When veteran gator hunter Jonathan Smith heard rumors of a monster gator living in a South Carolina lake, he decided to take his boat out with his fiance, Melissa Davis, to see if he could find it.
They launched their boat early Saturday morning on Lake Marion for the first day of gator season. At about 3pm, Melissa spotted the massive alligator and was able to catch it with a hook and gator line. After a fight that lasted several hours, Jonathan shot the tired creature with a bow and arrow.
The 806-pound, 12 foot-10 inch alligator is now one of the largest ever caught in the state of South Carolina.
Two other recent records include a 1,025 lb alligator captured by Massachusetts woman six years ago, and a 755-pound gator captured last year – both were found on South Carolina’s Lake Marion.
Jonathan Smith now plans on stuffing his gator and donating the meat to charity.