The hunters came upon the large predator on Saturday, August 26, while they were out on the Yazoo River in Mississippi.
And they were able to get the reptile on board after what must have been a fierce battle.
They learned that they had captured the largest gator ever found in the entire state when they returned to dry land.
It broke the previous record, which had stood for the preceding six years, by almost 40lbs (2.8st), measuring 14ft 3ins in length and weighing an enormous 802.5lbs (57.3st).
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks estimates that the circumference of the animal’s belly alone was 66 inches, while the thickness of its tail was 46.5 inches.
On the official Facebook page of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, a picture of the catch was posted.
It read: “A new state record for the longest alligator harvested was broken today! Congratulations to the guys!
“Congratulations to these hunters from Mississippi! Don Woods, Madison; Will Thomas, Oxford; and Tanner White, Flora, not pictured: Jackson, Joey Clark.
In the West Central Alligator Hunting Zone, they killed this male alligator. He had a length of 14 feet, 3 inches, a belly circumference of 66 inches, and a tail circumference of 46.5 inches. His weight was 802.5 lbs.
Some online commenters were astounded by the creature’s size after seeing the picture.
Someone wrote, “Good grief that’s a monster.”
Another person said, “OMG… such a monster! In Mississippi, they grow large! kudos for your excellent catch.
Speaking to the Mirror, Don Woods claimed that capturing the gator was a difficult battle.
“We hooked him eight or nine times, and he kept breaking off,” he claimed.
“He would sit down, get up, and leave. He kept stepping on logs. He was acting with knowledge. The absurd thing is that he remained there.
Alligator hunting has been legal in the state for the past 18 years as a result of continued efforts to maintain a stable alligator population.
On the second day of the season, which is now open until the following week, this bunch caught theirs.
Only 920 of these unique permits, which are required to hunt the creatures at this time, are available to the public.
