Hundreds of Mississippians take to the water each August with the hopes of filling their freezers with a southern delicacy — alligator.

The 2021 alligator season begins Friday at noon and run until Sept. 6 at noon for public waters, and 6 a.m. Sept. 20 for private lands.

Ricky Flynt, Alligator Program Coordinator for Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, said the alligator population this year looks stable, however hunting success depends much more on weather.

“Right now, the weather forecast looks favorable,” he said.

Although the weather looks good, Flynt said, hunters may run into issues with access in some areas as low water levels create a challenge for boats.

“Some of the river levels are going to be a little lower,” he said. “It may make it a challenge.”

Alligator hunting opportunities have been offered in Mississippi annually since 2005, initially limited to just 50 permits to hunt a 16-mile section of the Pearl River. Since then, opportunities have expanded to more than 900 permits and open waterways covering more than two-thirds of the state.

Applications for alligator permits open in June each year, with successful applicants being notified later in the month. The permits are highly competitive, with more than 5,000 hunters vying for 986 permits in 2020. Last year a total of 846 hunters harvested 876 alligators. An additional 2070 alligators were caught and released.

MDWFP issued 985 permits to hunters for the 2021 season, Flynt said, and each permit allows a hunter to take up to two alligators over 4-feet long, with one animal allowed to be over 7-feet in length.

As with all hunting, Flynt said MDWFP stressed the importance of safety. For those heading out on a hunt, he said it was important to remember all boating regulations would still apply, and law enforcement would be conducting checks.

“We will have officers out on the river,” he said.

Additionally, Flynt said, consumption or possession of alcohol by alligator hunters is illegal, and MDWFP would be enforcing its “zero tolerance” policy.

Open hunting grounds for alligators are limited to waters defined as public waterways by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, which must be natural flowing and have an average annual flow of at least 100 cubic feet per second. In Lauderdale County, alligator hunting is allowed on the Chunky River and Okatibee River. Additionally, Okatibee Lake is one of just two lakes in the Northeast hunting zone where alligator hunting is allowed.

Flynt said Okatibee Lake isn’t overflowing with opportunities for alligator hunters, but it has enough to support a few hunters. Usually, he said, several alligators are harvested from the lake each year.

“We usually have some taken there,” he said.

While alligator hunting is allowed on private land in 36 Mississippi counties, private land in Lauderdale County is not eligible for the 2021 season.

Mississippi’s alligator program is overseen by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. More information on hunting opportunities, regulations and records can be found at mdwfp.com.