eligible for the two-week season this year, which wrapped up on Oct. 4. The number of permits available more than doubled, from 49 in 2008 to 101 this year.

Of the available permits, 75 were purchased from hunters in Warren, Claiborne, Issaquena, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Jefferson, Madison, Rankin and Washington counties. All are along the Mississippi River or tributaries where populations of the reptiles — still endangered and protected — have surged.

No permits were sought in three of the counties — Adams, Wilkinson and Yazoo — and 15 eligible permittees did not even attempt to hunt due to wet weather, said Ricky Flynt, program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Twelve with permits came up empty-handed.

“We had the wettest October and September on record and that hampered some people’s hunting opportunities due to either high water or restricted accesses,” Flynt said. “Even though the harvest was fairly good, it would have been better had the weather been better.”

Of the 59 harvested, the average measured 7 feet, 5 inches. Wyatt Adams bagged the largest at Palmyra Hunting Camp on Davis Island, which is in Warren County but on the west side of the Mississippi.

Issaquena County followed Warren County in success, with 19 alligators harvested. Five were taken in Claiborne County. Despite having no participation in three of the 13 counties eligible for the hunt, Flynt said it is likely even more counties will be included in the third private land season. New counties open to the hunt this year were Adams, Claiborne, Humphreys, Jefferson and Wilkinson.

Eligibility for the hunts is controlled by requiring applicants to have rights on minimum land and water parcels and to attend pre-hunt training sessions conducted by MDWFP.

The alligators are shot after being snagged on a rod and reel; the weapon is limited by the time of day.

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Contact Everett Bexley at ebexley@vicksburgpost.com