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by ERIN PARROTT
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South Carolina alligator hunters will hit the water this weekend as the Palmetto State’s highly anticipated public hunting season officially gets underway.
The 2026 season begins at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday (September 12, 2026) and runs through noon on October 10, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). Selected hunters can hunt during the day or at night within the alligator management unit where they are permitted.
If recent activity along the South Carolina-Georgia border is any indication, there are some sizable reptiles lurking in the region. Earlier this month, FITSNews reported on a massive alligator pulled from the upper Savannah River – just a few miles downstream from where a swimmer was attacked by another gator days earlier.
Georgia hunters Mason Dodd and Tony Jones landed the approximately 12-foot, 6-inch, 570-pound male alligator on August 27, 2026 near the Savannah River fall line, roughly seven miles northwest of Augusta.
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RELATED | MASSIVE ALLIGATOR PULLED FROM SAVANNAH RIVER
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The gigantic reptile was legally harvested during Georgia’s alligator season, which opened nearly a month ahead of South Carolina’s.
Just four days before that harvest, 31-year-old triathlon coach Jonathan Bruney was bitten by a much smaller, four-to-five-foot alligator while participating in a training swim on the Savannah River near Augusta.
Bruney was able to free himself after jamming his thumb into the animal’s eye, but the encounter left him with a deep gash requiring multiple stitches.
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A RECORD YEAR…
As FITSNews previously reported, interest in South Carolina’s alligator hunting program reached an all-time high last year.
A record 12,243 hunters applied for the 2025 lottery, with nearly 10,000 ultimately entering the drawing for just 1,400 available permits.
Those hunters went on to report 467 harvested alligators – 72 more than the previous year and the highest annual harvest since at least 2013.
The Middle Coastal unit led the state with 128 harvested alligators, followed by the Pee Dee with 119, Midlands with 114 and Southern Coastal with 106.
Berkeley, Georgetown and Colleton counties accounted for nearly 60% of the statewide harvest, while Berkeley County alone produced 44 alligators measuring at least ten feet.
The 2025 season also marked the debut of SCDNR’s “slot tag” program, which provided additional permits restricted to alligators measuring between four and eight feet. The program was designed to increase hunting opportunities while reducing pressure on larger, breeding-age animals.
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RELATED | UPDATE ON 2026 ALLIGATOR HUNTING SEASON
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RULES OF THE HUNT…
South Carolina’s coastal plain is divided into four alligator management units: Southern Coastal, Middle Coast, Midlands and Pee Dee.
Permit holders must remain within their assigned unit and must carry a valid South Carolina hunting license, alligator hunting permit and unused harvest tag while afield.
Alligators harvested under traditional tags must measure at least four feet long, while those harvested under slot tags must fall between four and eight feet. Hunters also cannot simply shoot an unsecured alligator.
SCDNR requires a line or snare to first be attached to the animal before it is brought alongside a boat or to shore. A handheld snare or rope must then be secured before the alligator is dispatched.
Traditional-tag hunters can use capture methods including harpoons, jab sticks, archery equipment, snatch hooks and gigs. Slot-tag hunters are limited to snatch hooks and handheld ropes or snares and cannot use devices that embed in the animal.
Bait and set hooks are prohibited.
Once harvested, alligators must be tagged immediately. Hunters must complete a harvest report within 24 hours and submit it to SCDNR within five days.
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RELATED | RECORD ALLIGATOR KILL IN ORANGEBURG
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BIG GATORS…
South Carolina is no stranger to enormous alligators.
The state’s largest confirmed alligator harvest came on September 25, 2010, when Massachusetts hunter Maryellen Mara-Christian – with the help of a guide – killed a 13-foot, 6-inch alligator weighing 1,025 pounds on Lake Moultrie.
In 2023, FITSNews also reported on an alligator killed on private property in Orangeburg County that was estimated to measure an even more imposing 15 feet, 6 inches, although no weight was provided for the animal.
SCDNR estimates South Carolina is home to at least 100,000 alligators, primarily across the Midlands and coastal plain.
Once pushed toward extinction, the American alligator has made a dramatic recovery over the past several decades. Today, South Carolina manages the species through its regulated hunting program, with fees generated by the program supporting research, monitoring and management.
For the hunters lucky enough to draw a tag this year, the wait is nearly over, as the hunt begins Saturday at noon.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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