Special to The Herald

Jackson - The 2010 Mississippi Alligator Hunting Season on public waters concluded with record harvest levels.  

There were 224 alligators harvested - 132 in the Pearl River Zone and 92 in the Pascagoula River Zone - with a hunter success rate of 76 percent. Sixty-three alligators harvested were more than seven feet long and 17 alligators were longer than 10 feet.

The longest alligator harvested was 12 feet, 7 inches and weighed 433 pounds.

The heaviest harvested was 462 pounds and was 12 feet, 2 inches long. Hunters are allowed to harvest two alligators over four feet long, however only one may exceed seven feet.

Hunters are required to harvest a “runt gator” (4-7 feet long) prior to harvesting an alligator more than seven feet.   
Runt gators comprised 71.9 percent of the alligators harvested.