Hunters Catch One of the Biggest Alligators Ever in Florida
Florida hunting guide caught one of the heaviest gators in Florida history .
Florida is home to 21 million people — plus a whole lot of alligators. About 1.3 million reptiles are swimming and strolling around the Sunshine State, so it isn't surprising that every week there is a wild new alligator incident. This week, it focuses on a Florida hunting guide who caught a 13-foot, 920-pound alligator and managed to paddle his 15-foot boat to shore with the help of two men without sinking.
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Kevin Brotz told his crazy tale to McClatchy News this week, revealing how he and his partners wrangled the large gator and brought it back to shore.
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The next question is: How did three men, plus a 13-foot-plus gator, fit in a 15-foot boat? According to Brotz, the seating chart was pretty creative.
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He revealed that he sat on top of the alligator for part of the ride to shore. "On the head," he specified.
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"It had about 8 inches of water in it," he said. "Some people would say it was swamped because they're not used to it. It wasn't in danger of sinking."
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Brotz, along with Darren Field and Carson Gore, caught the gator on Friday, Aug. 25, and is one of the heaviest ever caught in the state – the record is 1,043 pounds for a male caught in Alachua County's Orange Lake.
![American Alligator Swimming in Everglades with colorful reflection in water](https://newsfulonline.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/03/animal-facts-alligators.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=500)
Brotz caught the alligator in 12 feet deep water and it took the trio four hours. They first believed they hooked a 10- to 11-foot alligator, then it "breached up and out of the water 3 feet high," Brotz said.
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"We could tell the gator was way bigger than we thought. It feels like you got a log with legs when the alligator is that big. Often times, when you get a giant, they don't take off like a marlin. They want to stand their ground and fight," he said. "We knew if we made a mistake or the gator decided to do something crazy, we could be in trouble. We were operating with a lot of confidence and a little bit of crazy."
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After they wrangled him in, they struggled to get him on the boat. "The back of the boat did go underwater at one time," Brotz says. "We had to try a couple of methods to get it to fit."
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It took them an hour to get to the boat landing. Brotz says that they used the alligator to feed family and friends and "people in need" in the community.
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He is also having the alligator mounted for display at his home in Oviedo, where he will hang it in the living room. "We have a corner fireplace and he'll go on the wall above the fireplace. We'll have to re-enforce the wall first," Brotz says. "This dinosaur will live forever."