Mississippi Hunters Hook Prehistoric-Looking 14-Foot Alligator: PHOTOS
It took two grown men and two kids to haul in the "king of the swamp" — which almost matched the state record.
Jimmy Appleton and Blake Daugherty went into Mississippi’s alligator season with a solid plan: hook a big 12-footer they’d scouted near an oxbow lake off the Mississippi River. But plans changed fast when they seemingly steered their boat into Jurassic Park.
"We were looking for a big 12-foot gator we knew about that morning," Appleton told Outdoor Life. "We found him and backed off a bit watching him, waiting until noon."
That’s when another gator let out what the hunters described as a "bellowing growl" and a dinosaur-like "roar."
"We knew then, that’s the king of the swamp," Daugherty said. "He’s letting everybody know ‘I’m the big dog.’"
They quickly forgot about the measly 12-footer.
After tracking the beast on forward-facing sonar, Appleton hooked it on the first cast.
"It about snatched me out of the boat," he said. "I tried to move him off the bottom with my rod, but he wouldn’t budge."
Blake got a second hook in him. The gator rolled, surfaced ,and the battle was on.
"He was dragging my 17-foot boat around like it was nothing," Appleton said.
With help from Daugherty’s two sons, 11-year-old Cruz and 9-year-old Cash, they used a snare and bang stick to finally subdue the massive reptile.
"We really started wearing him out," Appleton said. "I could feel him rolling and shaking his head. I knew he was a good one."
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When they got it to Red Antler Processing in Yazoo City, the gator tipped the scales at 662 pounds and measured 14 feet and ¼ inch — just two inches shy of the Mississippi state record. Red Antler processed the meat, the hide is being tanned, and the skull is being mounted.
"My wife is trying to find a wall big enough to hang that hide for display," Appleton said. "The head mount will go in the house right under my TV set. That way I can sit there and watch football and see that gator any time I want and remember what an incredible time we had."
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