Several weeks following the capture of a 14-foot alligator in Mississippi, the Florida Gator Hunting team managed to secure a massive 900-pound alligator in a lake close to Orlando’s bustling area.
The team’s leader, Kevin Grotz, expressed a level of fear he had not encountered before during this event. Photos and videos shared on social media depict the enormous size of the alligator, which measured 13.3 feet and weighed a staggering 920 pounds, making it the second-largest to be caught in the state; the largest was a 1000-pound gator.
In his two-decade career as a charter boat captain, Grotz confessed this was a unique experience, emphasizing the potential danger posed by such a colossal creature, especially when approached in a smaller boat. The capture required a careful approach and the collaboration of a reliable team.
The intense struggle with the massive reptile, likened to a “giant dinosaur” by fellow hunter Darren Field, spanned four hours, testing the endurance of Grotz and his crew. The ordeal was so physically taxing that one of the team members, Carson Gore, needed to lie down afterwards, overwhelmed by the exhaustion.
The images circulating online showcase the team leveraging a rope to elevate the gigantic creature, which appeared almost surreal due to its immense size. This recent catch surpassed the previous week’s 800-pound catch in Mississippi by over a hundred pounds. It’s worth noting that the largest recorded capture was a 15-foot, 1011.5-pound gator in Alabama in 2014.
Despite the potential danger posed by these “killing machines,” Grotz maintained a deep respect for the creatures and acknowledged the moral dilemma of hunting them, emphasizing that the activity also safeguards the public.