That's a Big Gator

[Averageman]

http://www.aol.com/article/2016/04/06/florida-hunters-kill-massive-15-foot-alligator-that-was-snacking/21339173/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl14%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D-800888099_htmlws-sb-bb

Two hunters tracked down and killed a 15-foot alligator who was likely snacking on cattle.
The 800-pound monster gator was shot at Outwest Farms, an alligator hunting company in Florida.
Lee Lightsey, who owns the farm, and Blake Godwin, a hunting guide, discovered the alligator in a cattle pond during a guided hunt on April 2.

[Bubba FAL]

Who's up for jambalaya?

[Averageman]

I would guess when they get 15 foot long and weigh 800 lbs, the best thing they could eat would be your cattle.

[SteyrAUG]

I'm pretty used to seeing big gators, and that's a really big one. Seems like it's just shy of the official record which is 17 feet. Apparently when they are that big, they are about 100 years old.

Who knew.

http://media.local10.com/photo/2016/04/05/Nearly%2014-foot%20alligator%20killed%20during%20hunt%20on%20Okeechobee%20farm20160405223516_2557813_ver1.0_640_360.jpg

[TAZ]

Thats a lot of boots

[ramairthree]

I hate when they do the crazy perspective like that in a picture.

Makes it look like some 20 plus footer.

But,
With that series tractor and the bucket,
Might not be fifteen feet,
But it is within a foot or two if not.

[SteyrAUG]

I hate when they do the crazy perspective like that in a picture.

Makes it look like some 20 plus footer.

But,
With that series tractor and the bucket,
Might not be fifteen feet,
But it is within a foot or two if not.

Yeah, plus the use of a little kid. Quite honestly, a standard picture of a 15 foot gator should suffice. It's almost a shame they killed it, 100 year old gator is pretty cool. They could have pretty easily relocated it to the middle of the everglades and never seen it again.

[JC5188]

Man would have to have balls as big as the gator to relocate that thing. Wow!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jpmuscle]

And instead we shoot it because that's what we do.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[chuckman]

NC typically doesn't get big gators, but not long ago, a year or so maybe, a police car in the eastern part of the state hit one on the road, something like 12 feet and 500 pounds. I would crap myself if I saw that in NC.

[Hootiewho]

There was one which a man kept in a private pond in Anderson Co SC which was relocated when it grew too big for him to deal with. IIRC it was ~ 11ft. I am very surprised we don't see more in my area given we are right on the Savannah River system. I have read of them being found as far north as Illinois on the Mississippi; same with the bull shark

[Arik]

It's almost a shame they killed it, 100 year old gator is pretty cool. They could have pretty easily relocated it to the middle of the everglades and never seen it again.



And instead we shoot it because that's what we do.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Agreed. Or at least send to a zoo or something. Never understood killing just because it's there

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[TMS951]

I saw a special on retiles. They focused on tortoises and gators.

Basically they don't die from old age, and they don't stop growing. They just keep getting bigger and bigger longer they live. They only die from outside events like attacks, accidents and starvation.

This guy was clearly not starving with all of that cattle to much on.

[HCrum87hc]

There was one which a man kept in a private pond in Anderson Co SC which was relocated when it grew too big for him to deal with. IIRC it was ~ 11ft. I am very surprised we don't see more in my area given we are right on the Savannah River system. I have read of them being found as far north as Illinois on the Mississippi; same with the bull shark

That's surprising. I'd imagine Anderson would be a little cool in the winters for gators. I've never heard of any around Lake Hartwell or Keowee, but the lowcountry is infested with them.

[Averageman]

I'm guessing if you wanted to keep that thing alive you would be better off moving the cattle and fencing off the Small Lake/Pond.
Once something gets that big sedating it, catching it before it drowns and then keeping it sedated long enough to move it, very well may stress it to death.
Honestly, if I had that thing on my property I would fence it off and set up bleachers, sell tickets and walk a calf out there every once in a while. That would likely pay for itself in no time.

[SteyrAUG]

And instead we shoot it because that's what we do.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

It's Fl, they don't need an excuse to shoot things. At least people are going to eat it I guess.

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

I call BS...somewhat. The angle of the picture, the perspective, and the fact that it was killed in a gator hunting farm give me pause for concern.

[Inkslinger]

I call BS...somewhat. The angle of the picture, the perspective, and the fact that it was killed in a gator hunting farm give me pause for concern.

They measured it and weighed it right?

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

They measured it and weight it right?

AFAIK, THEY weighed it and measured it. No one else did. Sounds the monster hog story from a few years ago.

[Inkslinger]

AFAIK, THEY weighed it and measured it. No one else did. Sounds the monster hog story from a few years ago.

The story says they measured it, but nothing about weighting. Considering gators are bought and sold for meat, it's conceivable it was sold and weighed. I mean hell, if it was a gator hunting farm they might have been intentionally feeding it cows!

[PatrioticDisorder]

I'm pretty used to seeing big gators, and that's a really big one. Seems like it's just shy of the official record which is 17 feet. Apparently when they are that big, they are about 100 years old.

Who knew.

http://media.local10.com/photo/2016/04/05/Nearly%2014-foot%20alligator%20killed%20during%20hunt%20on%20Okeechobee%20farm20160405223516_2557813_ver1.0_640_360.jpg

http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/usa-hunters-find-bullets-from-american-civil-war-in-185-year-old-alligators-hide/

This one was apparently used for target practice during the civil war...

[Inkslinger]

http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/usa-hunters-find-bullets-from-american-civil-war-in-185-year-old-alligators-hide/

This one was apparently used for target practice during the civil war...

Maybe that's the one from the Eddy Arnold's song The Battle of New Orleans.

"Well we fired our cannon till the barrel melted down
Then we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round
We filled his head with cannonballs and powdered his behind
And when we took the powder off the 'gator lost his mind"

[jpmuscle]

It's Fl, they don't need an excuse to shoot things. At least people are going to eat it I guess.


Agreed. Or at least send to a zoo or something. Never understood killing just because it's there

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
I don't either.. It's honestly why I quit hunting a number of years ago. I just didn't have it in me anymore. Just isn't my thing. I love to eat me some wild game but at most I'll hump a camera into the woods nowadays. Two legged critters is another story haha.







Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[SteyrAUG]

I don't either.. It's honestly why I quit hunting a number of years ago. I just didn't have it in me anymore. Just isn't my thing. I love to eat me some wild game but at most I'll hump a camera into the woods nowadays. Two legged critters is another story haha.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Same here, gave it up a long time ago simply because I don't care to eat most of the things you can shoot. Now if they had a "cattle season" I'd be out there every day and my refrigerator would be full of ribeyes. Wouldn't be terribly challenging but I'm in it for the groceries not the hunt.

[ramairthree]

No joy here in killing for the heck of it,
But if that was in my pond in one of my pastures,
I would take it out before one of my horses, pets, kids, etc. got messed up by it.