It takes a special type of of person to willingly decide to chase down alligators, especially gators that are this damn big.
Alabama hunters were scanning the swamps of Mobile Bay and ended up coming face to face with an absolute monster. This past weekend was actually the first couple of days of “Coastal Alabama Alligator Hunting Season,” and these hunters might as well call it a season after this catch.
The group of six guys hooked the massive alligator, and then battled with it for an incredible amount of time to get it into their boat. As you might imagine, the gator wasn’t too happy about being on the line, but for its size, the six hunters found that they actually expected more of a fight from the nearly 13-foot gator.
One of the hunters spoke to News 5 WKRG, telling them
“For how big he was he really did not put up much of a fight. It took us roughly one hour from the time he was hooked until the time he was dispatched. The biggest struggle was trying to get his body in the boat.
Three Game Wardens were on a boat next to us and got to watch the entire fight. Our crew has been gator hunting for years now, but this is our biggest prize to date. It will be a hunt we all remember for years to come.”
Once they got the gator back to the dock, they had it officially weighed and measured. The bull alligator weighed an incredible 524 pounds and came up just short of the 13-foot mark at 12 feet and 9 inches in length. According to Alabama Wildlife officials, their catch is the largest of the season so far.
As you’ll see in the picture below, the gator is long enough for all six of the hunters to stand behind it. They snapped the picture as the alligator hung from the scale in the marina parking lot, and the moment to remember was shared to Facebook by the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division.
Take a look at the colossal gator below:
