PONCHATOULA — Louisiana is set to open its first recreational alligator hunting season in more than 50 years, starting Oct. 1.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will start conservatively, with 5,000 unique opportunities and two lottery tags each. Hunters must hook an alligator first and then use a firearm or bang stick to dispatch it — shooting a free-swimming alligator is not allowed.

Only properties without commercial alligator tags qualify for the season, though some public property is available.

The program's cautious approach is rooted in the state's history with the species.

"So back in the day, they were market hunted, and there was very, very little regulation," a wildlife official said. "That market hunting basically reduced the population to a level that we didn't feel like it was stable into the future, which is why it was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. So the numbers were very low."

Officials say the new season is intentionally limited.

"10,000 is not adding a lot. So we're starting small intentionally. And this program is designed to be adaptable," Tommy Tuma with Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said.

The recreational harvest will represent a small fraction of the state's overall alligator population. "So generally, that commercial season harvest is about 30 to 40,000 alligators, so it's a very small percentage. So we felt like we could start with a recreational alligator season," he said.

Alligator hunting is just one part of Louisiana's broader alligator industry. Tourism also plays a major role, bringing visitors face-to-face with the reptiles across the state.

Mike Kliebert, whose family runs Klieberts and Sons Gator Tours, says his family helped the population recover.

"Back when gators were endangered, my grandpa had this farm and was raising over so many thousands of alligators a year, being able to release these alligators back to the wild, which could help increase the populations. So seeing that they're thriving and they're actually overpopulating," Kliebert said.

The business, once a farm, now uses alligators to draw visitors and teach them about Louisiana wildlife.

"So for the tourism industry, alligators are very important because it brings people coming in, you know, not just to our place, but the whole state," Kliebert said.

"You know, people, when they think of Louisiana or Florida, they think of alligators. And believe it or not, many places or many people haven't seen an alligator in person, maybe at the zoo, maybe from a distance, but not up close."