After two decades of relentless pursuit, a group of four skilled fishermen achieved a remarkable feat by capturing a colossal alligator measuring 13 feet in length and weighing a staggering 680 pounds.
According to a report from Bluebonnet News, on September 28, Robert Hennis, accompanied by his son Joel, Reverend John Benandini Jr., and Tommy Strawn, successfully hauled the massive reptile out of Turtle Bayou, located near Anahuac in Chambers County, Texas.
"We have been relentlessly pursuing this elusive gator for a remarkable 20 years. Every year, just a week before the hunting season, we catch a glimpse of him, only to have him vanish until after the season concludes. However, this time, fate was on our side, and he fell victim to our well-placed hook," Joel shared with the outlet.
The group employed bayou mullet as bait to lure in the cunning creature, which had been lurking behind Robert's residence. It took the combined strength of four 800-pound paracords to hoist the alligator to the water's surface. In a desperate attempt to escape its impending fate, the formidable beast managed to snap two of the lines.
The majority of the alligator's meat, obtained from the successful capture, has been generously donated to local church parishioners through Porter's Processing, a renowned wild game processing farm in Anahuac. Meanwhile, Joel and his father have retained approximately 10 pounds of meat from the alligator's jowls and are in the process of commissioning a full-body mount to preserve the magnificent creature's carcass.
It is worth noting that the alligator hunting season in Southeast Texas spans from September 10 to September 30, making this remarkable achievement even more noteworthy.
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