Alligator season will be held in August, but anyone hoping to take part in the hunt has to have the luck of the draw on their side.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will open registration for alligator season June 3 at 8 a.m. Registration has to be completed by July 12 at 8 a.m.

Hunters that register for a tag will be randomly selected to receive one alligator possession tag each and the tags are not transferrable. The selection process uses a point system that increases the chances that a person who has registered multiple times will have a higher likelihood of being selected.

The random drawing for tags will take place July 12. Hunters who apply for a tag can see if they received one by logging onto www.outdooralabama.com. Anyone who receives a tag must accept it by July 19 at 8 a.m. and must also attend an alligator training course held by the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. If a hunter has attended a previous training course, they may be exempt from attending another one.

A total of 260 alligator possession tags will be available, but they will be spread out among four hunting zones. The West Central Alabama Zone, which includes Wilcox and Dallas Counties, will have 50 tags again this year.

The West Central Alabama Zone includes private and public waters in Monroe, which is north of U.S. Highway 84, and Wilcox and Dallas County. The hunt will take place Aug. 11 from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m., Aug. 14 and from 8 p.m. Aug. 18 until 6 a.m. Aug 21. No hunting is allowed after 6 a.m. on any day.

Hunting dates vary in the other hunting zones.

The Southwest Alabama Zone will also hold hunts Aug. 11 from 8 p.m. until 6 p.m. and Aug. 14 from 8 p.m. until Aug. 21 at 6 a.m. The Southeast Alabama Zone, which includes Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Russell counties, will hold hunts from Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. until Sept. 5 at 6 a.m. The Lake Eufala Zone, will hold hunts from sunset Aug. 19 until sunrise Oct. 3. In the Lake Eufala Zone, hunting is allowed both day and night.

There is no minimum length requirement for the West Central Zone, Southwest Zone or Southeast Zone. There is an 8-foot minimum length requirement for alligators in the Lake Eufaula Zone.

Alabama held its first alligator hunt in 2006 and during the last 10 years there have been some huge alligators killed. The Stokes Gator caught near Camden in 2014 is one of the largest alligators ever killed. It weighed 1,011.5 pounds and measured at 15 feet, 9 inches. The alligator broke Safari Club International’s world record.