State alligator mangers survey sites statewide in May to determine hunt quotas for the coming season, Stiegler said. But, he added, if even they can't get on Orange Lake to count the gator population and establish a quota, its inaccessibility means hunters wouldn't be able to get on the water, either. Plus, there's little hope conditions will change before the season opens in September. Malissa Dillon, spokeswoman for the St. Johns River Water Management District, said the latest reports show that Orange Lake is at or below its recorded lows. While recent rains may have helped raise the lake level, district officials struggle just to get their airboats on the water.
Orange Lake is real popular and very productive.
It has a lot of alligators and big alligators. Last year, Stiegler said, hunters harvested 132 alligators from Orange Lake, up from 92 in 1999. The average alligator taken from Orange Lake in 1999 was just more than 9 feet long, while the statewide average was about 7 feet. In fact, Orange Lake was home to the heaviest alligator ever captured in Florida, a 1,043-pound monster nearly 14 feet long, according to FWCC records. Stafford, who doubles as a hunting guide, said closing it won't have that much impact because there are plenty of other nearby sites, such as Rodman Reservoir and Lake George.