(NewsNation) — The beginning of alligator hunting season in Mississippi kicked off with a record-breaking catch on Saturday.
The 14-foot, 800-pound gator was captured in the Yazoo River by a group of hunting buddies: Tanner White, Don Woods, Will Thomas and Joey Clark. It took the four seven hours to reel the male alligator in, but it didn’t take long to confirm that that gator was the largest ever recorded in the state.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks confirmed the gator broke the state record for the longest alligator harvested. Public alligator sport hunting season has been legalized in the state since 2005, according to the department. However, it is mandatory that hunters receive a permit through the state first. The sport is illegal for anyone who doesn’t have a specific alligator hunting permit.
Thomas told NewsNation that he and the other guys had a debate on whether or not they were actually going to catch him that night — some were betting on the gator and others were betting on the team.
“It was mentally exhausting,” Thomas said. “It was a team effort. Everybody kind of had a job and we fought him hard.”
And the gator put up a fight. He was strong; breaking hooks, bending poles and wood spool outlines, Thomas said. The gator even took the gears out of one of the reels, he said.
“He did a lot of things that a smaller alligator would never have been able to do. He was a giant,” Thomas said.
About 18 years, ago, this specific alligator was actually caught and relocated by the state of Mississippi. However, he became a nuisance and had been hunted before.
As the four hunters looked to capture him through the night, Thomas said the gator would hide underwater and pop up occasionally just to catch a breath of air. The gator’s tactics forced the team to bast blindly.
Once the alligator was captured and killed, the team donated the meat to a program in Mississippi that helps feed people who need food. Thomas said they donated an estimated 380 pounds of meat from the one gator.
“It tastes like chicken,” Thomas said. “Well, after you’ve claimed an alligator in 90-degree Mississippi, you really don’t have much of an appetite for it.”
