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Derrick Snelson and his daughter, Shelby, were on Lake Eufaula with Lethal Guide Service, a hunting guide company, when they caught the fish on September 1 st. It was only the second time that Snelson hunted alligators and Shelby was first.
The team spent six hours following the beast before finally installing a hook on the animal, pulling it and hoisting it onto the boat. The whole process was a team effort, said Derrick.
"To be honest with you, we were just happy to see how big it was," he told CNN. "I've never caught anything like that before, it was amazing."
They took the animal to the Department of Natural Resources of Georgia for an official measure, which reached 14 feet and 1.75 inches, said Darrell Brown, owner of Lethal Guide Service. The catch is probably a new state record, the previous one being 13 feet and 10.75 inches, although CNN could not reach the DNR on Sunday to confirm it.
Shelby, 14, described the experience as a bit scary, but brilliant.
"[The boat] swayed back and forth, and sometimes [the gator] hit the side of the boat with its tail, "she said, almost knocking her over.
But that will not stop Shelby, who said she'd "jump into the truck now" if someone asked her to go back in search of the match again. It's a rush of adrenaline that she will not soon forget.
"I am happy to have had this experience with my father," she said.
The Snelsons have already stripped the animal to use the meat. They also have the gator mounted – every 14 feet – but Shelby said that she has "no idea" where they will put it.
"It may be necessary to build a house around that," she joked.
Georgia has an official alligator hunting season to help manage the country's thriving gator population. This year's season began at sunset on August 16th and runs until sunrise on October 7th.
Hunters must apply for a special license to participate and are limited to one alligator.
Lake Eufaula, also known as Walter F. George Lake, straddles the Alabama-Georgia line about 170 miles southwest of Atlanta.
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