Two-Mississippi-Boaters-Reel-In-Massive-One-Eyed-Alligator

Two Mississippi Boaters Reel In Massive One-Eyed Alligator

Two gator chasing friends John Ladner and Derek Stiglet pursued a seven-foot alligator on August 29 and didn’t expect to find what they did.

The duo set out in Ladner’s 14-foot Jon boat and assumed the seven-foot gator would fit perfectly. However, they lost the trail at a split in the march, then started on a very different chase than expected.

“My buddy was on the front of the boat … and just saw a gator eye and said, ‘It’s over there!’ When we hooked it we thought it was a log because it wasn’t moving like an alligator would,” claimed Ladner.

Ladner said when they reeled in the gator it reminded him of a scene from Jurassic Park when you see the eye and teeth of T-Rex for the first time.

They hooked the one-eyed giant alligator out of the Jourdan River and celebrated his massive size. The gator weighed 477.6 pounds and was 12 feet long.

More Alligator Details

Ladner then called for a friend with a larger boat to accommodate this gigantic animal. The friends mentioned they though the gator might be dead until it started whipping its tail back and forth.

“The whole time we waited for our friend we just prayed (the gator) wouldn’t take off and flip our boat.”

Finally, when the friend with the large boat arrived, it took the team three hours to get the gator loaded in.

When they arrived on shore, they had to use a tractor to move it from that point on.

A game warden came down to see just how big the catch was. It measures as one of the biggest alligators captured in the Diamondhead, Mississippi within the last 15 years.

“It was a once in a lifetime thing, and we are extremely thankful we got it,” Ladner said.

[H/T WHDH News]