Tagging Is Taken Seriously on 'Swamp People' — Here's What To Know About Hunting Gators

Hunting alligators on Swamp People might be vastly different from hunting deer or other animals on or off television. But there are certain rules and regulations that the cast has to follow when they go looking for alligators in the swamp if they want to kill and take their catches home. It involves tagging the alligators after they've hunted them.

But how do tags work on Swamp People? Even if you've watched the show since it premiered on the History Channel in 2010, there are some things that might have gone over your head. It's hard to focus on the ins and outs of hunting when you can't help but get distracted by the alligators that pop up on the show more often than not. But read on for everything you need to know about tagging when it comes to Swamp People.

For the most part, Swamp People is filmed in the southern part of Louisiana, where, well, the swamps are. The cast is full of hunters who make a living hunting alligators in the swamps, but there are still rules and laws they have to abide by if they want to be able to continue to work in their chosen profession. That's where tagging comes in.

According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, tags are issued to licensed hunters to mark the alligator they hunted and killed. The tags show proof that the hunters were given permission to hunt in the designated area where they applied to hunt in and that they are legally allowed to take the alligators with them when they leave the area.

But each approved hunter only gets three tags to use each season. So technically, hunters can hunt and kill three gators to then haul back with them once they're finished hunting. That's probably why you don't see dozens of alligators successfully hunted on Swamp People. Luckily, though, there is no prescription on the size of alligators that are hunted during the season.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries also says on its website that any lost tags won't be replaced, so the rules seem pretty firm about the amount of tags each hunter is permitted to have each season. There are also strict policies in place about how to tag the animals.

That's probably why Troy Landry was cited when he was found hunting in an unauthorized area in September 2024. He was found hunting in an area where he hadn't been approved to hunt, which was determined when authorities saw that the tags on his gators didn't match the tags that were assigned to that particular spot. He also reportedly cut a dead alligator loose, and it was found floating in the water.

Clearly, tagging is serious business when it comes to Swamp People. And that's true whether they're filming or not.

Watch Swamp People on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on the History Channel.