Alligator hunters in Mississippi recently made the catch of a lifetime and also set a state record.
When Donald Woods and several friends got onto the Yazoo River in the dark on Friday to enjoy the season’s opening day, they had no idea what they were about to encounter, the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger reported Saturday.
They spotted several alligators during their hunt but were keeping their eyes peeled for a monster-sized prize.
A new state record for the longest alligator harvested was broken today! Congratulations to these Mississippi hunters!…
Posted by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks on Saturday, August 26, 2023
Woods was accompanied by Joey Clark, Will Thomas, and Tanner White, who have caught many big alligators in previous years. But when they spotted one humongous river creature, they realized things would be different this time.
Woods hooked the gator at around 9:00 p.m., and the men fought to hold onto him. However, he got loose several times, going underwater and underneath logs.
“He knew what he was doing. The crazy thing is he stayed in that same spot,” Woods said. The creature thought he was in control until he started getting tired hours later, and the hunters were able to get him into their boat around 4:00 a.m.
Later, gator: Record-shattering 800-pound ‘nightmare material’ alligator caught in Mississippi https://t.co/sG1nlUXVgd pic.twitter.com/6paOLJdfCB
— New York Post (@nypost) August 28, 2023
In a social media post on Saturday, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks announced, “A new state record for the longest alligator harvested was broken today!” then congratulated the men for their efforts.
“They harvested this male alligator in the West Central Alligator Hunting Zone. He measured 14 feet and 3 inches long, with a belly girth of 66 inches and tail girth of 46.5 inches. He weighed 802.5 lbs!” the agency said.
Their catch surpassed a 2017 record for a gator that was 14 feet and 3/4 inches long, the Clarion-Ledger said.
A new male alligator length record was certified today by MDWFP Alligator Program Coordinator, Ricky Flynt. The…
Posted by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks on Monday, August 28, 2017
Social media users congratulated the men for their recent catch, one person stating, “Congratulations that’s a real dinosaur!!! Had to be an amazing time for sure!!!”
“Congratulations. That’s a BIG boy,” another commented.
Following their catch, Woods said the hunters are finished with monsters for the year, adding, “I might even call it a career after that, honestly.”
In 2016, a Texas alligator enthusiast caught what was believed to be a record gator near Houston, which weighed approximately 900 pounds, Breitbart News reported at the time.