Gigantic 844-pound alligator dubbed 'Snaggletooth' captured in South Carolina
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Four South Carolina residents captured a gigantic alligator weighing over 800 pounds bringing their four-year long search to an end.
Snaggletooth, the alligator nicknamed for its jagged teeth, was caught around the Lake Moultrie area in Berkeley County on September 28 at 11pm. When captured, the reptile weighed a shocking 844 pounds and measured nearly 14 feet in length.
Cole Poplin and William Ard, two members of Renegade Bowfishing LLC, harpooned the reptile with hunters Chris and Craig Webb.
'I spotted this gator four years ago, roughly. I’ve hunted this gator a lot over the last three or four years. Four years later, we have a magical night, and he just happened to slip up and make a mistake, and we made it count,' Poplin told The Post and Courier.
Poplin noted to the outlet that he would often see Snaggletooth outside of alligator hunting season, which commonly spans the beginning of September to early October.
After finally capturing the gator, the South Carolina hunters needed a tractor just to pull the weight of the animal due to its size.
Cole Poplin and William Ard, two members of Renegade Bowfishing LLC, harpooned the reptile with hunters Chris and Craig Webb
Snaggletooth, the alligator nicknamed for its jagged teeth, was caught around the Lake Moultrie area in Berkley County on September 28 at 11pm
When captured, the reptile weighed a shocking 844 pounds and measured nearly 14 feet in length
'The elusive Snaggletooth finally slipped up. He stalled out the 1000lb winch!!! Absolute freak of a dinosaur,' Renegade Bowfishing LLC wrote in a Facebook post.
Webb shared details about the unforgettable experience in a social media post and called it the 'hunt of a lifetime.'
'On the last bit of ground to cover Cole and I put eyes on a monster and all hell broke loose. We scrambled to get him harpooned. One was good, one bounced off. We ended up with 3 stuck in him and a treble by his front leg,' he wrote in a Facebook post.
Poplin and Webb shared how they had passed an 11-foot alligator earlier that night but decided to wait for something bigger.
'I said I’ll pass, let’s keep looking. I’ll never forget the look on Cole’s face. Nobody finds an 11 that fast and passes it up. We pressed on,' Webb wrote.
Their unexpected catch was the second largest alligator caught in South Carolina, and successfully made it to the state record list.
Their unexpected catch was the second largest alligator caught in South Carolina, marking a new state record
After finally capturing the gator, the South Carolina hunters needed a tractor just to pull the weight of the animal due to its ginormous size
'That’s an experience I will never forget my entire life. Thanks to Cole and Will for going above and beyond for this gator,' Webb wrote.
The largest alligator ever caught in South Carolina was in 2010 when Maryellen Mara-Christian, a Massachusetts resident, captured a 1,025-pound gator measuring 13 feet at Lake Moultrie.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Chris Webb and Renegade Bowfishing LLC for comments.
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