'I Said We Might Need A Bigger Boat': North Florida Hunters Bagged Massive 12 Foot Gator
PENSACOLA (CBSMiami/CNN) - A pair of hunters in north Florida waited three years for permission to try and catch a gator.
They finally got it and made a massive catch on their first try.
"We saw this foot and that tail, and it was like watching a 'Jaws' movie, I said we might need a bigger boat," said Andy Sokol.
He and his buddy Tanner came across the big boy gator on Monday in the Perdido River.
"That was our first night actually trying, so we kind of rolled up on this guy and wasn't really sure what we hooked until we got him next to the boat. I knew when we got a look at him we were like okay he's pretty big. But then when we saw this giant foot and this giant tail come up next to the boat we were like okay he's really big," said Sokol.
Sokol said the gator measured 12 feet long and he estimated it was probably about 50 years old. He added that it took them around two hours to get the gator out of the water.
"It was definitely a different kind of battle. I'd say the closest thing to war I've ever felt. It'll get your heart going, definitely. I think our small boat really enhanced that feeling. It was fun, it was definitely fun, I'll remember that forever," he said.
Sokol said the plan is to get the gator cleaned and processed and apply again for another tag again next year.
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