BATON ROUGE, La. (WVLA) — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has cited a star from the hit television show “Swamp People” for the improper tagging of alligators after an undercover sting.
Troy Landry, 64, was cited on two counts of failing to tag an alligator upon taking, according to an LDWF incident report.
LDWF agents received a tip on Wednesday, Sept. 18, that someone was setting alligator lines in Lake Palourde in St. Mary Parish, despite not having permission to hunt on that property. The following day, agents set up surveillance in the area and discovered alligator lines that matched the description of the suspected hunter who was not allowed on the property.
Agents surveilled the area until they spotted Landry and two other people who were on a boat that was making their way toward the alligator line, according to the incident report. During the check, agents discovered that Landry did have permission to hunt on the property.
When Landry was asked about the alligator tags, he said “he had two tags gifted to him.” He added that every alligator in the boat was from the Atchafalaya Basin area and was tagged accordingly, according to the incident report.
Agents said Landry reportedly did not have the right alligator tags to hunt in that area.
According to an incident report, at first, Landry said he didn’t take an alligator from the property. After agents proved to him that they were “watching the entire time,” Landry admitted he had taken an alligator from the area.
“Mr. Landry also admitted that prior to agents making contact with him, he cut a dead “stiff” alligator loose from his line and let it float away,” the incident report said.
Landry received two citations, one for the improperly tagged alligator and the other for cutting the dead alligator from the line. According to the incident report, the boat and the boat’s engine were seized in connection with this violation.
Landry is among the group of Louisiana alligator hunters that appear in the History Channel’s “Swamp People” series, which has been on-air since 2010. Landry, dubbed the “King of the Swamp,” hunts alongside his sons, Jacob and Chase, and “consistently fills more tags than any swamper,” according to the show.