MORGAN CITY — Famed alligator hunter and "Swamp People" star Troy Landry was cited for the improper tagging of alligators during a September operation conducted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Landry, 65, was cited Sept. 19 on two counts of failing to tag an alligator upon taking. Another man was also cited for the same tagging violations while the pair and an unidentified cameraman were approached by agents on Lake Palourde near Morgan City.

According to an initial report, LDWF agents were tipped off to someone setting alligator lines on someone's property without their permission on Sept. 18. The next day, agents surveilled the property and found alligator lines matching the description detailed in the tip. 

During their stakeout, agents saw a boat making its way toward the gator lines. When agents stopped the boat, they identified the occupants, including Landry, who said he had permission to hunt on the property, a fact confirmed by the owners.

Agents said that when asked about tags for hunting in the area, Landry said that he had two tags gifted to him and that every gator in the vessel was from the Atchafalaya basin and was tagged accordingly. Agents said they found that the tags for the property did not match the ones attached to the gators, which were assigned to Iberville Parish.

LDWF-issued alligator tags are property-specific and required for licensed hunters to harvest alligators in Louisiana, with the number of tags issued for a certain area based on the number of alligators believed to be in that particular habitat.

Landry told agents that he did not take alligators from the property, but walked this back after agents told him that they observed him during their entire hunt.

"Mr. Landry admitted that he took the alligator from this area but could not find the tags that were gifted to him for the hunt," LDWF's report said, adding that Landry admitted to cutting a dead alligator loose from a line and letting it float away.

Landry and the unnamed hunter he was with were cited and their vessel was seized, LDWF said.