No one knows quite what to expect the first time they go hunting.
One woman was thrown into the thick of it during her first time out.
This Mississippi woman survived a scary situation by bagging this monster.
First-time female hunter bags a 550-pound alligator on her first hunt
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) hands out a limited number of permits for a special alligator season to control their population in the Ross Barnett Reservoir outside of Jackson.
Susan and Shambani Watts won one of the 24 tags for the special alligator season.
The couple, along with a friend, Leigh Bailey, went out into Pelahatchie Bay after a storm.
For Susan, this was her time on an alligator hunt.
She was involved in an epic battle to bring in her first alligator?
“We hooked up on him about 2 or 2:30 (p.m.),” Bailey said. “We fought him a full hour before we landed him. It was vicious.”
The alligator dragged their boat around the bay, breaking a rod and lines as the group fought to bring it in.
“Thankfully, we were able to keep a hook in him the whole time,” Bailey said. “With two women and one man, it was quite a challenge to fight a 557-pound alligator. It’s the biggest one I’ve ever been on.”
Shambani Watts said that since it was his wife’s first hunt, they wanted to try and bag a big alligator.
“It’s always a challenge when you target a big gator, a monster gator,” Shambani said. “We played a cat and mouse game for about two hours.”
After they spotted a large alligator, they managed to get two hooks into it.
A battle to haul in the massive alligator
The alligator managed to break some of their gear and escaped the snare four times during their hour-long struggle.
Susan was finally able to finish the struggle against the reptile.
“I’ve had some great alligator hunts, but this one goes down as the best I’ve ever been on,” Shambani said.
The alligator came in at 557 pounds and was 11.5 feet long.
Mississippi’s record alligator was more than 14 feet long and weighed 802 pounds.
MDWFP officials describe the area around Pelahatchie Bay as an “alligator factory.”
“I found 18 nests,” MDWFP official Ricky Flynt said.
“I know there’s more, I just can’t find them. At a minimum of 18 nests, my estimate is we’re producing about 350 to 450 hatchlings a year.”
The bay was opened to hunting in 2023 due to concerns about homeowner’s safety from the growing alligator population.
18 alligators were harvested during the season this year.
“Overall, I think it went well,” MDWFP Alligator Program coordinator Andrew Arnett.
“Total harvest numbers were a bit shy of last year, but the quality was better this year, and also, more females were harvested, which is what we’re after.”
Residents have noticed fewer alligators in the bay after it was opened up for hunting.
“I will say, last year, after that season, going off the residents around Pelahatchie Bay, we had the fewest complaints there have been. So, I think we’re doing some good,” Arnett added.
Mississippi’s alligator hunters are playing an essential role in managing the reptile’s population.
Keep Fully Loaded Magazine in your sights to stay on top of exactly what the Gun Control Lobby is plotting, how guns actually make Americans safer, and fun stories surrounding the regular exercise of your Second Amendment freedoms.