Eufaula Lake in Oklahoma lies in parts of McIntosh County, Pittsburg, Haskell, and Okmulgee Counties. Alligators live in a tiny area in Oklahoma, and Eufaula Lake is a good distance north of that area.
Are There Alligators in Eufaula Lake Oklahoma?
No, there are not alligators in Eufaula Lake, Oklahoma.
In Oklahoma, the American Alligator is native to the Gulf Coastal Plain of southeastern Oklahoma, and live in the Red and Little River systems of Choctaw, Bryan, McCurtain, and Love counties, which denote the far northwestern edge of the American Alligator’s home range.
The Little River is a tributary of the Red River. It is 217 miles long, with 130 miles in southeastern Oklahoma and 87 miles in southwestern Arkansas. The headwaters of the Little River shoot off of the Red River in far southwestern Arkansas, where the Red River switches from a north/south route to an east/west route.
The Little River goes from Arkansas northwest into Oklahoma to its mouth where it ends. The Red River extends west from that same point in Arkansas, and it has viable alligator habitat for abut 145 miles into Grayson County, Texas, and Love County, Oklahoma. Eufaula Lake, Oklahoma, does not support alligator habitat in its ecoregion.
There are no reports of alligator attacks a Eufaula Lake, Oklahoma. There are no reports of fatal alligator attacks in Oklahoma dating back to the 1970s, not even in the southeastern counties where alligators are present. Alligator attacks are extremely rare because alligators instinctively fear of humans.
Is Eufaula Lake Safe to Swim In?
Yes, it is safe to swim in Eufaula Lake.
Eufaula Lake has over 800 miles of shoreline and is rated as having some of the best swimming beaches and swimming holes in Oklahoma. Eufaula Lake and Lake Texoma vie for the title of the largest lake in Oklahoma. Lake Texoma actually covers about 300 more surface acres than Eufaula Lake.
The State of Oklahoma advises people to swim in safe or designated swimming areas in all of its lakes, avoid swallowing lake water, opening your eyes underwater, and use goggles and earplugs.
Eufaula Lake offers sandy swim beaches, towering cliffs, and diverse foliage and wildlife. The parks around Eufaula Lake have many other activities besides their swimming beaches. There are picnic areas, comfort stations, hiking trails, volleyball and other sports activities, marinas and boat ramps, and golfing.
Are There Alligators In Eufaula Lake Alabama?
Yes, there are alligators in Eufaula Lake, Alabama.
On September 1, 2019, Derrick Nelson, a hunting guide and his teenage daughter, caught one of the biggest gators seen in Lake Eufaula. That gator was 14 feet long, and the reports of its weight ranges from 700 to 920 pounds.
Even though alligators live in Eufaula Lake, local residents and visitors go swimming and boating without fear of the alligators. Eufaula Lake is a 45,181-acre reservoir located on the Chattahoochee River along the border of Alabama and Georgia. The Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge sits on the edge of Eufaula Lake where alligators are protected.
Higher populations of alligators live in wetland habitats, such as coastal marshes, natural lakes, riverine wetlands and some reservoirs. Eufaula Lake falls within that type of habitat, but again gators are inherently afraid of people and populated areas near their habitats.
Alabama wildlife experts have not reported any deadly alligator attacks in their state in years and confirm that alligator attacks are rare. The southern shores of Eufaula Lake, Alabama, are about 62 miles north of the Florida state line. There have been 23 deadly alligator attacks in Florida since 1973.
Never Feed a Gator: It Is Illegal
It is illegal for an extremely logical reason based on centuries of knowledge from the folks who live in East Texas, southwestern Arkansas, Louisiana, and Florida. Why? Gators instinctively fear humans, will not normally attack people, and become nuisance gators.
If only one person feeds a single gator, it poses a future threat to humans and a opens up a new gateway to the property near the feeding location to children, pets, deer, cattle, other livestock, and wildlife because the gators become acclimated to human interaction, lose their fear, and hunt the new grounds.
Characteristics of Nuisance Gators
The presence of an alligator does not constitute a nuisance situation. If residences and commercial properties are located within or adjacent to habitats occupied by alligators, rare interactions do occur. Alligators are not naturally aggressive towards people. They avoid people and human-populated areas in their habitats, unless they have been fed intentionally or indirectly fed, such as by fish feeders or discarded fish remains thrown into the water.
Any alligator that has preyed upon or attempted to prey upon humans, pets, or livestock, or an alligator that shows aggression and lack of fear of humans by regularly approaching human activity is considered a “nuisance alligator”. Leaving fish remains in water or on the waterfront is illegal in many state and federal wildlife management agencies, and is considered indirectly feeding a gator.
Alligators do not naturally patrol neighborhoods, busy beaches and waterfronts, and popular fishing areas in their habitats. The following are instances in which local authorities should be notified about a nuisance gator:
- If you see an alligator in the roadway.
- If an alligator is repeatedly following boats, canoes or other watercrafts, and/or maintains a close distance without submersing.
- If you walk near the water and an alligator comes straight toward you, especially if it comes out of the water.
Gator Safety Precautions
- DON’T feed alligators.
- DON’T get too close to them.
- DON’T swim or wade where they are.
- DON’T let your pets near them.
- DON’T agitate or tease them.
- DON’T try to catch one.
- DON’T approach an alligator’s nest.
- DO observe from a safe distance.
- DO discourage others from feeding them.
- DO treat them with respect as an important element of nature.
