Provides for recreational hunting of alligators. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 244 enacts new statutory section R.S. 56:256 to create a legal framework for recreational alligator hunting in Louisiana, separate from the existing commercial alligator season. The bill authorizes the Louisiana Wildlife Commission to establish a special recreational alligator season and gives the commission broad authority to regulate this activity through area-specific seasons, harvest quotas, tag allotments, residency requirements, hunting methods, and harvest hours. The legislation explicitly carves out recreational alligator hunting from the existing legal classification of alligators as nongame quadrupeds, thereby converting them into huntable game animals for recreational purposes. The statute establishes three licensing requirements for anyone participating in recreational alligator hunting: possession of a valid basic hunting license, a valid alligator hunting license, and recreational harvest tags issued by the department.

The practical effect of this legislation is to open Louisiana alligator populations to recreational hunters for the first time, creating new opportunities for hunting participation while establishing a regulatory structure to prevent overharvesting. Louisiana residents and nonresidents who meet the commission's residency requirements and obtain the requisite licenses and tags will be able to legally harvest alligators during designated seasons in specified areas. The bill permits the commission to vary season length, harvest quotas, and tag availability by geographic area, allowing adaptive management based on local alligator population conditions and resource capacity. Hunters who violate any provision of the new statute face class three violation penalties, which establishes a clear enforcement mechanism for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's existing wildlife management framework established in Revised Statutes Title 56 and specifically interacts with the commercial alligator hunting provisions already contained in the statute book. By including a notwithstanding clause that overrides R.S. 56:8(92)'s classification of alligators as nongame quadrupeds, the bill creates an exception to that general wildlife classification specifically for recreational purposes. The new recreational season operates independently alongside the traditional commercial season, meaning both types of alligator harvest may occur under separate regulatory schemes. The statute grants the Louisiana Wildlife Commission substantial delegated authority to promulgate regulations implementing the recreational season, making the commission's rules and orders critical to the statute's actual operation in the field.