LAKE EUFAULA, Ala. — Alabama’s alligator season is a time when eager hunters from all over the state prepare for unpredictable seasons and dream of the big catch. One group from Center Point, Alabama, however, could have never imagined what they would come to pull from the water.
Center Point native Scott Evans, and friends, Jeff and Justin Gregg pulled in a massive 920-pound gator out of Lake Eufaula, setting a record for the area.
According to AL.com, it took six men just to land the 13-foot 6-inch gator. Evans’ group told reporters that they had barely been in the water when they saw the enormous reptile, spotting it only an hour after their 10 p.m. launch.
The slippery gator got out of the first hook, and Evans’ group pursued it for another 75 yards or so before they had him hooked a second time.
“That is when the work began,” Evans said. “We are still sore (four days later). It was hard enough to get the head and shoulders in the boat.”
The hunters said the experience gave them a new appreciation for the animal, which was estimated to be 60-years-old.
“It is humbling,” said Jeff Gregg. “Before we dispatched (the gator), it’s running through your mind, ‘should we just take a picture and let it go?’ It looks like you are looking at a dinosaur.”
As far as plans for the animal, Evans says “it won’t go to waste.” The hunter has big plans for a Labor Day cookout, and is on the prowl for some good recipes.
The Evans’ group catch comes in second for the category of heaviest alligator killed during a regulated hunt in Alabama. Last year Amanda Stokes and party from Thomaston caught a 15 foot, 1011.5-pound gator from the waters near Millers Ferry on August 16, 2014.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.