Alligator Hunting: Georgia Father-Daughter Team Catch Record-Breaking 14-Foot-Long Gator

A Georgia fishing crew recently broke the state record by catching a 14-foot-long alligator.

Derrick Snelson of Meriwether County, Georgia, caught the alligator with 14-year-old daughter Shelby and hunting guide service, Lethal Guide Service, in Lake Eufaula on Sept. 1, according to WSB-TV, an ABC affiliate in Atlanta.

It was Shelby Snelson’s first time alligator hunting and Derrick Snelson’s second. The group was out hunting for six hours when they tracked, hooked, and shot the massive gator before bringing it back to dock.

Alligator hunting in Georgia is legal this time of the year and hunters, who must have a permit, are limited to one catch per season. The 2019 season began at sunset on Aug. 16 and ends at sunrise on Oct. 7.

“To be honest with you, we were just happy to see how big it was,” Snelson told CNN. “I ain't never caught anything like that before, it was just amazing.”

Once ashore, the alligator was taken to Georgia Department of Natural Resources for an official measurement, coming in at 14 feet and 1.75 inches and weighing over 700 pounds. This broke the previous record set in 2013 when Decatur County residents caught a 13-foot, 10.75-inch alligator.

“We'll have it 'life-size' mounted,” Snelson told WSB-TV. “I guess I'll have to build a house around it. It's going to be a monster laying on the living room floor for a while!”